PSU one of the most efficient universities in the U.S.

  Friday, September 9, 2016 2:00 AM
  News

Pittsburg, KS

In budget battles over the funding of U.S. higher education, some critics characterize colleges and universities as bloated organizations that could easily do with less by just becoming more efficient. Recent research, however, has found that most of the nation’s public, master’s-degree-granting colleges and universities are already highly efficient when it comes to cost and one of the best in that category is Pittsburg State University.

PSU was listed as one of the 20 most cost efficient public master’s institutions in the U.S. in a study published in August in the journal “Research in Higher Education.”

The study, “Are Public Master’s Institutions Cost-Efficient? A Stochastic Frontier and Spatial Analysis,” was conducted by Marvin A. Titus of the University of Maryland-College Park, Adriana Vamosiu of the University of San Diego and Kevin R. McClure of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. The researchers analyzed cost efficiency for general and educational spending at 252 public master’s institutions using data from 2004 to 2012.

Pittsburg State University President Steve Scott said PSU’s high ranking didn’t come as a surprise.

“This research confirms what we’ve known for a long time,” Scott said. “Pittsburg State is thoughtful and strategic in allocating resources. As good stewards of student tuition dollars and state funding, we invest in those factors that make the most difference in the student experience: exceptional faculty, strong and coherent curriculum, and streamlined administrative and support staffing. Our students reap the benefits of these efforts through low initial costs and reduced debt.”

Scott said it’s not easy to control costs while at the same time providing a high-quality educational experience.

“Yet, that’s exactly what we’ve done by being purposeful and passionate in focusing on the student experience,” Scott said. “Recent graduate student enrollment figures indicate we are striking exactly the right balance.”

Provost Lynette Olson said faculty, staff and administrators work as a team to maintain that balance.

“Our faculty, staff, and administration view themselves as custodians of the resources provided and I would say that they take great care to invest those resources as efficiently and effectively as possible,” Olson said. “I’m very confident that as a whole and every day, we are making the best possible decisions around expenditures in order to fulfill the university mission.”

The researchers hope to build on this initial study by looking at the factors that make some universities more efficient than others and in the ways that efficiency and tuition may be related.