The ongoing race between the for profit universities– the nimble but greedy rabbits– and the public universities–slow but steady democratic tortoises– crossed a landmark when St. Leo’s University moved its online education system back in-house, dropping its long-standing outsourcing arrangement with Brisk Education (“We’ll Take It From Here“). We can hope that privatization is slowing down.
As the article notes, many of the outsourcing contracts were long-term and relatively few have come up for renewal until recently. I think that as they do the public university system is going to be increasingly willing to follow St. Leo and other schools as they realize that what once seemed too alien and new now seems commonplace. Outsourcing is about politics not expertise; public money needs to stay in the public system.
