In the fifties, sixties and into the late seventies, the American higher educational system was at the center of cultural innovation and progression. Part of the reason for this was because the intellectual advancement of the American citizenry was seen as a necessary good by most, and was funded by both the state and national governments. Is it still?
Since then, that situation has drastically reversed itself. Tuition has been raised to an unmanageable amount because of ridiculous loan subsidies in lieu of any real funding or assistance, and because of that, individual institutions have taken it upon themselves to hike up tuition to make up for what isn't being provided by government spending. It is now impossible to work your way through college, as it was before. We need to fix this.