Friday, January 25, 2008

Competitive Games

Monopoly is an example of a classic competitive game. Generally speaking, the purpose of the game is to bankrupt all of the other players. In all modern versions of the Game of Life, the winner is the player with the most money. Sporting events operate with the same competitive ethic: there is one gold medal per event. One team wins the super bowl, and the others are all losers.

The business model of governance is a competitive game. Increased productivity (as defined by the business) leads to increased job security, and the failure to bring in the numbers leads to termination. In education, one brings in more students or greater amounts of grant money in order to receive a superior office, closer parking space, or more leeway in selecting and running classes.

This model discourages faculty members from cooperating on projects for a number of reasons, and the "publish-or-perish" concept leads to an increasing number of journal articles of decreasing quality. Non-research institutions of higher learning frequently are judged by enrollment statistics and by the phantom statistic known as the "graduation rate."

Students who transfer to other institutions are deemed failures under this measure, as are those who enter college with purposes other than obtaining degrees. A student who improves her job skills without obtaining a degree is a failure. A student who takes courses for his own betterment is a failure. Anyone who takes one or two courses in technology-related work in order to remain current is a failure. State legislatures usually fund colleges and projects based on enrollment and graduation statistics.

The governor of Texas last year
"insisted that budget negotiators discuss another request – that $350 million in higher education funding be tied to performance incentives for campuses. Performance would be measured by things like graduation rate and student retention." (Dallas Morning News, 22 May 2007) In Colorado, one of the university presidents wants to tie funding to graduation rates (Rocky Mountain News, 08 Jan 2008).

The easiest way to improve graduation rates is to alter a college's mission so as to discourage the presence of nondegree students and students who are likely to transfer. The recruitment of top students only -- those who are most likely to graduate -- also increases the graduation rate and improves retention. A college can also put all of its classes online as quickly as possible, attracting students from the other colleges. These strategies leave no room for a traditional community college mission.

In order for a community college to exist and to thrive, its operation must not be a competitive game. The state's legislatures and regents must not fund on the basis of compared statistics, focusing instead on the finances needed to get the job done. A community college must be a community, and its operation must be a cooperative game.

Monday, January 14, 2008

Welcome Back

"Did I ever tell you about my uncle Ernie? Well, uncle Ernie was a shoe salesman in Syracuse, but people used to say he was the worst shoe salesman in the world. One day, my aunt Marie was sick of his complaining and went to his store. There was Ernie, sitting alone in the store, and all around him were shoes of every style imaginable. These were good shoes, and they were all on sale. Black ones, brown ones, blue ones -- every color you could think of. So my aunt Marie asks him, 'Are the shoes overpriced?' He acts insulted and says, 'No! They're half the price of the place across the street.' 'Are they knock-offs?' she adds. Again he says, 'No! They're all name brands.'

"That's when aunt Marie noticed that they were all size 10-D. 'Ernie,' she says -- 'Ernie, these shoes are all the same size! People wear different sizes, you know.' Ernie said, 'These shoes are all in MY size. That way, if no one wants 'em, at least I can wear them.'"