Restating American Higher Education as a Public Good - Brian C. Mitchell, Huffington Post

America's colleges and universities must face some harsh realities. First, the support for American higher education as a public good has eroded, now recast as a private benefit. This opens colleges and universities to "top ten" lists. Further, rankings sell in the media, whether print or social. Once an institution becomes known as "expensive," "not academically curious," "alcohol loving," "jock," "unsafe," or "Greek," descriptions that may not even be negative collectively cast a pall over the college's reputation. This negative reputation has an impact on the bottom line, diminishing the potential pool of applicants who select out of consideration and limiting the very breadth in the student body that many institutions seek to improve. Second, Americans are less willing to sacrifice for the private benefit that a college education provides. Once American higher education adopted a financial aid system that provided that the wealthiest families, state and federal government programs, and institutional endowments and discounting practices combined to adjust the cash flow to make college affordable, colleges and universities open themselves up to the "art of the deal." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-brian-c-mitchell/restating-american-higher_b_5396399.html