7 Reasons Why Colleges Should Be Worried

(MoneyWatch)  The reputation of college and universities hasn't dropped to the level of politicians or used car salesmen yet, but higher-ed administrators should watch out.

Americans' opinions of colleges are heading in the wrong direction, according to a survey which was released today by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education and Public Agenda.

Fifty-five percent of Americans, for instance, believe that colleges today are like most businesses and mainly care about the bottom line.

"One of the really disturbing things about this, for those of us who work in higher education is the vote of no confidence we're getting from the public," said Patrick Callan, president of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, who was quoted in The New York Times. "They think college is important, but they're really losing trust in the management and leadership."

Here are some other findings from the survey:

• 63% believe college prices are rising faster than the cost of other items.
• 77% of the above respondents believe college costs are rising faster than healthcare.
• 53% believe colleges could spend less and still maintain high quality.
• 39% believe financial help is not easily available for students.
• 67% strongly believe students have to borrow too much for college.
• 67% believe many qualified people don't get to go to college.
• 48% believe his or her state's public university system needs overhauling.

My feelings about this loss of confidence can be summed up by the following Tweet that I read this afternoon on the Lumina Foundation's Twitter feed: If HigherEd institutions now act like businesses, should students operate like consumers?
I'd suggest that the answer is a responding yes.

Lynn O'Shaughnessy is the author of The College Solution, an Amazon bestseller, and she also writes for TheCollegeSolutionBlog. Follow her on Twitter.
College image by KB35. CC 2.0.