September 11, 2017 by Philip Lewenstein
Chronicle of Higher Education 2017-18 Almanac Provides Wealth of Information on Students, Faculty, and Finances
Each August, The Chronicle of Higher Education publishes its Almanac with data on many aspects of the nation’s multibillion-dollar effort to educate 20 million undergraduate and graduate students. The 2017-18 issue includes 80 tables of data on college faculty members and administrators, students, and finances. Also included are summaries of data on each state and a national summary of these data.
Chronicle editor Ruth Hammond notes that there are many stories behind the data, many of which will never be fully revealed. “But that doesn’t stop people fascinated with the numbers from puzzling over them, seeking their deeper meaning.”
For me, the data simply illustrate the mammoth size and scope of the higher-education industry. They do not measure quality. The data provide perspective on the huge investment in teaching and research by institutions, states, and the nation. One can see trends in enrollments, degrees, prices, and spending. Out of curiosity, I look to see if colleges attended by some of my family members are listed: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (son Ian, youngest daughter Sara, middle daughter Jackie, and me), University of Southern California (oldest daughter Miriam), University of Chicago (Ian), Wellesley College (Sara), and Northwestern University (me).
Of colleges with the largest enrollment in 2015, the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities was the sixth largest with 50,645 students; Texas A&M at College Station was first with 63,818 students. Of private nonprofit doctoral institutions, the University of Southern California (USC) was third with 43,401 students; first was Liberty University with 80,494 students.
USC was one of the fastest-growing private nonprofit doctoral institutions from 2005 to 2015; enrollment increased 32.2 percent, from 32,836 in fall 2005 to 43,401 in fall 2015.
With 13,340 foreign students, USC ranked second in 2015-16 among doctoral institutions behind New York University with 15,543 students. The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities was 20th with 7,037 foreign students. Among baccalaureate institutions, Wellesley College was 14th with 337 foreign students behind Macalester College, which had 348 foreign students.
Among the top colleges for awarding credit for study abroad in 2014-2015, USC was fourth among doctoral institutions with 2,891 students abroad, and the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities was sixth with 2,705 students. For baccalaureate institutions, Wellesley College was 17th with 373 students. In this category, St. Olaf College was first with 653 students, and Carleton College was 18th with 369 students. Hamline University was 14th among institutions offering master’s degrees with 594 students.
Among top producers of US Fulbright students in 2016-17 at research institutions, the University of Chicago had 26 awards, fourth best behind Brown University, which had 30. Northwestern University had 15 awards, and USC had 13. Among bachelor’s institutions, St. Olaf College had 11, Carleton College had 9, and Wellesley College had 8. The Fulbright US Student Program provides grants for individually designed study or research programs or English teaching-assistant programs in many foreign countries.
The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities ranked 12th in 2015 among universities that granted research doctorates. The university had 711 doctorate recipients; the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor was first with 852 doctoral recipients. USC was 31st with 452 doctorates, Northwestern University was 35th with 425, and the University of Chicago was 42nd with 399 doctorates.
The colleges of interest to me were among the most expensive four-year private nonprofit institutions in 2016-17. The University of Chicago was the third-most-expensive college with tuition and fees plus room and board of $67,584. USC was ninth at $66,631, and Northwestern was fifteenth at $66,344. Among other high-priced colleges, Carleton College was 62nd at $64,071, Wellesley was 66th at $63, 916, and Macalester College was 89th at $61,905. The figures represent charges to first-time, full-time undergraduates.
Despite these sticker prices, many students pay a much lower net price, the published price minus the grant aid that the students receive.
Colleges derive significant financial support from their endowments. In fiscal year 2016, Northwestern University had the tenth largest endowment at $9.6 billion in a ranking of college endowments over $500 million. Harvard ranked first with an endowment of $34.5 billion. The University of Chicago ranked 14th with an endowment of $7 billion while USC was 21st at $4.6 billion, and the University of Minnesota and foundations were 29th at $3.3 billion. Wellesley College ranked 48th at $1.8 billion. All these colleges had decreases in endowment value from fiscal year 2015.
Among colleges that raised the most in private donations in fiscal year 2016, the University of Minnesota campuses ranked ninth among public institutions with $345.6 million. Among private nonprofit institutions, USC ranked third at $666.6 million behind Harvard and Stanford. The University of Chicago was 11th at $443.3 million, and Northwestern University was 13th at $401.7 million.
Colleges pay their chief executives handsomely. Among the highest-paid chief executives at public universities in 2015-16, University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler earned $626,450, the 49th highest compensation. Michael M. Crow, chief executive at Arizona State, had the highest total compensation at $1,554,058.
Among chief executives at private, nonprofit colleges in 2014, Morton O. Schapiro, chief executive at Northwestern University, was paid $2,352,578, ranking him sixth behind Jack P. Varsalona of Wilmington University (Del) at $5,449,405. University of Chicago Chief Executive Robert Zimmer ranked eighth at $2,051,059 while USC Chief Executive Max Nikias was 12th at $1,525,297.
Many colleges also pay their full professors generously. In 2015-16, at private nonprofit institutions, the average pay at the University of Chicago was $225,729, third behind Harvard at $230,292. Average pay for professors at Northwestern University was $192, 897, an 11th place rank. Among baccalaureate institutions, Wellesley College ranked sixth with average pay of $149,940 behind Claremont McKenna College at $158, 985.
Large colleges hire many graduate assistants to help with teaching and research. In fall 2015, the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities ranked second among four-year public institutions with 5,297 graduate assistants behind the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, which had 5,610 graduate assistants. Of the University of Minnesota’s graduate assistants, 1,871 were in teaching.
Among four-year private nonprofit institutions, USC ranked 12th with 1,988 graduate assistants behind Johns Hopkins University, which had 3,550 assistants. The University of Chicago ranked 42nd with 471 teaching assistants.
Leading universities invest heavily in their research libraries. In 2015-16, USC was 14th with total library expenditures of $46.5 million; the University of Minnesota was 21st with $42.3 million. Harvard ranked first in total library expenditures with $119.6 million.
Among universities with the highest spending on research and development in all fields in fiscal year 2015, the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities was 14th with $868 million; USC was 28th with $691 million in spending, and Northwestern was 29th with $656 million.
Much research-and-development spending is financed by the National Science Foundation. In fiscal year 2015, the University of Minnesota was 13th with $78.6 million in spending for this category. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked first with $132.7 million.
Among universities with the highest research-and-development spending in fiscal year 2015 financed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the University of Minnesota was 19th with $298.2 million in expenditures; USC was 25th, expending $258.4 million. Johns Hopkins University spent the most at $585.8 million.
The Almanac provides a data summary for each state and for the nation. Following are some highlights for Minnesota:
- Educational attainment of adults (highest level). 45.9 percent of Minnesota adults had attained an associate degree or higher in 2015, and 21 percent had some college but not a degree. Nationally, 38.8 percent of adults had attained an associate degree or higher in 2015, and 20.7 percent had some college, no degree.
- Share of Enrollment. Women made up 60.5 percent of enrollment in Minnesota in fall 2015; minority students made up 26.6 percent, and underrepresented minority was 18.7 percent. Nationally, women made up 56.3 percent of enrollment; minority enrollment was 38.3 percent, and underrepresented enrollment was 29 percent. Underrepresented minorities are American Indian, black, and Hispanic students who attend college at disproportionately low rates compared to their representation in the US population.
- Residence of new students. In fall 2014, state residents made up 80 percent of all freshmen enrolled in Minnesota who had graduated from high school in the previous year; 69 percent of all Minnesota residents who were freshmen attended college in state. Nationally, 83 percent of freshmen in fall 2012 who had graduated from high school in the previous year attended colleges in their home state.
- The graduation rate at four-year institutions in Minnesota was 63.2 percent; nationally, the rate was 59.8 percent. The graduation rate shows the proportion of first-time, full-time degree-seeking undergraduates who entered degree-granting four-year institutions in fall 2009 and graduated within six years.
The Almanac is a rich source of information about the higher education industry. The annual publication is a good starting point for understanding the size and scope of higher education, and it provides valuable background on many issues. Further, the data can help satisfy one’s curiosity about some of the colleges attended by family members.
Leave a Reply