HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: “The Mt. Hood Community College faculty association offered a sharp response Tuesday to MHCC’s plan to hire permanent replacements should union members decide to strike. On Tuesday, MHCC’s board announced it was prepared to hire full-time replacement faculty if union members walked out and administrators are reviewing applications.”

UPDATE: A reader emails:

As an adjunct instructor teaching kids to write–which I enjoy doing and do well, I think–I think the real part of the h.e. bubble that needs attention is the monstrous growth in administrators who have their own agendas that have little to do with student learning. I know you have mentioned that, but it’s worth repeating.

An example: there is some kind of student-tutoring center at my unnamed school which is run by an administrator that matches student tutors with students who need help with their writing. I went down there
a couple of years ago, innocently, and tried to talk with the student who is “tutoring” my students…so I could give that kid some advice about what I wanted attended to in tutoring sessions. I was received with puzzlement. The attitude seemed to be “why would a teacher want to have anything to do with the tutoring we offer.” This is a sample of one–but the sense was weird.

“We’re helping the kids–what does that have to do with you?”

Fulltime faculty like those in Maine who want more money strike me as not the real problem.

The Goldwater Institute found administrative bloat was the biggest driver in higher education cost increases.
And that’s Oregon, not Maine, but yeah.