Is More Money the Answer for Higher Education?

Is the answer to the crisis in higher education more money or less cost? Colleges and universities, which have a vested interest in keeping the status quo, clearly believe what they need is more money. With continuing cuts in public funding and diminishing endowments the cost of higher education has been rising at 2-3 times the inflation rate. Students routinely graduate with debts nearing $100,000 only to discover that their degrees only qualify them for entry level jobs.

The initial proposal from the new administration calls for more grants and loans for students to pay for the rapidly rising costs of a college education. Students, on the other hand, are searching for more cost effective ways of earning a degree. Enrollment at some community colleges has grown as much as 10-15% in the past year.

Savvy educators will seize the opportunity to find innovative ways to deliver education, including credit for prior learning, testing programs and ACE evaluated training. Programs like the competency-based learning at Western Governors University and open courseware at the University of the People.

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