But Riesman adds, "The correct curricula of colleges should consider what their faculties are good at. They should not destroy Shakespeare for students by bad teaching. A required course has to be captivating."
As a sociologist, Riesman not surprisingly attributes the decline in educational qualify to trends in society's values, especially the increasing materialism of American culture. "We have in a market-driven age in higher education," he says.
On the student side of the equation, Riesman asserts that schools are being sought on the basis not of their education, but of their tuition
On the faculty side of the equation, the picture is even bleaker, Riesman says. Academia is not viewed by graduating students as a cornucopia of opportunity, and consequently, a shortage of young, bright faculty has developed.
"We're running out of faculty in hot subjects," Riesman says "I don't see bright students in the pipeline. Most of my students disappoint me by going on to Lawershood."
GRAHAM, HOWEVER, does not like to indulge in reminiscing. "They always like to think there's some great golden age in the past," she says. On the contrary, according to Graham, the typical Harvard graduate in the '80s is far more knowledgeable than one earlier in the century. And whereas any rich person used to be an automatic shoo-in for admission, now the competition for spaces is fierce.
Like Glazer, Graham says the changes in higher education over the years represent increased enrollment more than a decline in academic quality. "A perceived decline is something that is usually described when a substantial new population enters the schools," she says. So while a Harvard education may be better than ever, "there are more XYZ colleges out there today...a great gamut."
Thus, Graham studiously avoids generalizing about the state of higher education. In addition to emphasizing the opening of college to social classes that have never had that opportunity before, she frequently points out that the majority of students enrolled in colleges these days are not in the 18- to 22-year-old age group, and have different expectations for their education.
Consequently, the dean says she does not think the three seating reports can have much of an effect on such a heterogeneous institution as American higher education. And, in fact, the condemnations have not received nearly so much media attention as the 1983 National Commission report on public schools.
"It's a very different set-up," Graham says, "No one is required to go to college. It's much less regulated."
Glazer concurs "The groups involved are not authoritative enough and the crisis is not widespread enough that these reports will have an enormous impact." In fact, Glazer says, he has only fully read one of the reports.
Cross, who argues that change is needed, is almost as pessimistic. "Whether it will reach the professor is anybody's guess," she says. "And unless these reports affect the faculty members in some way, they aren't going to do much."