Tuition discounting has become a common strategy used in higher education to generate enrollment; however, little academic study has been done on its impact on the overall financial condition of higher education institutions. Those studies that have been completed regarding tuition discounting have primarily analyzed the use of tuition discounting…

This dissertation contains three chapters related to the study of how business cycles create real and persistent effects on economic agents. Chapter 1 focuses on young individuals' careers and college decisions; Chapter 2 on firms' firing and hiring asymmetric decisions and Chapter 3 on firms' sourcing strategies. In Chapter 1 "Strategic or…

Over several decades, a greater share of the expense of earning a college degree has shifted to students and their families as appropriations to public institutions of higher education have declined as a percentage of the overall cost to educate a student. Tuition has greatly outpaced inflation during this period, while inflation-adjusted…

International faculty contribute to the global knowledge exchange between countries and are increasingly important to colleges and universities as a mechanism for internationalization. This study, guided by resource dependence theory, examined international faculty employment during and after two recessions -- the 2001 Recession and the Great…

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between vocational/ technical education (VTE) and economic growth in Nigerian. This purpose is motivated by the consideration that human capital development through enrolment in vocational and technical education is expected to stimulate economic growth. Quantitative correlational research…

This dissertation includes three essays on the economics of higher education. In the first chapter, I study the effects of college transfer. Over one-third of college students in the United States transfer between institutions, yet little is known about how transferring affect students' educational and labor market outcomes. Using administrative…

This dissertation consists of three chapters that study individual investment in human capital and the incidence of economic shocks. I use administrative data to answer these questions, developing and applying structural methods to analyze individual choices in combination with a careful consideration of research design. Chapter 1 studies the…

College and university administrators must be able to process large amounts of financial information quickly and be able to communicate information about financial performance to governing boards. Financial ratio analysis provides a framework for administrators to identify financial and operational concerns as well as variances from institutional…

In this dissertation, I study some of the factors that determine schooling decisions in middle-income economies in Latin America. In the first chapter, I examine the impacts of a large-scale program in Colombia that installs water treatment facilities in rural schools. To identify causal effects on student and community outcomes, I leverage…

Understanding economic sustainability is vital to the survivability of a community college. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to explore business strategies educational leaders use to satisfy diverse stakeholders' expectations to ensure economic sustainability in community colleges in North Texas. The data sources included…

Tuition discounting has been a long-standing practice among colleges and universities. Its roots can be traced to the beginnings of the 1970s, and its use has continued to increase and expand in the decades following. However, despite its widespread use, the research is inconclusive whether tuition discounting has been an effective strategy to…

The post-great recession period (June of 2009 to February of 2020) was marked by a decline in state funding for higher education that further necessitated institutions to rely on tuition funding. Revenues from tuition are based not only on what institutions charge, but also how many students are charged. This tuition revenue dynamic makes…

The decline in undergraduate enrollment at American colleges and universities, particularly highlighted by a drop of nearly 500,000 students in Fall 2021, continues to reflect broader challenges facing higher education. Factors contributing to this trend include the enduring effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic instability, shifting…

Since the beginning of the 21st century, China's education for international students has seen rapid growth, making it the third largest destination for international students globally and the largest in Asia. This growth occurs against a backdrop of intensifying global economic competition and increasingly fierce competition for international…

Since 2008, the Louisiana state legislature has continually defunded public higher education. Decreased state funding has significant implications for public higher education, including decreased student access and college affordability. Overall, state funding for Louisiana higher education has decreased over $700 million resulting in a…