Yesterday I watched Dr. William J. Bennett, David Wilezol, Dr. Richard Vedder, and others address the value of a college degree in today’s economy. The discussion was centered on a new book from Bennett and Wilezol entitled Is College Worth It?: A Former United States Secretary of Education and a Liberal Arts Graduate Expose the Broken Promise of Higher Education.
The video of the brief lectures and panel discussion have been made available, and here is something of a summary post about the event.
I’ve picked up the book and started to read it. Thus far, their thesis seems to be that college is worth it for some people (those who have intellectual ability and personal discipline) at some colleges (those that haven’t watered-down their academics) in some majors (those that have reliable market value, particularly if you’re needing to debt-finance your education). I imagine I’ll have more to say about this book in the days ahead.