<p>I think the real issue in getting tuition down is cutting the bloat. There are sooooo many layers of administration now on campuses it borders on ridiculous. With the advent of computers and other efficiency machines, how is it we have to have so many more people on staff to manage similar class sizes? I know a few professors (grad school level) and it’s interesting to talk with them about the amount of $$ getting gobbled up administratively while they have to continually beg, borrow and … to maintain funding levels for their departments. </p>
<p>As to the theory that education at state colleges should be free for everyone, I just don’t get it. Kids today that are “being buried in debt” with lax student loan requirements are taking 5, 6, or even more years to graduate with degrees that are marginal at best. There’s no accountability or responsibility for them to get in, get the education and get out. They’re so busy “finding themselves” that they end up shackling themselves with debt and then they want the rest of us to help them pay their way out of it? Have a friends son who got a full ride to Vassar, “found himself” exploring all that the college offered and he ended up getting kicked out/arrested. If the student has no skin in the game or a ongoing pain point of getting something, they won’t value it. The people I knew who worked during school (work study, etc) and paid for at least a noticeable portion of their tuition did far better than those who didn’t have to work for it. As parents, we’ve done a miserable job being intentional with our kids, helping them through high school to be exposed to different careers they may like to study for. As my friend said last week, “My son has worked so hard in high school, I told him to have fun at college.” I thought, what an awful sendoff. He literally told him go and party and have fun. Glad I’m not paying for that kids tuition…</p>