UCATION IS THE KEY TO THE AMERICAN DREAM.

(man) BUT TODAY, SOMETHING'S WRONG.

'T READ, PERIOD.

(mVIVE?

DRIVEN. 'T READ, PERIOD.

(man 4) YOU KNOW, I GOT SWALLOWED UP.

POWERFUL FORCES ARE DRIVING HIGHER EDUCATION

IN NEW DIRECTIONS.

I'M JOHN MERROW.

WHAT WE'RE GOING TO SHOW YOU, BOTH GOOD AND BAD,

ABOUT COLLEGES AND I'UNIVERSITIESW.

CAN BE FOUND ON VIRTUALLY EVERY CAMPUS IN AMERICA.

THIS PROGRAM IS PROVIDED BY: ABOUT COLLEGES AND I'UNIVERSITIESW.

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT WAS PROVIDED BY:

WITH ADDED BY:

(John Merrow) GMILLIONS EVERY FALL.

(Female Student) IT'S REALLY EXCITING

BECAUSE I'VE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS FOR A LONG TIME.

SO, I'M JUST GLAD TO FINALLY BE HERE, MOVING IN.

(John Merrow) MORE THAN 14 MILLION UNDERGRADUATES

AT 4,200 COLLEGES, FOLLOWING A DREAM.

IT'S STILL NOT ONLY A WAY UP FOR SOME PEOPLE,

G SURE THAT YOU'VE BEEN STAMPED BY SOCIETY

FOR FUTURE SUCCESS.

PARTLY A RITUAL, YOU'VE BA TRANSITION.Y SOCIETY

IT'S ALSO A WAY OF PEOPLE

BEGINNING TO MOVE OUT OF THE FAMILY.

SO THERE'S STILL A PRETTY POSITIVE SENSE OF IT

AS PART OF THE AMERICAN DREAM.

IT'S ABOUT BUILDING CONFIDENCE,

ILDINGRT OF THE AMERICAN DREAM. YOUR COMMUNICATION SKILLS,

LEARNING TO WORK WITH PEOPLE,

(student) I'M REALLY EXCITED,

A LITTLE BIT NERVOUS SINCE WE JUST GOT HERE AND STUFF,

THE WHOLE COLLEGE EXPERIENCE AND EVERYTHING.

(woman) A VERY FEW YEARS AGO

IT WAS POSH SCHOOL

ANSUSTAIN A FAMILY,

AND EVEN SUSTAIN A MIDDLE CLASS STANDARD OF LIVING

THOSE DAYS ARE OVER.

NEVER AGAIN WILL NECESSITY FOR ANY INDIVIDUAL E

TO ENTER AND STAY IN THE AMERICAN MIDDLE CLASS.

[bells chiming]

(John Merrow) BUT EVEN WITH COLLEGE A NECESSITY,

THERE ARE WARNING SIGNS

THAT ALL IS NOT WELL IN HIGHER EDUCATION.

dogs]HERE ARE WARNING SIGNS

BUT TODAY 39% OF STUDENTS ADMIT TO BINGE DRINKING.

(man) OWWWW!

THAT WAS WEAK.

I WANT MORE!

[crowd cheering]

(John Merrow) THE DEBATE OVER THE ROLE OF SPORTS ON CAMPUS PERSISTS.

(Frank Deford) IT'S NOT ILLEGAL FOR A COACH TO MAKE $2 MILLION A YEAR

BUT IS IT RIGHT,

IS IT ETHICAL,

(John Merrow) 68% OF TODAY'S COLLEGE STUDENTS ARE WORKING

ATHOLD DOWN FULL-TIME JOBS

WHILE TRYING TO BE FULL-TIME STUDENTS.

(woman) I FREQUENTLY DO.

WHEN YOU ARE DEAD TIRED YOU DON'T HEAR THAT ALARM.

I DON'T CARE HOW LOUD IT IS.

UGH IT.

AND THAT'S HAPPENED.

(John Merrow) 44% OF TODAY'S COLLEGE FACULTY ARE PART-TIME TEACHERS.

THIS MAN TEACHES AT THREE COLLEGES.

(man) I'M PRETTY MUCH AN ASSEMBLY LINE KIND OF A GUY.

I WISH I COULD TAILOR MAKE MY DELIVERY.

CAN'T DO IT.

TOO MANY STUDENTS,

TOO MANY CLASSES.

(John Merrow) AND TEACHING IS OFTEN NOT A PRIORITY.

(man) CLEARLY IF I WANT A RAISE

IT'S GOING TO BE THROUGH RESEARCH.

I'M NOT GOING TO GET RAISES BASED ON QUALITY TEACHING,

NO MATTER HOW GOOD THAT TEACHING IS.

(John Merrow) STUDENTS WHO START MAY NOT FINISH.

MOST DISTURBING OF ALL IS WHAT'S BEING SAID

ABOUT THOSE WHO DO GRADUATE.

MOST DISTURBING OF ALL IS WHAT'S BEING SAID (Lara Couturier) THERE'S BEEN REPORT AFTER REPORT

AND COMMISSION AFTER COMMISSION FORMED OF BUSINESS LEADERS

WHO ARE CALLING OUT TO HIGHER EDUCATION AND SAYING,

"WE NEED TO CHANGE THE SYSTEM.

"WE THAT OUR EMPLOYEESWITH ARE SHOWING UP WITH."

AND THIS HAS IMPLICATIONS FOR DEFENSE,

IT HAS I MEANS TO RUN LOCAL GOV,

(John Merrow) AND YET, OTHER THAN CONCERNS ABOUT COST,

(Kay McClenney) THAT'S BECAUSE THE AMERICA PUBLIC HAS

VERY LITTLE INFORMATION.

WE DON'T REALLY HAVE ANY INFORMATION THAT TELLS US

FROMDENT LEARNING.

WHEN THOSE KIDS GO TO COLLEGE

WE DON' ACTUALLY

HING WHILE WHEN THOTHEY'RE THERE.COLLEGE

(Lara Couturier) WE HAVE NO IDEALY REALLY WHAT GOES ON AT MOST

WE MAKE HUGE ASSUMPTIONS THAT SOMETHING MAGICAL HAPPENS

IN FOUR YEARS.

(man) YOU READY FOR THIS?

BUT I'LL

I'LL BE READY TO COME BACK HOME PROBABLY.

(John Merrow) ON HIS FIRST DAY

AT WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY,

WHICH ENROLLS MORE THAN 18,000 STUDENTS,

THE VAST MEGION.

(Matt Morris) IT'MING I GUESS.

JUST ALL THE PEOPLE,

'CAUSE I'M FROM A TOWN ABOUT 400 PEOPLE.

IT'S A BIG CHANGE,

IT'S GOING TO BE A BIG CHANGE.

(John Merrow) HIS WEEKENDS DRAG RACING.

[engine roaring]

HE'S NOT (John Merrow) WELL-PREPARED FOR COLLEGE.G.

(Matt) I COULD HAVE BEEN A STRAHOOL.

I WAS "A"-"B" WITHOUT BRINGING A BOOK HOME.

, (Matt) I COULD HAVE BEEN A STRAHOOL. I DON'T STUDY A LOT THOUGH

BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE VERY GOOD STUDY SKILLS.

FIRST IN HIS FAMILY TO GO TO COLLEGE.

HIS DAD WORKS AT U.P.S.

(Donna Morris) YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT MATT NEVER WAS THE TYPE

ACADEMICS.

HE CONCENTRATED IN SPORTS, (Donna Morris) YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT MATT NEVER WAS THE TYPE

A BIG CHANGE FOR HIM. ACADEMICS.

HE'S NEVER HAD THE STUDY ETHICS OR WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT.

(JohHAS HIGH HOPES.

8!

[cheers, applause]

(Matt) IT WAS KIND OF 50/50 WHETHER I WANTED TO GO TO COLLEGE,

I WANT TO HAVE A NICE RACE CAR, A NICE HOUSE.

I FIGURE IF I CAN MAKE SIXTY,

SEVENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS A YEAR, BY MYSELF,

I CAN HAANT.

(John Merrow) WHAT CLASSES ARE YOU TAKING?

COMPUTER-AIDED DRAFTING,

ENGLISH,

BOWLING,

ONOMY, ENGLISH,

AND UNIVERSITY EXPERIENCE.

THAT'S KIND OF ABOUT AS...

WHAT'S THE WORD I'M LOOKING FOR?

AY OF CLASSES AS YOU CAN GET, I'D SAY...

SOUNDS WHAT'S THE WORD I'M LOOKING FORCHALLENGING ALSO.

UH, IT'D BE PRETTY TOUGH, I'D SAY.

OF FREE TIME. WHAT'S THE WORD I'M LOOKING FORCHALLENGING ALSO.

SO YOU MIGHT AS WELL USE IT.

(John Merrow) WESTERN KENTUCKY'S MISSION IS TO SERVE THE STATE

AND ITS HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES.

(man) I WANT A DEGREE IN THEIR HAND SO THAT THEY'RE CREDENTIALED

SO T

THE QUALITY OF LIFE

FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIFE.

THE STATE INVESTS $75 MILLION A YEAR IN THIS UNIVERSITY

AND THE PAY-OFF IS A TALENTED WORK FORCE,

AN IMPROVED QUALITY OF LIFE,

AND AN ECONOMY THAT'S BEING DRIVEN BY OUR UNIVERSITIES.

(John Merrow) MOST COLLEGES ACCEPT AT LEAST THREE QUARTERS

OF THOSE WHO APPLY.

(Professor) ALL RIGHT, WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TODAY

WITH THE MONETARY POLICY.

(John Merrow) THE PROFESSOR IS BRIAN STROW, AN AWARD-WINNING TEACHER.

NCOMMITTEE WOKE UP ONE DAY

AND SAYS, "YOU KNOW WHAT?

"THIS .1 OR 10% RESERVE REQUIREMENT,

MAYBE IT'S TOO LOW."

(Brian Strow) I'M HERE BECAUSE I ENJOY THE CLASSROOM,

I ENJOY BULB ON

IN A STUDENT'S HEAD, AND THEY SAY,

"OH, ECONOMICS ISN'T QUITE AS BORING AS I THOUGHT IT WAS.

THIS IS ON THE NEWS ALL THE TIME."

WE'VE GOT AN EXTRA $100 IN CASH SITTING AROUND.

THE BANK WAS PREVIOUSLY FULLY LOANED OUT,

DIDN'T REALLY WANT TO SIT ON EXTRA CASH.

WHAT'S IT PROBABLY GOING TO DO WITH THE MONEY NOW?

(male student) DIDN'T REALLY WANT TO SIT ON EXTRA CASH. LOAN IT OUT.

YEAH, LOANS ARE GOIN

(John Merrow) PROFESSOR STROW TEACHES THREE COURSES

WITH A TOTAL OF 134 STUDENTS.

MEETS THREE TIMES A WEEK.

I'VE GOT STUDENTS IN THAT CLASS WHO I'M CONFIDENT

WOULD EXCEL AT ANY IVY LEAGUE INSTITUTION,

ALL THE WAY DOWN TO STUDENTS

D THEY LET OUT WOULD EXCEL AT ANY IVY OF HIGH SCHOOL.ION,

ohn Merrow) TO ACCOMMODATE THE RANGE OF ABILITIES OF HIS STUDENTS ALL THE WAY DOWN TO STUDENTS

PROFESSOR STROW MAKES THE FIRST OF A NUMBER

HIS TEXTBOOK IS OPTIONAL. MAKES THE FIRST OF A NUMBER

I CALL IT "OPTIONAL" IN THE SENSE THAT I'M NOT GOING

TO ASK THEM QUESTIONS SPECIFICALLY ON THE TEST

THAT COME OUT OF THE TEXTBOOK.

AN ECONOMIST ON THEM? TO ASK THEM QUESTIONS SPECIFICALLY ON THE TEST

(John Merrow) INSTEAD, HE ASSIGNS FIVE ARTICLES A WEEK

(Strow) THE THIRD ARTICLE IS ON PAGE 55,

ND MEDIOCRITY."Merrow) INSTEAD, HE ASSIGNS FIVE ARTICLES A WEEK

IT HAS TO DO WITH GREAT BRITAIN'S EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM.

(Strow) I WOULD LIKE

LK ABOUT IN CLASS, SEE IT IN THE WORLD. IT HAS TO DO WITH GREAT BRITAIN'S EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM.

JUST INDEPENDENTLY ASK QUESTIONS,

"BECAUSE I SAW THIS ON THE NEWS THE OTHER DAY.

HOW DOES THAT FIT IN TO WHAT WE'RE DOING?"

WISH IT DID.

WHEN IT COMES TO GRADING,

(Strow) I END UP HAVING TO HAVE A PRETTY BIG CURVE

BECAUSE THE AVERAGE IS ABOUT A 55 OUT OF 100.

THAT'S THE AVERAGE FOR THE CLASS.

NOW I HAVE STUDENTS SCORING 96, 94.

BUT I STILL HAVE PEOPLE IN THE 40s,

THEM I GUESS--

The 50 MAGICALLY BECOMES A "C".

THERE'S A HUGE AMOUNT OF GRADE INFLATION.

SO, WHAT DOES AN "A" MEAN, WHAT DOES A "B" MEAN?

WE KNOW NOW, FOR EXAMPLE,

ARE "B" OR BETTER.

THE GRADES WERE C'S. WE KNOW NOW, FOR EXAMPLE,

S THAT MUCH BRIGHTER?

THERE'S EVIDENCE THAT WE KNOW NOW, FOR EXAMPLE,

AS WELL-PREPARED IN HIGH SCHOOL AS THEY WERE BEFORE.

(John Merrow) AT ELITE COLLEGES WHERE STUDENTS ARE WELL-PREPARED,

GRADE INFLATION CONTINUES TO BE AN ISSUE.

WELL, LET'S SAY A WORD ABOUT THE EXERCISES FIRST.

(John Merrow) WILLIAM PRITCHARD HAS BEEN TEACHING ENGLISH LITERATURE

AT AMHERST COLLEGE IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS FOR 47 YEARS.

(Pr'T GIVE A "C" NOW

UNLESS IT'S A STUDENT WITH A REAL WRITING PROBLEM,

AND THERE ARE SUCH, GIVE A "C" NOW

OR DONE IT IN THE MOST PERFUNCTORY WAY.

WHEREAS A "C" USED TO BE A PASSING GRADE.

[laughs]

(John Merrow) THE "GENTLEMAN C".

THAT'S WHAT IT WAS CALLED, YEAH.

S THE (John Merrow) EQUIVALENT OF AN "F"?

I THINK A "C" IS THE EQUIVALENT OF A STRONG STATEMENT

THAT YOU'VE DONE POORLY IN THIS COURSE, YEAH.

IN MEXICO, DEMAND IS GO 130.

IF YOU STARTED FAILING A LOT OF STUDENTS?

(Strow) IF I STARTED FAILING 50%, THEN YES.

IT'S RETENTION, RETENTION, RETENTION, IS WHAT WE FOCUS ON,

ARE FIRST-TIME COLLEGE STUDENTS.

THAT ISI ASKED A PROFESSOR THEIR FAMILY ABOUT GRADING ON A CURVE,

"RETENTION, RETENTION, RETENTION."

THE COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY TELLS PRESIDENT RANSDELL,

ET WILL BE BASED ON "RETENTION, RETENTION, HOW MANY YOU ENROLL,"

RETAIN AND GRADUATE."

HE'S GOING TO RETAIN STUDENTS.T,

AND IT DOES THE COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY NO GOOD

FOR A STUDENT TO ENROLL AND LEAVE.

FRESHMAN MATT MORRIS IS FINDING THE WORK CHALLENGING.

TODAY HE'S FACING HIS FIRST TEST, IN ASTRONOMY.

(Matt Morris) THE ASTRONOMY TEST WAS OVER, LIKE, TWO CHAPTERS.

BUT NO, NOT FOR THAT.

FREAKIN' 62,

BUT I GOT 12 POINTS IN EXTRA CREDIT THAT I CAN GET,

SO I'M SETTING DOWN TO WORK ON THAT.

YES, MOM.

PASSING BARELY.

YES, MOTHER. YES, MOM.

I'M DOING MORE EXTRA CREDIT.

MY MOM AND DAD, THEY DON'T WANT ME TO FAIL.

I'M DOII WON'T FAIL, CREDIT.

I WON'T LET MYSELF FAIL.

I KN KINDA WORRIED I'LL GET UP HERE

AND GOOF OFF AND EVERYTHING.

(John Merrow)OUT ONE I