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  • 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