A 20th-century system has led to perversities in the 21st.
One of the reasons American colleges are the most envied in the world is because of the lavish subsidies they receive. And yet, American colleges are in trouble. Enrollment is down and will continue to go down because of depressed foreign-student access and because Americans hit a baby bust two decades ago. Colleges are beginning to close at an alarming rate. Confidence in American higher education is polarized. Only 23 percent of Republicans place trust in higher education. But that trust is slipping overall. Only 50 percent of Democrats say they have confidence in these institutions of learning.
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