Author Profile

Vance Fried

Vance H. Fried is the Riata Professor of Entrepreneurship at Oklahoma State University. He is the author of Better/Cheaper College: An Entrepreneur's Guide to Rescuing the Higher Education Industry. His current research focuses on strategic innovation in higher education and free enterprise public policy. In addition, he has published extensively on the venture capital industry and the management of firms financed by venture capital. He holds a B.S. in finance from Oklahoma State University and a J.D. from the University of Michigan. He is also a CPA.

Articles by Vance Fried

The Endowment Trap

Mar 29, 2011 · Vance Fried · No Comments

Why should a school create a fund that it never intends to spend? Schools aren’t trust companies; they are educational institutions.

Did You Know? How Majors at East Carolina U Pay Off Dec 12, 2019
With new data on student debt and earnings released by the Department of Education, high school graduates can make better decisions about which school and major they choose. Looking at the data for East Carolina University, most graduates get a useful degree without too much debt—but there are a few caveats. First, the data pertains … Continue reading “Did You Know? How Majors at East Carolina U Pay Off”
New Research Shows Federal Student Aid Is Worse than We Thought Dec 11, 2019
For years I have railed against the dysfunctional federal student loan program. The availability of cheap federal student loans has enabled universities to increase tuition fees aggressively, helping fund an unproductive academic arms race that, among other things, has led to sizable administrative bloat on most campuses. The proportion of recent college graduates from the … Continue reading “New Research Shows Federal Student Aid Is Worse than We Thought”
The Overhyped College Dropout ‘Scandal’ Dec 6, 2019
About 40 percent of Americans who enroll in college drop out before earning a certificate or degree. A high percentage of those who drop out are from poor families; they attended K-12 schools where academic standards were low and students who really tried to learn faced peer rejection for “acting white.” Still, some graduate and … Continue reading “The Overhyped College Dropout ‘Scandal’”

Did You Know? How Majors at East Carolina U Pay Off Dec 12, 2019
With new data on student debt and earnings released by the Department of Education, high school graduates can make better decisions about which school and major they choose. Looking at the data for East Carolina University, most graduates get a useful degree without too much debt—but there are a few caveats. First, the data pertains … Continue reading “Did You Know? How Majors at East Carolina U Pay Off”
New Research Shows Federal Student Aid Is Worse than We Thought Dec 11, 2019
For years I have railed against the dysfunctional federal student loan program. The availability of cheap federal student loans has enabled universities to increase tuition fees aggressively, helping fund an unproductive academic arms race that, among other things, has led to sizable administrative bloat on most campuses. The proportion of recent college graduates from the … Continue reading “New Research Shows Federal Student Aid Is Worse than We Thought”
Battling the Red Guards of Red Pedagogy Dec 9, 2019
As education goes, so goes nearly everything else: politics, culture, and social cohesion. And those who form the minds of teachers—who, in turn, instruct young minds—arguably wield even greater influence. It is unsurprising, then, that schools of education, where teachers receive their training, are at the epicenter of ongoing ideological battles. As the Martin Center’s … Continue reading “Battling the Red Guards of Red Pedagogy”