By Brian C. Mitchell. As The Washington Post suggested in a subsequent editorial, "investing in education is a smart long-term strategy" when addressing income inequality and American competitiveness. The Post proposes means testing community college assistance to prevent the program from becoming a "new middle class entitlement" and adopting strategies like increasing Pell Grants that could be used for undergraduate students at four-year institutions as well. More...
Allow universities to restructure themselves through bankruptcy
By Dennis Cariello. Despite, or perhaps, because of, the higher education boom in the years immediately following the Great Recession, colleges and universities are now facing increased financial pressures. Enrollments are down by nearly one million students from 2012 levels. These decreases in enrollment have not only hurt everyone’s bottom line, but institutions are now subsidizing students that do enroll at exceedingly high levels. Add in the disruptions caused by innovations in the delivery of education and the financial constraints accompanying capital projects undertaken when times were good, it is unsurprising that analysts such as Bain & Company report that, over 60 percent of institutions are on an “unsustainable financial path” or at financial risk. More...






