Why is going to college or university so damnably expensive? Why does the sticker price for attending institutions of higher learning relentlessly rise faster than the rate of inflation? Why are so many students graduating—or in all too many cases, dropping out—and finding themselves burdened with debt the size of a mini-mortgage? Wasn’t higher ed supposed to be a ticket to upward mobility instead of the equivalent of indentured...
with Purdue University president Mitch Daniels, who has been piloting this institution—which is particularly noted for its science and engineering prowess—since 2013. What Daniels has achieved is jaw-dropping, most notably no tuition increases since he took office. He has steadily implemented administrative efficiencies and ferreted out wasteful spending. He cut a deal with Amazon that has helped reduce the sky-high prices of textbooks. He has introduced other innovative programs that are assisting students at meeting costs. All the while, he has increased the number of tenured faculty and improved the school’s curriculum.
He has also leapt full bore into adult education by purchasing Kaplan University. One of his goals is to enable people who are working and want a college degree to get one in a convenient and affordable way. Why are prices everywhere else going up? Listen to Daniels’ no-nonsense answer. Every parent and student should send this conversation to college executives with a simple question: If Purdue can do it, why can’t you?