Crookston paper: Rein in costs — but give more financial aid

The Crookston Daily Times laments the state of student debt nationally and in Minnesota:

Three decades ago, a Federal Pell Grant for the full amount easily covered a year's worth of tuition, books and maybe left you a little extra spending money. Now, it doesn't even pay a semester's tuition at most four-year universities. State-provided grants have dried up over the years as well. And there are only so many scholarships to go around and so few students that qualify for them. ...

With the state of the economy being where it is now, a solution to this conundrum won't be coming any time soon, but the long-term effects this could have on the nation make this a priority for legislators. A hybrid solution that both reins in the costs and provides more assistance to those who need it would be the most sensible approach, but whether the lawmakers actually do this is up in the air.

Read the full editorial here.

• How Augsburg is going all Mark Twain
• How past U of M presidents view higher-ed today
• Metro State data breach affected 160,000 students