<p>In the 1990s the University of Chicago also faced financial challenges due in part to the cost of PhD programs and the large number of graduate students vis a vis undergraduates. Not only are there more paying customers among the undergraduates, alums tend to identify with and contribute to their undergraduate schools rather than their graduate schools.<br>
The decision was made to increase the size of the undergraduate school and scale back the size of the PhD programs, and to eliminate the Education Department (a graduate school founded by John Dewey).
In most ways this has been a fabulous success. It’s impossible to forget the ham-handedness of previous public relations efforts. One was to trumpet the fact that the University had the second largest police force in the State of Illinois. Another was a statement by an admissions officer, after a rise in female applicants- “See, women aren’t afraid of coming here”!
The increase in size of the College in the scheme of the University has led to a more undergraduate feel than previously. The male-female numbers are at parity. And the increase in the size of the College coincided with the echo-boom wave and a greater interest in elite education generally. The admissions rate has fallen from 70% toward 30%.
Most notably, the undergraduate student body is just much stronger than previously. The SAT numbers show it, and the College is no longer the weak sister in the University constellation. It is very apparent in conversation that these are just smarter kids. I end up not having to finish sentences, and students automatically see implications and gin things up a cognitive level or two immediately. That happened much less often ten and fifteen years ago.
I didn’t predict that the increase in the size of the College would be as successful as it has been.</p>