"The Shift in Attitude Regarding College Has Also Become Commonly Accepted"

"In 1927, John D. Rockefeller began campaigning for charging students the full cost it took to educate them. Further, he suggested that students could shoulder such costs through student loans. Rockefeller and like-minded donors (in particular, William E. Harmon, the wealthy real estate magnate) were quite successful in their campaign. They convinced donors, educators and college administrators that students should pay for their own education because going to college was considered a deeply personal affair. Tuition–and student loans–thus became commonly accepted aspects of the economics of higher education."

At The Conversation, Thomas Adam argues that "tuition-free education can only be realized if college education is again reframed as a public good."