This is the third for-profit effort that found me on LinkedIn by an Ivy League school in the past week.
Call it what it is and tax it for what it is - a for-profit - which may be no better than the for-profit’s vilified in the academic press.
When the prominent and visible Ivy League schools run programs as cash grabs, they undermine the values of scholarship and education that we claim to ascribe to.
It’s an abuse of their brand and tax status as non-profit higher education institutions.
What’s worse - because consumers seem naive in their understanding of rankings, brand, and morality of leaders of these institutions - they are taken take advantage of by high social-status schools they think they can trust - who don’t actually offer them the experience or opportunities afforded regular students.
So what should we do?
First, more clearly brand for-profit programs in higher ed. which are for profit. And no, not every program is about cash.
Second, strip non-profit status from programs like these run in partnership with non-university groups - that are clear cash grabs. Make them pay taxes.
Third, hold them accountable for delivering quality services commensurate with the cost and promises made. How many of their students improve their careers through these for-profit programs? No one has systematically collected data that helps answer this question.
Fourth, fund public, non-profit schools adequately - so that people can access training to skills at a low cost from a reputable source.
Fifth, ask what has changed? That what used to be institutions for higher education feel compelled to act as for-profit businesses - and address the source of the problem - which for Public universities has been the defunding of higher education - and for private universities seems to be greed.
But why should you care? About taxing the Ivy League?
Because every dollar they don’t pay in taxes from their for-profit endeavors is a dollar that is not available to fund public education and services to the poorer.
Functionally, by skipping out on taxes, the Ivy League are making the rest of us subsidize their for-profit endeavors.
Taxes are not a popular idea - but it’s about time - Harvard, Penn, and their self-defined peers should pay their fair share - and let’s use the money to fund access to higher education and vocational training for everyone.
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