Let's Refocus the Debate About Higher Education Affordability

By Gary A. Olson. College affordability has become the central theme of commentators about higher education recently, reaching a climax in President Obama's plan to reform higher education. There is no doubt that college costs have skyrocketed and that something must be done, but the rhetoric is obscuring some important facts.
The underlying assumption of most articles published in the popular press (and, indeed, of President Obama's speech) is that the colleges themselves are to blame. I have even heard TV pundits accuse colleges of "gouging" students. This accusation is disingenuous and only serves to deflect attention from some very real problems. More...