Title: The Reasons for the Rising Cost of College
Source: HYPERLINK "aboutJournal.do?pubDate=120051125&actionString=DO_DISPLAY_ABOUT_PAGE&inPS=true&prodId=AONE&userGroupName=txshracd2512&searchType=BasicSearchForm&docId=GALE%7C0278"The Chronicle of Higher Education.
The Chronicle of Higher Education.52.14 (Nov. 25, 2005):
Document Type: Letter to the editor

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To the Editor:
"How Much Is Too Much?" (The Chronicle, October 21) and other recent articles in your pages discuss the increasing cost of education, the inability of many students to keep up with the rising cost, and the loss of federal and other grant funds that have been used to offset the increases. ...
Most of higher education believes these are the real costs. If students want an education, then this is what they must pay, whether the money comes from private funds, grants, or loans. If students cannot meet those costs, perhaps they should not be thinking about college.
Isn't it time that we begin to look at the real costs of our institutions, and what is being sacrificed in order to maintain them? Isn't it time for us to question the salaries and benefits that are being paid to our top administrators, our coaches, our top professors, our fund raisers, our deans, etc.? How can we justify paying anyone a million dollars or more for work at a college or university? How can we justify building magnificent structures with the latest technology, knowing that the required tuition increases to help pay for them will put us beyond the reach of some students?
Higher education should focus on what happens in the classroom, on the interaction between the professor and students and on the actual learning that takes place. ... Beautiful buildings, the latest technological advances, and the finest sports facilities are nice and make our alumni and political supporters feel good, but are they worth their real costs?
In many instances, our priorities have been turned upside down, and we have sacrificed learning to meet other, less-important needs. Can we afford to continue in this direction?
John Norris
President
TransPacific Hawaii College
Honolulu
***
To the Editor:
We certainly haven't learned much about the ever-continuing increase in college costs. ... Excuses for the increase have included high energy prices in the 1970s, expensive computer development in the 90s, and high medical costs today.
The real causes are none of the above, nor are they any of the scores of other reasons put out year after year by the many higher-education lobbyists in Washington and the state capitals. Rather, one cause is the increase of administrators and other staff members. ... Today a new vice president might be paid $120,000, but the cost for that one position will run well over $200,000 when fringe benefits, office space, travel funds, and the expenses of a secretary are added. ...
Add to this the decrease in classroom time for professors -- indeed, many at