WATCH: Rob Jenkins discusses student loan debt and spikes in university donations
Universities are 'taking money from the government with one hand in the form of these huge student loans for tuition, and then they're taking in these donations with the other hand,' Jenkins said.
Campus Reform’s Higher Education Fellow, Rob Jenkins, a tenured associate professor of English at Georgia State University, recently joined The National Desk to discuss the upsurge of college donations to universities nationwide and how the funds should be used to pay off student loan debt.
In 2021 donations totaled upwards of $52 Billion dollars in fiscal year 2021, a near 7% increase from the prior year, according The National Desk’s summary of a report by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.
The increase was namely driven by donations to universities, but professor like Jenkins question the use of these new donations.
”[Universities are] taking money from the government with one hand in the form of these huge student loans for tuition, and then they’re taking in these donations with the other hand,” Jenkins said.
Clemson University, for example, raised nearly $210 million, nearly $8 million more from the previous year, according the The National Desk. Florida A&M set records raising $23 million.
”Let them use some these donations to pay off student loans it its so important,” Jenkins recommended.
As students struggle to pay off their student loans, colleges continue to see an increase in funding. Campus Reform reported in June that 27 out of the 30 top colleges are seeing an increase in tuition post-COVID-19.
Watch the full interview above.
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