15. Critical Juncture IV: The State’s Reduction in Munificence

In the year 2010, 4-year public institutions of higher education in the USA had a noteworthy inversion in revenues. This was the first year in which public universities gained a greater amount of their operating revenues from student tuition and fees than from state allocations. In 1980, US public degree-granting institutions derived 44 % of their budget from state allocations. By 2010, that percentage had plummeted to 20 %. As budgets decline, universities and business schools intent on maintaining or increasing their prestige are often engaging in what has become known as “academic entrepreneurialism”—activities that generate income. For example, business schools are investing in online MBA programs to fund other ventures. Academic entrepreneurialism runs a considerable risk of compromising academic integrity.