The Business of Higher Education

People often ask me how I ended up becoming a business librarian. Let’s just say that it’s been a long strange trip. Library school was really fantastic at the University of Pittsburgh. It was such an eclectic mix of people. There was the classmate who knew the rapper Ludacris. One went on the game show Jeopardy! Another had a law degree from Harvard and went to library school for a change of pace. Then there were all the Canadians. Pitt had a bunch of them because of what’s called opportunity cost in economics. Library school is typically a multiple year ordeal in Canada. The degrees were equally valid in both countries so studying in Pittsburgh not only saved a year’s worth of tuition but also gave them an extra year to work as librarians with salary.

In this particular case, the shorter program didn’t compromise quality. Taking an entire graduate school program and streamlining it saves students time and money. Emporia State University recently made a similar move with their library program with success.

While it’s true that education and capitalism have different aims, the best business minds and educators often speak a similar language. This is perhaps most noticeable in business schools at universities across the country. Business schools often put out annual reports (just like the large publicly-held corporations). These reports let alumni, students, and any other curious party know the health of the program. Admissions criteria is presented. Starting salaries and positions students land after they leave the program are published. Notable contributions and joint initiatives with the private sector are highlighted. Budgets are available too. The University of Pittsburgh’s business school publishes one of these each year. Every time I read it my jaw drops. The best part is that everything is presented objectively. Insincere attempts at flattery are conspicuous by their absence. Is it any wonder everyone from large multi-national corporations to small business owners donate serious coin to business programs?

That’s not to say that every person who works in higher education gets it. Occasionally one hears the cackle of pterodactyls. If too many of these dinosaurs congregate together in an academic department, a funny thing happens. Productivity goes down and other people on campus take notice. Extinction may be a rather strong word. Let’s just say that when budgets get tight, administrators tend to notice the black hole sized money pit on-campus first.

March brings a few things. First of all, it’s Irish-American heritage month and St. Patrick’s Day. The US Census has a neat press release on it:
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/011181.html

Secondly, the day after St. Patrick’s Day (March 18) is our first Business Movie Night at the Main Library at Kansas City, Kansas Public Library. We’ll be showing Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room. This movie is a riot. Well, it’s probably funniest if you didn’t own stock in the company! They interview all the important people in the company. At any rate, it definitely highlights some business ethics issues. Again, the movie starts at 6:00 pm and will be shown up in the second floor auditorium. Attendees must be over 18 or accompanied by an adult. Until next time, catch me in the library.