WAR statistics: The real value of higher education

When I had the good fortune to go to Oxford for a conference on terrorism (presenting student research), my wife and I got a tour of the tiny city teeming with colleges. We learned that graduates of “University College” (the best known Oxford school) have cooked spaghetti thrown on them by other students. “It’s better than the old days, when they used to heap fish heads upon them,” the tour guide told us.

It’s not too different from American colleges today. Critics from the left and right have been tossing all kinds of refuse upon higher education, an area where America has quite the comparative advantage vis-à-vis other countries. And if the naysayers have their way, that American collegiate strength is likely to sink, a victim of putting politics before people.

Some liberals have lambasted American colleges for being too expensive, for not being diverse enough, or for not embracing multiculturalism enough. Some conservatives have castigated colleges for being too diverse, too willing to accept multiculturalism, and not teaching enough to the test, or failing to provide specific job training.

These authors have provided “evidence” in the form of strong opinions, standardized tests, the ideology of graduation speakers, the purported ideology of professors, and highly misleading statistics on employment and earnings.

Every year, I have students calculate for themselves what college graduates earn compared to those who didn’t finish college, graduate from high school, or drop out of high school. We also compare real employment numbers. And every year, the gap between college degree holders and those without a degree widens.

I know that you can succeed without a college degree. I’ve had family members do that. But when you see the numbers for yourself, you’ll see that college a good choice. Even my most skeptical students become enthusiastic supporters after running the numbers for themselves. And I’ll do all I can to get my kids the opportunity to pursue higher education.

Of course, there are conservatives, moderates and liberals who all recognize the successes colleges have had, but their voices aren’t heard. It’s more interesting to expose the few flaws in a good baseball team than report on the team’s strengths.

Speaking of baseball, there’s a great statistic that’s been created recently: “WAR,” or “Wins Above Replacement.” It calculates how valuable a player is, or isn’t, by seeing how the team would do with an average player at the same position.

In my education experience, I’ve seen star students crash through our doors. Like the talented collegiate or high school baseball prospect going through the minors, we give them the opportunities to hone their skills, putting the finishing touches on a top product. But I’m equally proud of those who stumble in, the ones no team picks, who need all kinds of help. Like the biblical shepherd searching for a lost lamb, we put all kinds of effort into assisting those students reach their potential, getting their WAR statistics up there.

Each professor I know is full of those stories. This help may not show up in college statistics or rankings, but it means everything to the student, parents, family, etc.

That’s what keeps me going in this profession that I love. And don’t worry … we won’t throw any noodles at them on Graduation Day here in America.

This story was originally published May 19, 2016 at 5:30 PM with the headline "WAR statistics: The real value of higher education."