Free Republic

It has been an open secret for several decades that the writing is on the wall for most historically black colleges and universities. Since 1989, eight HBCUs have closed because of lost accreditation or bankruptcy. The reasons are myriad, but principally because HBCUs no longer command a monopoly on attendees created by de jure segregation. For the past half-century, HBCUs have had to compete for students among mainstream public and private institutions, as well as for-profit educational institutions. But the changing market dynamics do not tell the entire story, especially because some HBCUs such as Howard University, Morehouse College, and...

Editor's Note: This piece was coauthored by Ed Feulner.You can’t put a price on education, the saying goes, but if you did, it would be very high. And the cost falls on everyone. Indeed, our economy is hampered by a two-pronged higher education problem: collectively, Americans have racked up some $1.4 trillion in outstanding student loan debt. At the same time, that debt has been amassed by those who drop out before earning a degree and by those earning degrees with limited utility in the market. Yet, despite growing evidence that generous federal subsidies have driven tuition increases, policymakers continue...