Why does college cost so much? That seemingly simple question, which may be one of the most perplexing of our time, was the motivation for a series of reports The Chronicle has published over the past year. The series culminates here with a set of commentaries by academic leaders and other experts exploring ways that colleges can contain costs while preserving the integrity of their academic missions.
We started this debate by asking a handful of people—some on the streets of Washington, others in the corridors of power—why tuition has increased faster than the cost of nearly any comparable good or service, including health care, over the past few decades. The question stumped even the most-polished policy wonks, and continues to frustrate everyday Americans.
To solve the problem, colleges may have to consider radical changes in the ways they do business. If they don’t, many observers have noted, they could face public outcry and government intervention.
But how to fix the cost problem? (And is it really a problem?) Should colleges cut programs that are not productive? Should they redefine their view of prestige? How should they measure the work they get from professors?
And, as institutions pursue new directions, how do they preserve what made them great in the past?
Those are but a few of the questions discussed in this final installment of our series. Many of the ideas for the concluding essays originated in an online discussion group that The Chronicle established to inform the series. The group included more than 40 leading administrators, faculty members, economists, and consultants.
While the series is ending, the debate on college costs shows no sign of relenting. With the country in the middle of a rancorous dispute over the cost of health care, people in higher education may be wondering: How long before members of Congress turn that same scrutiny on colleges and the sums they charge students? — The Editors
