By Matt Reed. Wise and worldly readers, in a passing comment this weekend, I realized that I believe two conflicting ideas at the same time.  I’m hoping you can help me figure this one out. Idea One is that the “high tuition, high aid” model doesn’t work. Students are scared off by the high sticker price, and simply don’t apply. Read more...

By Matt Reed. What if every sector of higher education received the same per-student funding?
Right now, the more affluent the student body, the more public aid money the sector receives. Flagship universities receive more per-student funding than do regional campuses, which, in turn, receive more than community colleges.  And if you look at financial aid to students as a form of public funding -- which, in effect, it is, unless it’s a loan -- then private colleges receive more than anybody. Read more...

By Matt Reed. This post is a shameless attempt to learn from others’ experiences. Community colleges have long had multiple markets. One of those is adults who have some college experience, and an accumulation of credits, but no degree. Frequently these are folks who had some sort of major personal-life change in the course of college, and had to walk away. Years later, the decision to walk away acts as a sort of limit on earning power, as well as a nagging sense of something missing. Read more...