Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 1997. / Title from title page screen, viewed June 2, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Edward R. Hines (chair), Paul J. Baker, G. Alan Hickrod, Kenneth H. Strand. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 167-177) and abstract. Also available in print.

The subject of this study was the development of a computer-based system for the modeling of costing assumptions in an academic department. Initially, costing assumptions were defined as those assumptions made in the selection of costing sources and apportioning procedures in cost studies. The major theme of this study was that the system should allow for multiple sets of costing assumptions to be modeled, and it should allow for a very low level of cost disaggregation. This modeling system allows costs to be attached to individual course enrollments, and it also allows multiple departmental cost studies to be performed simultaneously so that any two may be compared for sensitivity analysis.

This dissertation proposes to explain differences in resource allocation and pricing policies within state and private universities, as well as within associated auxiliary health clinic enterprises. Economic theory predicts that managers within state universities will choose to spend relatively more of the university's scarce resources on non-educational goods and services and relatively less on educational services than will managers within private universities. Theory also predicts that private universities will tend to explicitly price goods and services more extensively than will state universities. Private universities will price auxiliary services closer to marginal cost than will state universities, meaning resource dissipation and welfare losses will be less within private universities and greater within state universities. Theoretical implications are tested at two levels: (1) the university as a whole, and (2) auxiliary health clinic enterprises. Empirical support is found for all tested propositions at both the university and auxiliary health clinic level. / Ph. D.

The purpose of this study was to model the demand for higher education enrollments and to determine whether or not enrollments were price elastic among Virginia's public four-year institutions. The underlying intent was to check the feasibility of a human capital theory based methodology for examining the demand dependency of higher education institutions in Virginia. Price elasticity and other determinants of enrollments were observed across different institutional groupings to observe the differential effects of these factors given institutional type or individual institution characteristics. The analyses were based upon the investment approach to human capital theory as adapted to the study of educational demand. Accordingly, it was assumed that individuals will display a willingness to invest in themselves by enrolling in a college or university because they believe that such an investment will accrue both financial and psychological benefits. Multiple linear regression was used to model five sets of determinants across three levels of analysis: statewide, institutional type (major universities, prior normal schools, and urban institutions), and individual institutions. The direct cost of attendance, the size of the eligible population of prospective students, the educational attainment of the students' locale, and the rural nature of the students' environment generally were found to have significant effects on enrollment. Price, or the direct cost of attendance, was primarily negative and statistically significant for all types of institutions except the major universities and the one special purpose, military institute in the state. Several factors indicated that the location of the institution was important. In other words, students tended to enroll in nearby as opposed to distant institutions, while a geographically concentrated pool of institutions restricted the dependency of these same institutions on local student populations. A cross-sectional design was used in this study, therefore the resultant demand models were descriptive only of the time period covered in these analyses. Nevertheless, such research should be useful in assessing the impact on enrollments of selected demand factors and in determining the efficacy of the investment approach applied in this and similar research efforts. / Ph. D.

Most colleges and universities invest substantial resources in an effort to strategically plan for a sound financial base. The revenue for the financial base is dependent on student enrollment that must be effectively managed. Increases in the price of tuition and fees can lead to decreased enrollment and negatively impact the revenue of an institution. The increases can also impact the enrollment of certain student populations such as minority students and high school graduates enrolling in college for the first time. Many studies have analyzed the price elasticity and student price response models that have been developed over time by reviewing historical price increases and enrollment across institutions. Few studies have used the models to predict changes in the enrollment of students for one college or university after the increases in the cost of attendance are imposed on students. This study sought to analyze the effectiveness of the most commonly reviewed student price response and price elasticity models in predicting changes in undergraduate enrollment at one metropolitan academic university. The three models introduced by Leslie and Brinkman, St. John and Heller were used to analyze the tuition and fee increases and to identify the likely percentage of increase or decrease in student enrollment at the University of North Texas for the fall 2004 semester. The study predicted the change in undergraduate enrollment among Caucasian, Hispanic, African American and Asian student populations. The price elasticity among full-time students, part-time students, undergraduate transfer students and new from high school students entering the University of North Texas were also analyzed in the research study. The results of the study found the student price response developed by Heller accurately predicted decreases in enrollment among first-time undergraduate students, continuing undergraduate students and undergraduate Caucasian students. The model introduced by Heller accurately predicted increases in enrollment among first-time Asian undergraduate students, first-time African American undergraduate students, continuing Asian undergraduate students and continuing African American undergraduate students. The study found an inelastic demand to price elasticity among full-time and part-time students and undergraduate transfer students. New from high school students were found to have an elastic demand to price elasticity.

Trends in tuition and financial aid policy have increased the number of students who borrow for higher education and the aggregate debt students acquire. Most research on student borrowing over the years has analyzed the effects of borrowing and the prospects of indebtedness on individual students' choices and persistence. However, dynamics at the institutional level such as the need to ensure a stable flow of resources may accelerate or slow down student borrowing. Drawing on resource dependence theory, this study examined changes in student borrowing at private not for profit four year institutions in the US to identify trends and implications. A fixed effects regression analysis was applied to panel data from the Delta Cost project and the National Association of College and University Business Officers. Analytical focus was on the financial and enrollment characteristics of private not for profit four-year institutions, the relationship between these characteristics and student borrowing, and whether these relationships are stable or change over time. Findings revealed that the financial and enrollment characteristics of private not for profit institutions during the study period were characterized by gradual variation. The results also revealed that most of the financial characteristics were predictive of student borrowing and that these relationships vary with time. Evidence from this study cautions higher education policy makers that high tuition dependence and the attendant student loan burden may disadvantage some students. Policy makers concerned about providing equitable access to higher education to all student subpopulations should try to moderate competition among institutions and tuition rises that intensify student borrowing. Institutional practices such as tuition maximization and selective price discrimination must be moderated so that financial aid, including loans, can realize the objective of encouraging fairness and choice in higher education entry.

Faculty have been identified as critical players in the implementation of textbook affordability efforts at community colleges. Furthermore, emerging lower-cost alternatives to traditional textbooks present a wide and growing range of options that may help further efforts. This study sought to examine more closely the role of faculty with respect to textbook cost-lowering initiatives. The researcher utilized in-depth interviews to gain a rich picture of the experiences, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of nine full-time community college faculty as they confronted textbook affordability efforts and textbook alternatives. The interview data were analyzed using a thematic analysis process. Five major themes and three minor themes were identified. The five major themes were: (a) campus administrators support, but do not mandate, efforts; (b) frequent edition revisions frustrate faculty; (c) departmental approaches to textbook selection vary; (d) content, then affordability, drive selection choices; and (e) faculty have mixed feelings about textbook alternatives. The three minor themes were: (a) faculty efforts to save students money are thwarted by campus bookstores and financial aid policies; (b) English faculty benefit from public domain readings; and (c) more faculty participating in textbook selection means more difficulty deciding on a text. Implications and recommendations were offered for community college leaders, campus bookstores, publishers, and future researchers.