Free community college for everyone? We can all be Aric Hall!

[Christopher]

Insanely true. I would say almost most of my classes even the theatre ones, we lost about 25%-50% by mid-term. Either the class is to advance for them, or they simply dont like the class, or they changed majors and don't need the class anymore. Our regular classes at our CC is 25 students. Some have 80 like the big Astronomy 101 type class that's in the forum. They fill up fast the 25 student classes. A few times I couldn't get in because class and waiting list were full. Ill pass by the class six weeks later and it'll be half empty. When I took Stagecrafts and our instructor (who was one of the most awesome guys you'd ever meet, he was like a local version of Jim Carrey type of personallity but serious about the class and class work and his own work getting the stage up) told us we actually will be working physically, hard work building the stage set the upcoming performance of "Guys and Dolls" (this was in 2000). Painting props, and running the light show. I swear we lost 85 percent of the class. That one class was like a 20 hour a week job. I remember spending hours hammering down the stage floor, and painting the sets, and I did the light show for one of the performances. Anyhow, only like five us in the class by second week which had like 25 at start. Which is also why we worked almost double time. He gave all of us that stayed to the end, and worked hard an automatic "A". I remember I had the flu and was working the floor set, and he told me to just go home because I looked like death, and take the rest of the week off and don't worry about it affecting my grade at all, because we were working so hard. It was an eighteen week course but with all the extra lab work because we lost so many students it was more like a 36 week course crammed into an 18 week course. Most thought it was a "read and test" class. Many newbies to college think it's H.S. where you just sit, listen, take notes, and take an easy test or write a one page term paper, and it you get an A or B.

Another issue we may face with this free CC is seat availability. For example at College of Southern Nevada, every semester there is a seat shortage as Nevada High School graduates tend to have early enrollment versus transfer students. A class may have 30 seats and it gets filled before the next round of students are allowed to enroll. After the first week of class you can see as many as 1/3 drop the course as they are not prepared enough to take these courses. In this instance many of the students who could not get in, wind up taking 100/200 level classes at UNLV which has much higher tuition ($191 a credit last time I checked). The more I think about this, this is a bad deal. Obama would be better off mandating a tuition cap on CC's such as $20-$25 a credit than subsidize (corporate welfare) tuition. This may force the CC's to eliminate some of the bloat in the administrative positions. Also in Nevada CC teachers make over $100,000 a year and I can tell you first hand, most just post assignments online and do not even read many of the them. I looked up one of my Professors and she teaches 3 classes per semester and makes $108,000 a year plus benefits...

My question is will the 5 million illegals who just received amnesty also be allowed to receive free CC? This is leaning more and more to a massive spike in tuition.

Many will not get into CC as it will be filled by lower and middle income, so attendance will increase at the 4 year level. CC's will be maxed out, so the supply will be low and the demand will be high. The higher the demand the higher the prices.

[videogamesrock]

The federal government can provide funding, but it cannot force CCs to cap their tuition. These are locally-operated entities. Why would attendance increase among lower and middle income people when they are already the ones attending CCs for free or nearly free? How many upper class people are trying to attend CCs anyway? I don't think this proposal is meant to help them, and they really don't need the help.

It is only common for certain types of professors to make over six figures. They are usually in tenure-track positions at 4-year colleges and universities and teach law, computer science, accounting, and engineering. Professors at prestigious private universities can make that much, but many professors won't see that much even after teaching for 20+ years. CCs are becoming increasingly reliant on adjunct instructors. Adjuncts make close to fast food wages.

None of my university professors make six figures and some of them have been teaching for more than 30 years. I could make more as a police officer without a degree than a CJ professor with a PhD.

Here is the list of pay for CC professors at my school. You will see many are at $100k on salary alone and you will see cumulative income over or near $100K also.

Public sector salary information for College of Southern Nevada employees

Prof. Goodwin who I took, makes $101k, she teaches keyboarding and word processing classes.

Time for a career change?

The government can regulate how much someone charges if it considers it a necessity of living or a right to life such as food. It can force cap and trade, it can force eminent domain, and it can force people to buy something they do not want to buy. They can also force people to share their wages with the government through taxation. The government can also make owning gold illegal and confiscate the gold for its on purposes such as funding a war. Forcing a tuition reduction ins't so farfetched.

[videogamesrock]

Here is the list of salaries for professors at UNLV, these are pushing up to $500,000 a year. An associate professor makes over $100k.


http://www.transparentnevada.com/salarie...las-vegas/

[cannoda]

Here is the list of pay for CC professors at my school. You will see many are at $100k on salary alone and you will see cumulative income over or near $100K also. . .
Prof. Goodwin who I took, makes $101k, she teaches keyboarding and word processing classes.

These salaries are definitely not the norm across the country. That being said, the professor you identified is very senior - over 35 years at the same institution with an earned doctorate. The salary is high, but not out of line for business faculty with her tenure and credentials. I agree that they could find someone cheaper to teach word processing and keyboarding.

[cannoda]

Here is the list of salaries for professors at UNLV, these are pushing up to $500,000 a year. An associate professor makes over $100k.


Public sector salary information for University of Nevada, Las Vegas employees

The highest paid professor at UNLV is an elite, globally-recognized researcher in accounting. The going rate for a new assistant professors in accounting fresh out of school is over 200K at top schools. His salary is typical, possibly low for someone of his stature.

[videogamesrock]

The highest paid professor at UNLV is an elite, globally-recognized researcher in accounting. The going rate for a new assistant professors in accounting fresh out of school is over 200K at top schools. His salary is typical, possibly low for someone of his stature.

That's fine, however still a bloated salary. But as you go through the list the college professor at both the CC and UNLV the salaries, other pay, and benefits are ridiculous compared to the cost of living in this State.

[sanantone]

Yes, those salaries are out of the norm. Top business professors at top research institutions do make high salaries, but they are a small minority.
Tenured/Tenure-Track Faculty Salaries - HigherEdJobs

The CCs in San Antonio rarely hire full-time faculty anymore. Almost all of the open teaching positions are for adjuncts. San Antonio College has over 25,000 students, but only has a few full-time professors in each department. The criminal justice department only has 4 full-time professors, and they've been there for a long time. It's probably been almost a decade since they've hired a new CJ professor. They currently have 20 adjuncts.

I found a 2013 article on how much experienced, full-time instructors are making at the Alamo Community Colleges.

The average full-time faculty member, who has worked for the district 14 years and makes $57,729 a year, will receive an increase of $2,792.

Alamo Colleges pay being increased - San Antonio Express-News

[cannoda]

That's fine, however still a bloated salary. But as you go through the list the college professor at both the CC and UNLV the salaries, other pay, and benefits are ridiculous compared to the cost of living in this State.

I won't comment on the CC salaries except to note that CSN is the seventh largest community college in the US and you might want to compare their salaries to those of their peers. And then think about their ability to staff most of the classes with adjuncts in a town as small and isolated as Reno.

UNLV is Nevada's land grant school and a research university that recruits faculty in a global market. Salaries at the elite level are determined by supply and demand, and as you might imagine, elite researchers are in high demand with a scarce supply. The local cost of living is a marginal consideration to professors at this level. Schools like Nevada-Reno compete with schools with far more resources for faculty (Ivy League, UC, Big Ten, etc.). If they want faculty commensurate with their research mission, they have to pay what the market demands.

[Johann]

Here is my wishlist for associate's degrees...

As a gun-owner (you mentioned it before) and with your CJ, Security and counter-terrorism educational background, perhaps you might like to add an Associate Degree from the Sonoran Desert institute to your list - an Associate in Science, Firearms Technology. The school is accredited by DETC (now renamed DEAC).

http://www.sdi.edu/Firearms_technology

Johann

[KayV]

Or perhaps gunsmithing...
Gunsmithing