Taking Higher Education Higher: How to Cut College Costs and Increase Degree Value

"With college costs rising, student loan debt skyrocketing and average starting salaries falling, the following questions must be asked. Is college for everybody? Who is college for? What types of experiences should students pursue that will make them more competitive in the job market? In the midst of great change, what is the role of the university? What are the roles of the student, and of the family in picking a college to attend? Policy wonks will issue decrees on change and philosophers will debate them. Poets will write odes to the university of the past, and visionaries will dream of the university of the future. This manifesto is about the architects of the present—those that seek to rebuild the system, brick by brick. This manifesto seeks to identify some steps that colleges, students and families can take to make education more affordable and accessible for students, and give them more of what they need to succeed in the present and future economy. It is also about how students can take control of the current educational system and make college a more sound investment than it is presently. This manifesto is for those who are willing to begin the work of change."