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At a time when tuition costs are skyrocketing, for-profit universities are gaining traction, and approximately a third of U.S. students have already taken an online course, the future of higher education is unclear. March 4 - 7, RadioWest is focusing on issues facing America's colleges and of course America's students. We'll also explore innovations that are changing the way we learn.It's all part of the University of Utah Hinckley Institute of Politics' Sixteenth Annual Rocco C. and Marion S. Siciliano Forum, “Considerations on the Status of the American Society.” For details on the week's events, click here.

The Case Against Education

Photo by University of Minnesota Duluth, CC via Flickr, http://bit.ly/2I7VVVZ

Economist Bryan Caplan calls higher education a waste of time and money. He says students aren’t learning skills or critical thinking. But they’re going into debt and still not finding great jobs.

RadioWest divider.

Bryan Caplan says our higher education system is a waste of time and money. Caplan is a Princeton-educated, tenured professor of economics at George Mason University. He argues though that while a degree has become indispensable for competing in the job market, college isn’t actually teaching applicable skills or even teaching people how to learn. And worse yet? Many graduates are deep in debt and still not getting a great job. Caplan join us Wednesday to make his case against education.

Bryan Caplan is a Professor of Economics at George Mason University and a blogger at EconLog. His book is called The Case Against Education: Why the Education System is a Waste of Time and Money [Indie bookstores|Amazon] You can also read his article What's College Good For?in the Jan/Feb 2018 issue of The Atlantic.

You can also find a critique of Caplan's book by Michael McPherson at EducationNext. It's called The Main Purpose of Schooling: Gaining Knowledge or Earning Credentials?

Learn more about Utah Governor Gary Herbert's focus on vocational education in his proposed FY19 budget from KUER's Julia Ritchey.

Doug Fabrizio has been reporting for KUER News since 1987, and became News Director in 1993. In 2001, he became host and executive producer of KUER's RadioWest, a one hour conversation/call-in show on KUER 90.1 in Salt Lake City. He has gained a reputation for his thoughtful style. He has interviewed everyone from Isabel Allende to the Dalai Lama, and from Madeleine Albright to Desmond Tutu. His interview skills landed him a spot as a guest host of the national NPR program, "Talk of the Nation." He has won numerous awards for his reporting and for his work with RadioWest and KUED's Utah NOW from such organizations as the Society of Professional Journalists, the Utah Broadcasters Association, the Public Radio News Directors Association and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.