Former University President Sounds Alarm About Cost of College Tuition
“The Syracuse University situation is simply a bellwether for the structural crisis facing higher education nationally”
Colleges and universities are in danger of pricing themselves right out of business.
FOX News reports:
Michigan college president urges ‘it’s incumbent upon’ higher education leaders to lower tuition every year
Higher education leaders must lower tuition costs as Syracuse University faces questions over its nearly $100,000 annual cost of attendance, Adrian College President Jeffrey Docking told Fox News Digital.
“I think it’s incumbent upon us as college presidents and institutions to say, ‘Can we start to turn the dial back and lower costs every year for students?’ And I think we can do that if we work together,” Docking told Fox News Digital.
“The Syracuse University situation is simply a bellwether for the structural crisis facing higher education nationally,” Docking said. “It’s no different than at most private institutions, many regional publics as well.”
Docking, who has served as president of Michigan-based Adrian College for more than 20 years, previously made headlines when he testified before Congress about innovation and lowering costs in higher education.
He co-authored the book “Crisis in Higher Education: A Plan to Save Small Liberal Arts Colleges in America” and is credited with doubling Adrian College’s enrollment since taking the helm in 2005.
Docking was reacting to a Wall Street Journal report detailing Syracuse University’s steep enrollment and financial challenges. The Central New York-based institution is saddled with nearly $500 million in debt tied to new residence halls and is facing a 1.5% budget shortfall as it struggles to attract enough students to cover its operational costs.
“The problem with Syracuse is that the school thinks of itself as like an Ivy, but it’s not,” former Syracuse University Center for International Services Director Juan Tavares told The Wall Street Journal.
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Comments
I’m glad he is pointing this out, but why did it take him so long?
The high cost of college was glaringly apparent 5,10,15,20…. years ago.
Apparently the closing of colleges across the country—which was not as common some years ago— has caught the attention of this former college president.
Mitch Daniels, former Indiana Governor ( Rep),served 10 years as President of Purdue University. He is currently Purdue’s interim President. Mitch Daniels went against the add-an-administrator trend and clamped down on costs at Purdue. (Can anyone prove that the 40-year trend of the increasing of the ratio of administrators to students has improved the educational experience?)
Purdue Out-of-State Tuition vs In-State (2026 Guide)
In-state tuition at Purdue is $10,000, compared to $20,000 at University of Michigan.
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