Are the nation's colleges at risk?

In 2005, the Spellings Commission was created to call for reforms of the nation's higher education system. Call it "A nation at risk" for college. The whole enterprise sounded a bit too top-down for my taste, with language such as "We must develop a comprehensive national strategy for postsecondary education." (You can read the final report in PDF here.)

The report was issued a few months ago, finding--to no one's surprise--that the cost of college keeps going up. A lot. Other problems include students who aren't even after receiving a degree, terribly well-educated, and a trend towards students taking ever more time to get that degree.

The American Council of Trustees and Alumni has come out with two booklets in response. Neither are (yet) online, but can be obtained through sending the group an e-mail.

The booklet for trustees calls on trustees to take a more active role in the governance of colleges and universities. A second booklet suggests things that legislators can do, at least as far as state-supported institutions go.

Among the recommendations: review existing regulations with an eye to reform, and demand that student performance measure be made public (legislators), and demand strong academic requirements (trustees).