VOA慢速英语2014 Economists Say College Costs Hurt Economy 经济学家称上大学成本上涨对经济不利

 

Economists² Say College Costs Hurt Economy 经济学家称上大学成本上涨对经济不利

Hello from Washington, and welcome to As It Is, a program from VOA Learning English!  I’m Catherine Cole. 

The cost of college continues to rise, making higher education too costly³ for some.  Many students are turning to online classes as a substitute for traditional colleges.  We hear more about the digital college revolution later in the show.

Also, lawmakers in Washington continue to debate education issues, including the interest rates on student loans.  Students who take school loans graduate owing an average of $26,000.  But some economists say the real issue is controlling the cost of college.  They say these high costs are hurting the whole economy.  Onka Dekker reports.

College Costs Raise Concern for Lawmakers and Students

Joshua Jordan earned a doctorate⁴ degree in physical therapy. 

“I am currently in debt for $210,000.”

Joshua Jordan has eight times the loan debt of the average student.  He says he has sometimes needed to work two jobs to pay his bills.

For the past 30 years, college tuition has been increasing at twice the rate of inflation.  Universities say decreasing financial support from state governments forces them to charge higher tuition.  Private colleges now charge an average of more than $30,000 a year.   

Terry Hartle speaks for the American Council on Education, which represents thousands of colleges across the United States.

“It’s a terrible conundrum⁵ that we face as a country.  We want more and more post-secondary education.  We want more focus on academic quality and graduation.  At the same point, the funding sources for higher education have been diminishing for a generation.”

Experts worry that the high cost of college makes it less likely that good students from poor families will attend college.  This means fewer scientists, engineers and others who could help increase economic growth. 

And a survey shows that some students concerned about repaying thousands of dollars in loans are delaying marriage and children.  Peter Mazareas is with the College Savings⁶ Foundation.

“These students just will not contribute to the economy.  They will go home and live at home.  They won't buy cars.  They won't invest in housing, so there is a real multiplier effect that is short term.”

Georgetown University labor⁷ economist¹ Anthony Carnevale says the current system cuts economic growth for the whole country.

“The effects on economic growth are substantial.  If we had kept up with demand for post-secondary talent, economists estimate that we would be at about $500 billion or more per annum in gross domestic product.  That is, people would have more money to spend.  “

Meanwhile, physical therapist Joshua Jordan says his family is not wealthy and could not have paid for his education. 

“There would have been no way I could have created a career for myself that I wanted to do without the use of student loans.”

So for Joshua Jordan, his large debt was worth it. 

The Department of Education recently reported that today one third of Americans between the ages of 25 and 29 hold college degrees.  That is an increase from one fourth in 1995. 

I’m Onka Dekker. 

You are listening to As It Is, from VOA Learning English.  I’m Catherine Cole.

 

American colleges are facing what some people are calling a “perfect storm” of problems.  College costs are rising, and there are not enough jobs for all the students completing study programs.  Yet employers say they cannot find enough workers with technical skills.  Finding a solution to these problems can be difficult.  But, as VOA’s Avi Arditti reports, one solution may be found in the growing number and quality of online classes. 

Such classes might revolutionize colleges the way the Internet has already changed music, publishing, sales and other businesses. 

“This is pretty amazing.”

That is David Evans of the University of Virginia.  He is teaching a computer science class on the Internet.

Many top universities now offer online classes.  They teach everything from computer programming to the science of cooking.  Many classes are at little or no cost.  And they are restructured more often than traditional college programs. 

That is important to the millions of students who learn technical and other skills from Lynda-dot-com.  Lynda Weinman helped to launch the website.  She spoke⁸ to VOA on Skype. 

“We can come to market very quickly and we teach transient skills, so a lot of software is changing constantly or new software is being invented, and those sorts of things can’t easily make their way into college curriculum.”

At most colleges, a professor or teaching assistant gives a lecture to students, who then do research, study, and homework alone.  Student and blogger John Haber says online classes change everything around.

“They’re watching the lectures at home as homework, recorded lectures, and then when they get to class, they’re having more active discussions, or interactions with the teachers or working on projects.”

John Haber said on Skype that he is taking enough online classes to earn a four-year college degree in just one year.

Experts say the new technology will have a major effect on colleges.  Some predict future classes may be a mix of online lectures and professors helping⁹ students work through difficult problems in person.

Georgetown University labor economist Tony Carnevale says he would welcome these changes.  He says a college education has to be less costly and lead to skills needed by employers.

“It's really quite clear that more and more people need post-secondary education and training and a lot of them aren’t getting it.  And in cases where they do get it, it doesn't lead to gainful employment.  Or it leads to jobs where they don’t fully¹⁰ use their talent.”

Chris Cullen is a college marketing¹¹ expert.  He says competition from online schools, and concern about costs, will change universities. 

“The consumer demands that you tell me why, give me a reason, to believe that my tuition money is best spent at your institution.  What is the return on my investment?  What’s your value proposition?”

Chris Cullen says top universities with strong public images may expand in an online world.  But, he says, less discriminating¹², less famous schools may struggle to get the interest of students. 

I’m Avi Arditti. 

I’m Catherine Cole.  That’s our show for today. 

VOA world news is coming up at the beginning of the hour Universal Time.

1 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

2 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

4 doctorate   

n.(大学授予的)博士学位

参考例句：

• He hasn't enough credits to get his doctorate.他的学分不够取得博士学位。
• Where did she do her doctorate?她在哪里攻读博士？

5 conundrum   

n.谜语；难题

参考例句：

• Let me give you some history about a conundrum.让我给你们一些关于谜题的历史。
• Scientists had focused on two explanations to solve this conundrum.科学家已锁定两种解释来解开这个难题。

6 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

7 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

10 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

11 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

12 discriminating   

a.有辨别能力的

参考例句：

• Due caution should be exercised in discriminating between the two. 在区别这两者时应该相当谨慎。
• Many businesses are accused of discriminating against women. 许多企业被控有歧视妇女的做法。