High education costs hurting public trust

Overall, Americans support efforts many colleges and universities make to turn out an educated work force, but a recent survey shows those same people believe increasing costs are making higher education less accessible.

Getting a degree is more important now than ever, according to the survey, which was released today by the Public Agenda and the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.

"The public may voice satisfaction with the education that colleges and universities deliver, but there is evidence that this satisfaction with the system as a whole is beginning to erode," said Patrick M. Callan, the center's president. "Our higher education system must take steps to address cost, access and quality or face greater losses of public confidence."

More than 1,000 randomly-selected Americans, including a large sample of parents of minority high school students, believe that the opportunity to put their children in college may be waning, due to "rapidly escalating costs."

However, most of them still agree it's a good investment.

"Even though tuition has gone up over the years, most institutions (in Utah) are still below our peers in the western United States," said Rich Kendell, Utah's commissioner of higher education. "It's still a very good buy."

A record number of Americans, 50 percent — compared to 31 percent in 2000 — say that a college education is necessary for success in the workplace, but 58 percent say that college prices are rising faster than other expenses. Sixty-two percent agree that many qualified and motivated students do not have the opportunity for a college education, compared with 45 percent in 1998.

"If they really explored the options that are there, they'd find that socioeconomic status doesn't prevent them from achieving their goals," Kendall said.

Minority numbers are increasing in Utah's colleges, but not as quickly as minority population growth. But Kendell said many students from low-income families can qualify for no-strings-attached federal money, low-interest loans and the many minority scholarships that are available.

The majority of those surveyed have a positive view of higher education but believe the system needs to be overhauled, including better use of funds resulting in less waste and mismanagement. About 52 percent say that colleges are being run like businesses and leaders mainly care only about the bottom line.

Kendell said such thinking is absurd because colleges and universities "don't have a bottom line. We're not in the business of turning a profit." He said it takes an effort to maximize resources but they are required keep a balanced budget at year's end.