PPA 296I
Higher Education Policy

Professor Miguel Ceja
3029 Tahoe Hall
cejam@csus.edu
(916) 278-5591

Office Hours
Tuesdays and Thursdays 4-5:30pm

COURSE OBJECTIVES

This seminar will help students gain a greater understanding of the role of the federal and state governments, historically, and currently, in setting policy to govern higher education.  It will cover issues of mission and purpose of public higher education, access, cost and affordability, financial aid, finance, diversity and equity, governance structures, accountability, K-16 planning and articulation, universities and state economic development, and pedagogy.

Learning objectives for the course can be divided into content and skill areas.

Students are expected to complete the course with and understanding of:

• The evolution of federal higher education policy and the public and private purposes and benefits of higher education;
• The respective roles of federal and state government in policy making for higher education;
• Key differences among states in values and practices that are reflected in higher education policy;
• The role of federal and state government in financing higher education;
• Key issues of equity and social justice that play out in policy making for higher education;
• How economic, political, and organizational aspects of higher education influence policy and are influenced by policy;
• The structure and functioning of higher education in California and the various roles played by systems, campuses, coordinating boards, lobbying organizations, legislative bodies, executive agencies, and others who constitute the higher education "policy community" in California;
• The policy making process at the federal and state levels as it affects higher education; and
• Key contemporary public policy issues in California higher education and in a comparative US context.

In addition, students will be expected to develop skills in order to:

• Communicate effectively in writing and orally in a public policy environment;
• Analyze public policy issues using a multi-disciplinary perspective; and
• Identify and analyze current and proposed legislation affecting higher education.

COURSE FORMAT

This is a participatory seminar-not a lecture class.  Effective participation and learning requires that students read class material, reflect on the readings, and come to the seminar prepared to share their ideas with classmates.  In addition to class discussions, there will be presentations from guest lecturers, student presentations, and in-class role-playing and analysis exercises.  Students will identify an actual state-level policy issue to study, analyze, and report on for the final class project.

ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING

There are five components to students’ grades:

• Class attendance and participation - 20%
• Weekly written reactions to reading (less than one page) - 25%
• Take-home essay exam - 20%
• Final paper and presentation - 25%
• Portfolio reflection - 10%

Required readings

Altbach, P.G, Berdahl, R.O., & Gumport, P.J.  (Eds.) (1999).  American Higher Education in the Twenty-first Century: Social, Political, and Economic Challenges.  The Johns Hopkins University Press: Baltimore, MD.

Heller, D.E. (Ed.) (2001).  The States and Public Higher Education Policy: Affordability, Access, and Accountability.  The Johns Hopkins University Press: Baltimore, MD.

Callan, P.M., Finney, J.E., Bracco, K.R., & Doyle, W.R. (Eds.) (1997).  Public and Private Financing of Higher Education.  Oryx Press: Phoenix.

Parsons, M.D. (1997).  Power and Politics: Federal Higher Education Policymaking in the 1990s.  State University of New York Press: Albany, NY.

Outline of Topics and Assignments

Part I: Historical and Contemporary Context of Higher Education Policy

• Introduction and Course Objectives
• Identifying key policy issues
• Federal Government and higher education: historical and contemporary roles
• State governments and higher education- historical and contemporary roles
• California higher education- evolution of the Master Plan
• Federal and state policy making processes with respect to higher education

Part II: Key Public Policy Issues: Values, Conflicts, and Tradeoffs

• Finance issues: public and private costs and benefits of higher education; access and affordability; financial aid and tuition; college choice
• Social justice issues: affirmative action; equity and equal opportunity; campus racial climate
• Policies: equity; testing; admissions
• Governance issues: state governance structure and institutional control; role of governing boards and coordinating boards; role of legislatures; differentiating missions among state institutions
• Quality issues: accreditation; classification and ranking; institutional improvement; faculty tenure; pedagogy and curriculum
• Economic development issues: role of federal government in funding research; basic and applied research; dissemination; outreach and engagement

Take-home essay will be completed following Part II of the class and will cover content from Part I and Part II.

Part III: California Higher Education Today- practical applications

For this portion of the course, students will identify specific policy issues to study individually and in the seminar setting, leading to final papers and presentations.  There will be some common reading but students will do independent reading and share findings in class discussions.

Topics will include but will not be limited to the following areas:

• California Master Plan
• Accountability
• Affordability
• Access
• Higher Education Financing
• Admissions and transfer
• Remediation and student preparation
• Campus racial climate
• Faculty and student issues
• Pedagogy and curriculum
• Testing

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