A Service Science Perspective on Higher Education: Linking Service Productivity Theory and Higher Education Reform

Abstract

Policymakers are currently wrestling with fundamental but complex questions about the future of higher education, including how to hold colleges responsible for the billions of dollars in federal financial aid money they receive and how to encourage lower tuition to increase affordability for low- and middle-income families. Answering these questions requires a better understanding of how colleges operate and how we can measure their productivity and efficiency. In this report, the authors explain how thinking about college education as a service can begin to answer some of these questions.