New York Students Protest Governor's Tuition Hike Plan

There is a simple solution. The colleges could download all their courses for free. The courses could include study guides for a small fee. Students could also purchase low cost CD lectures from the Teaching Co. on a wide range of subjects from calculus, astronomy to history, generally for less than $200 a course (including a workbook). When students are ready, the state should allow them to sit for an exam and be granted credit toward a degree if they pass. Students must put in an effort; seek out experts in the field, research the Internet, etc. The key is to gain knowledge; sitting in a classroom listening to some professor drone on isn't necessary. The government and individuals can longer afford college whereby students attend regularly scheduled courses, sleep in the student union after a night at the bar and paint their faces for the weekend basketball game. Never in the history of man has so much information been available for so little of a price. Except for a few, the modern campus is outdated. I wrote about the free, Virtual University in a book "Invisible Money." Protesting, burning down a campus won't solve the problem. Our nation is broke. We should also return to corporate sponsored apprenticeship programs.

Robert Reilly of AZ 1:59PM March 04, 2010