Questions about college costs, college value, and even what a college degree means for the earning potential of graduates have become a high-profile component of discourse about higher education in the public sphere, and the voices of parents, politicians, taxpayers, and even students have often been raised against the university itself--against…

Summarizes the National Commission on the Cost of Higher Education's report, "Straight Talk About College Costs and Prices," concerning the rate of increase in tuition and costs, college affordability, financial aid trends, state support of public institutions, contributors to costs, faculty costs, and recommendations for institutional action.…