[Editor’s note: This post originally appeared on the AACC 21st Century Center.]
The path to affordability looks different from institution to institution. At last fall’s EDUCAUSE annual meeting in Denver, Colo., Betty Young, president of Hocking College in Ohio, spoke on her vision for bringing affordable course materials to students. Passionate about arming her students for their careers but not driving them deeper into debt, Young is launching an all-inclusive pricing model for students at Hocking where full-time students will pay just $300 per semester for all course materials starting fall 2019. I recently sat down with Young to share her insight and best practices with fellow community college leaders.
Shannon Moore-Zuffoletto (SMZ): Higher education has come under criticism on multiple fronts in recent years: on affordability (rising prices/student debt), outcomes (whether students are emerging with the skills that employers want), access (whether elite colleges are enrolling enough low-income students), lack of respect for multiple viewpoints, etc. Which of these, if any, do you consider to be the most legitimate critique, and which one troubles you the most?…Read More