Date of Award

2018

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Fitzgerald, Keith

Area of Concentration

General Studies

Abstract

Since 2014, Florida universities have been graded based upon metrics such as the median wages of Bachelor’s graduates who are employed and the number of Bachelor’s degrees awarded within specific programs that the state wants to be emphasized. In order to receive funding from the state government, these institutions must outperform one another and those unlucky enough to fall in the bottom three subsequently have their funding allocations put in jeopardy. These performance-based metrics not only encourage institutions to provide the state with graduates who will stimulate the immediate economy, but they also reflect a trend in the reasoning as to why an individual pursues higher education. In this thesis I intend to explain the current utility of higher education in the United States as demonstrated by the Florida Performance Based Metrics system of assessment and provide further historical context as to how this theoretical value has changed over time. Higher education was not always thought of as the way for individuals to ensure their personal future financial stability, nor as a way to stimulate the overall economy. Education as a whole was conceptualized to ensure the virtuous nature of members of society, and to impart the thoughtful reasoning skills necessary for an effective citizenry. This was a theory commonly held over centuries by the likes of Socrates, John Locke, and Thomas Jefferson. However, a slightly more modern, economically focused structure of higher education was solidified in the designs of the first public universities in the United States and was further refined into its present form.

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