The financing of the Darden School, specifically the school's reliance on lucrative executive education programs, was criticized last week at financial firm TIAA-CREF Institute's conference about financing higher education.
Executive education programs allow adult students to participate in programs targeted toward their careers and allow businesses to commission specific programs for their employees.
University of California at Berkeley Prof. David Kirp claimed students do not benefit from the programs in a speech, according to David Breneman, Curry School Dean and TIAA-CREF Institute fellow, who also presented a speech at the conference.
"What [Kirp] was particularly critical of at the conference was the school has leaned highly on its executive education program for support and that this has included doing highly specialized workshops for particular companies," Breneman said. "The work done in that capacity isn't made available to students."
Kirp was not available for comment.
University officials said they did not find Kirp's argument convincing.
"I would dispute the conclusion of the Berkeley professor," Darden School Dean Robert Bruner said.
Bruner explained that students do not have access to some professors' privately-funded research because companies have control over access to their data. Professors' initial projects for companies, however, often morph into further research projects that are published, resulting in a net gain of knowledge, Bruner said.
Using such private resources is an innovative way to fund programs that attract fewer state resources, according to University spokesperson Carol Wood.
"It's just a different funding model," Wood said. "They can rely more heavily on private fundraising, so they don't rely on the state in the same way that the rest of the University does."
While some may criticize the Darden School's funding, others see it as a model, Wood added.
"Darden and Law are actually ahead of the curve," Wood said.
The conference, which was held on Nov. 3 and 4, explored various models of financing higher education. Attendees including Breneman were concerned about financing because of the lack of state government support.
"The state is tapped out; it's got limited revenue capacities with other demands for Medicaid, K-12 and transportation," Breneman said.
The University, like other higher education institutions nationwide, is working to reduce costs and increase funding. According to Breneman, the University already operates with a "lean" budget and will continue to emphasize raising private funds. The University has launched a Capital Campaign that aims to raise $3 billion by 2012.
"There's not an easy answer to this problem," Breneman said. "It's going to translate into higher prices for students and fewer resources."
The University is also in the process of negotiating the details of a new relationship with the state as part of the Higher Education Restructuring Act, which will give the University more leeway to raise and allocate its funds in exchange for adherence to a set of state goals and a reduction in state appropriations.
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