I don't generally take issue with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, but I fear the government could use some criticism. Why? Our dearly beloved state did something shocking, albeit forgotten, that I'd like to point out in light of an intensifying business-based state of mind here at Brandeis. Between fiscal 2008 and fiscal 2010, Massachusetts cut state support for higher education by 37 percent, according to Nancy Folbre's Feb. 15 post on The New York Times' Economix blog. This may not be the newest development in Massachusetts politics, but it's probably one worth bringing up as high school students across the country decide where and whether to go to college. This cut, according to Folbre, has inspired a new plan at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst "to reward individual departments that attract more out-of-state majors."

Well, usually, as far as I know, academic departments certainly have every right to earn rewards-for things like research, teaching and service that contribute to their university's core academic mission. While universities do need to run on some sort of business model in order to pay expenses, it seems particularly risky to publicly jeopardize academic integrity in order to appeal to a greater number of students, like UMass-Amherst Chancellor Robert Holub publicly stated in the March 29 issue of BusinessWest, the business journal of Western Massachusetts. "His goal has a focus on attracting out-of-state students, whose tuition money stays on campus, rather than state students' payments, which are filtered into the state revenue stream," states the article. This initiative has received a significant amount of criticism from the UMass campus because of both the cost as well as the university's method of going about attracting a larger student population.

I have to empathize with the concerned students at UMass. It's a bit disconcerting to reflect on your university's marketing strategy. You worked so hard flaunting your talents, after all-watching your administration reduce your educational experiences into empty catchphrases and buzzwords in order to sound attractive simply isn't that gratifying; in fact, it frequently borders on being insulting. Of course, I can't pretend that universities shouldn't have marketing strategies and should rely exclusively on their ability to appeal intellectually to the best-fit students (although that would be ideal). They need to advertise themselves somehow; wonderful, bright, committed high school seniors don't magically file applications by chance. Truthfully, though, the amount of energy and funds devoted to marketing-especially a public campaign like UMass'-justifiably disturbs students.

Economix points to the University of Phoenix, a for-profit institution that offers online education, as an example of a school that invests nearly a quarter of its budget in marketing and recruitment, while its six-year graduation rate averages at an embarrassingly low 33 percent. "State universities have begun to imitate this model, emphasizing recruitment more than retention," says Folbre. At this point, I find it increasingly difficult to trust the concept of a university marketing campaign. How, in good conscience, could you respect an academic institution that makes increased tuition dollars a priority at the expense of keeping students content with their education?

Now, Brandeis is neither a state university nor a for-profit institution, so our university may remain clear from controversy to this degree-at least at the beginning. This year's simultaneous increase in applications and SAT scores probably indicate that our own marketing strategy, as much as we'd like to avoid thinking about it, functions fairly well out there.

However, despite these heartwarming new statistics, Brandeis remains vulnerable to certain measures that universities may take in order to make their campuses more attractive. For example, while money spent on dressing up a snazzy-looking new facility for a brochure may seem like a good option, funds should really go toward improving things like student advising or course availability. Additionally, adding more students without adding more faculty and staff risks courses being filled too quickly for the students who need these courses to graduate on time. (Hey, this sounds familiar...)

While substantial problems with university marketing do exist on the administrative end, a caveat goes to prospective students as well. Enticing advertisements will arrive in your mailboxes, but you are responsible for making wise decisions. It's up to you to make the most of your purchase.