In a sector that has traditionally relied on intrinsically motivated employees, research has shown that public employees care more about serving society than reaping personal gains. Recently, the public sector implemented extrinsic rewards available to their workforce. Understanding the impact extrinsic rewards has on individuals employed in the public sector should be studied and interpreted before more personal rewards are offered by public institutions. This study examined the public service motivation (PSM) of faculty at Mississippi State University (MSU) hired between October 1, 2007 – October 1, 2016. Quantitative methods were used to analyze differences in PSM among faculty with outstanding student loan debt and those lacking debt. This study used a partial measurement of James Perry’s PSM measureable scale. By measuring self-sacrifice levels, this study determined the levels faculty at MSU are willing to substitute their personal interest for the good of society. Specifically, this study focused on the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program offered by the U.S. Department of Education. Data were collected through MSU’s class climate electronic survey system. In addition to the 8 items on Perry’s PSM self-sacrifice dimension, closed-ended and multiple choice questions were asked to collect demographic information related to age, household income, student loan debt, and awareness/interest in the PSLF. The results did not reveal any statistically significant difference between faculty with outstanding student loan debt and those without student loan debt. However, the results revealed beneficial information that can be used to understand the motivation of faculty and their desire to reap extrinsic rewards. The majority of respondents indicated that they did not have outstanding student loan debt and the level of interest in PSLF was less than half of the respondents. PSLF was designed to relieve public sector employees of their student loan burdens as well as motivate individuals to seek careers in public service. The literature and data collected in this study suggest that the public sector is still dominated by intrinsically motivated employees. Future research studies should expand this quantitative analysis over various populations of public sector employees and implement the findings into the future practices of public administrations.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the amount of information that potential adult male students had on financial aid and other aspects of college programs and to develop insights concerning the effects of an information gap (if any) on enrollment decisions and the degree to which colleges in a selected area are marketing information. To obtain the data necessary to answer the research questions posed in this study, a sample of 143 respondents between the ages of 25 and 60 was selected from the city of Richmond, Virginia. The basic process utilized was area sampling techniques. In addition, stratified random sampling techniques were used to select the specific locations where the sample was to be drawn and the Hill Directory was used to gain access to that population. The results of discriminant analysis and stepwise regression revealed the following nine variables were significant predictors of whether or not adult males would want to go to college. 1. Age--More younger males (25 to 35) expressed an interest in attending college than older males (ages 40 to 60). 2. Level of Education--More males with previous college experience wanted to go to college than males with no college experience. 3. Marital Status--More single males wanted to go to college than married males. 4. Cost--Males interested in attending college viewed cost of education as the major obstacle more often than males not interested in attending college. 5. Time--More males not interested in attending college mentioned time as a problem than males interested in attending college. 6. Annual Income--More males with incomes above $25,000 expressed no interest in attending college than males with incomes in the $6,000-12,000 range. 7. Home Responsibility--More males not interested in attending college viewed home responsibility as an obstacle than males interested in attending college. 8. Job Responsibility--More males not interested in attending college mentioned job responsibility as a deterrent to enrollment than males interested in attending college. 9. Knowledge of Academic Requirements--Males not interested in attending college had more information on academic requirements than males interested in attending college. It was concluded that the lack of information was a problem related to the adult males' participation in higher education. Even many of those who wanted to go to college had not been motivated to the point where they had (1) enrolled or (2) even acquired information. This study did not attempt to determine the effect of promotion (better information) on enrollment behavior. It would be useful to conduct such a study. It is recommended that further research be conducted to test the effects of various marketing and promotional techniques. Practice in the marketing of higher education would also profit from studies on "what were the factors that cause adults to make enrollment decisions" and "appropriate strategies for preparing an institution to pursue a new market." / Ed. D.

The main purpose of this research was to examine the dimensions of affordability of public undergraduate education, focusing on a single state during a particular period of time. The main research question was: What are the dimensions of affordability of public undergraduate education in Virginia? The study examined three dimensions between the years 1981 and 2000: 1) per capita disposable income (adjusted for inflation) in Virginia, 2) financial aid at the state and federal levels, and 3) the burden of a loan for college students. In addition, the study explored several possible influences on these dimensions, including partisan control of the U.S. presidency and Congress and partisan control of the Virginia governor and state legislature. Although this study focuses on the outcomes in a single state (undergraduate, public institution enrollments in Virginia), the national data were explored because states often determine how much they are able to contribute after the national contributions are taken into consideration. The key dependent variable was undergraduate enrollments at Virginia public higher education institutions. Do enrollments tend to increase, decrease, or remain constant when any of the dimensions of affordability increase, decrease, or remain constant? Two-year and four-year public undergraduate institutions in Virginia made up the sample of institutions examined. This research focused on the time frame of 1981 through 2000. The rationales for this specific time period were that 1) appropriate data are available for these years, and 2) it allows a big picture with contrary views of education policy at both the national and state levels. During this time period, Ronald Reagan (1981-1988), George H.W. Bush (1989-1992), and Bill Clinton (1993-2000) each served as president. Three consecutive years of decreases in Virginia's public undergraduate enrollments occurred in 1988-1990. 1990 was the highest year-to-year decrease at negative 4.79% overall. 1990 was the largest decrease in 4-year public institution enrollments in VA while 1988 was the largest decrease in enrollments for 2-year public institution enrollments in Virginia. The following things happened during these years of enrollment decreases, as they related to the dimensions of affordability and the named influences. First 1989 and 1991, were both years that the Virginia public higher education state appropriations were less than 1percent. Even though 1990 itself looked more positive with a 13.43 percent increase, the years preceding and following 1990 were not so positive. Second, when people can afford more, it appears to have an inverse relationship with public institution enrollments. When people can afford more, they most likely enroll at private institutions and when they can afford less, they enroll at public institutions. The highest enrollment year for 2-year public institutions was in 1985, which followed the second largest decrease to disposable income. The inverse relationship is less strong with four-year public institutions and is more evident in the two-year institutions. Thirdly, the 1993-1994 academic year marked the year when the number of loans for higher education appears that they will forever outnumber the amount of grants. This being said, the issue of affordability is really now a matter for after college years when the payback period for these loans begins versus during college attendance. Tuition costs rose by over 80% in four-year public institutions and by over 85% in two-year institutions while disposable income only increased by 36.% over the same time period. The issue of affordability should therefore be more closely examined during the payback period and could perhaps sway someone from enrolling knowing that this payback period is inevitable for most. / Master of Arts

Diese Arbeit beschäftigt sich dem Thema Studienfinanzierung. Zuerst richtet sich der Fokus auf die Analyse des Gutes Hochschulausbildung. Anschließend werden die Finanzierungsmöglichkeiten der Studierenden aufgezeigt, wobei den Krediten eine besondere Aufmerksamkeit zukommt. Die Analyse der Finanzierungssysteme in den USA und Australien ist ebenfalls Bestandteil der vorliegenden Arbeit. Hier richtet sich das Augenmerk auf die Entwicklung der Studiengebühren und die angebotenen Finanzierungsmöglichkeiten. Daran anschließend erfolgt eine Darstellung der Auswirkungen des jahrelang gebührenfrei angebotenen Hochschulstudiums in Deutschland. In diesem Zusammenhang werden die Finanzierungsstruktur deutscher Hochschulen, die soziale Zusammensetzung der Studierenden und die Akademikerquote beleuchtet. Zum Abschluss erfolgt eine empirische Untersuchung der Lebenseinkommen verschiedener Bildungsgruppen in Deutschland und damit verbunden eine Berechnung der Bildungsrenditen bestimmter Ausbildungsniveaus. / This work is directed at the theme financing of higher education. The first view goes to the analysis of the good higher education. Following, the ways of financing higher Education will be presented, in which the loans play a particular role. The breakdown of the financing schemes in the USA and Australia is a part of this work as well. In this section the history of tuition fees and the offered financing proposals are disclosed. Afterwards a presentation of the impacts of the long lasting tuition free higher education in Germany occurs. In this context the financing structure in German universities, the social composition of students at German universities and the percentage of graduates are outlined. An empirical analysis of the lifetime income from different education groups and the calculation of education returns of particular education levels in Germany conclude this work.

Thesis (B.A.)--Boston University. University Professors Program Senior theses. / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2031-01-01

With more than $1.48 trillion in outstanding student loans and nearly five million Americans in default in 2017, student loans may pose one of the greatest threats to financial stability of individuals in the coming years. Failing to pay loans on time may result in wage garnishment and the suspension of Social Security payments. The second largest form of household debt, student loans are almost never dischargeable in bankruptcy and yet are critical for millions to make investments in human capital. This thesis utilizes the October 2017 addition of administrative data in the Beginning Postsecondary Students (BPS) to analyze factors influencing likelihood of student loan default in the United States up to 20 years post-enrollment. It applies logistic regression analysis to BPS 1996 and BPS 2004 and is able to trace the evolution of contributing factors over time.

In 1964, the Swedish parliament decided on a reformed student finance system with a combination of student grants and student loans. In this paper, the creation of two specific parts of the student finance system are analyzed using the gender contract model of Yvonne Hirdman. The regulations for the payment and repayment of student loans were first formulated in line with the gender equality contract, but were later adapted to the housewife contract. After another turnaround, the committee Studiesociala utredningen favored the gender equality contract in principle, but not fully in practice. The committee proposed and the parliament approved a system based on “Women’s Two Roles”: married women with academic degrees were expected to be housewives during the children’s upbringing, but should thereafter be encouraged to return to professional work.

The rise in globalization coupled with the exponential growth in technology has placed greater emphasis on a skills-based economy. This in turn has increased the demand for a labor force with advanced post-baccalaureate education. In order to better devise strategies and/or enact laws to promote, support and enhance post-baccalaureate education, it is imperative to understand the forces that drive or hinder individuals’ post-baccalaureate aspirations. Using PowerStats, an on-line analytical tool made available from the National Center for Education Statistics, I use data from the 2008/12 Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study to develop a linear probability model of graduate enrollment incorporating variables informed by the research on human, social, and cultural capital as well as habitus. The results indicate that GPA, type of undergraduate institution attended, and expectation of post-baccalaureate credentials are statistically significant and positively associated with Master’s degree enrollment three years after earning a Bachelor’s degree. Older students and those with higher incomes, meanwhile, were found to have statistically significantly lower probability of graduate enrollment. Many of the variables previously used by researchers as proxies for social and cultural capital did not have a statistically significant effect in this model specification. This finding suggests that these measures may have been confounded by acting through other variables (interdependencies) in the model. This underscores the difficulty in assigning appropriate, direct and independent measures that capture the intended underlying effects proposed in Bourdieu’s theories. Additional research is needed in this area to better understand the influences that different groups experience in their pursuit of post-baccalaureate education. This dissertation also examines the impact of business cycle fluctuations on graduate enrollment over a thirty-year period, encompassing three major economic downturns, using a fixed effects approach. Using IPEDS enrollment data and national unemployment rates as a proxy for the business cycle between 1988 and 2017, I find graduate enrollment to be counter cyclical. Additionally, the expansion of Grad PLUS loans eased the credit constraint on graduate borrowing and seems to have had a significant and positive effect on graduate enrollment, regardless of the business cycle. While the expansion of Grad PLUS loans had a positive effect overall, there are racial differences that could suggest other barriers or constraints to graduate enrollment for minority groups during economic downturns.

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According to the Pew Research Center, the modern wave of political polarization began in 1994, and is the strongest today than it has ever been during the 23-year period. (2007) Polarization in the US party system is evidenced by several factors including: growing consistent partisan views, partisan antipathy, ideological bubbles, growing difference in preferences, a shrinking political center, and the lack of political compromise. (Pew Research Center 2014) The question I attempt to answer in this thesis is on the factors associated with political polarization within the millennial generation. One of the most pressing issues to this generation is what is known as the Student Loan Crisis, which is the $1.45 Trillion dollars Americans owe to private and federal lenders to attend college. (StudentLoanHero.com). In this thesis, I argue that economic inequality, via the student loan crisis, contributes to political polarization within the millennial generation. My analysis takes place at the level of the individual. I conduct a statistical analysis using the 2016 American National Election Survey Dataset, to test whether political polarization, operationalized as ideological and partisan polarization, is associated with polarization on economic issues that I link to wealth inequality in the millennial generation, controlling for polarization on social issues, interest in politics, and income. The main finding is that party/ideological polarization is positive and significantly related to polarization on economic issues in the millennial generation; whether or not the Student Loan Crisis underlies this link requires further study.