“It isn’t about litigation or regulation or snowflakes. Colleges kept raising prices year after year for exactly one reason – because they could.”
In part, yes. (And litigation is just one of many fiscal challenges. I just brought that up as an example.)
But the OTHER part, the one conveniently ignored in such discussions, is the need for institutions to create a bigger infrastructure – and admins to run it! – to provide the latest technology, the coolest services, better customer service, and — in the past 20 years especially – greater entrepreneurship in the face of state funding cutbacks.
So yea, it’s not sustainable. For neither the schools, families nor society. Something will have to give. And that something will likely be hundreds of smaller schools nationwide.