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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The biggest factor is price. Both university administration and parents/students are responsible for this. Administration because they keep hiring more administrators at salaries higher than professors ("administrative bloat"). Parents/students because they choose colleges based upon things like how nice a dorm is, the availability of fancy food. Finally--and this is controversial, I understand--the shockingly high numbers of students with learning disabilities that require accommodations, additional staffing, and space (because the kids have to take their tests somewhere--so these offices need to be larger and larger).
FWIW, faculty are not paid well in general, and the cost of adjuncts is cheap. Universities should implement mandatory retirement at 72 (five years past the recommended 67), IMHO. Lots of old, expensive faculty hanging around.
-College Professor[/quote]

OP - thanks! I was hoping to hear from college professors and thank you for your work.

So is it accurate to say you believe that the biggest reforms needed are:
(A) reducing cost of tuition (i expanded above on whether this also connected to student loans)
(B) much more competitive compensation of professors while slashing marketing and admin costs; and 
(C)  restricting accommodations for learning disabilities (that would violate existing disability laws and I in the camp that the pros outweigh the cons for educating those with LDs to the fullness of their potential. But you are right - there are hidden costs).

Thanks again![/quote]
Not quite.
1) At this point, the huge amount of student loan debt is sending a clear signal that the cost of attending college has risen too high. The easy availability of student loans might have been a factor 20 years ago, but not now.
2) Not the slashing of "marketing," but the actual building of fancy dorms with singles is very high. And colleges, by the way, subsidize the cost of the nicest dorms by passing on the cost to the students who can afford only the cheapest dorms. It's shameful. Colleges that are invested in DEI should not be providing housing with tiers--the wealthiest students end up in the fancy dorms while the poorest students end up in the cheapest dorms or off campus (further isolated from campus life). 
3) The percentage of students coming to campus with LDs has tripled in the last decade. The majority of students I've encountered with LDs do fine, but some of them need a gap year. [/quote]

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