UB guest columnist Joan Marques says that while many people sign up for short, fast-paced, free courses online, we should not underestimate the value of maintaining formal and informal interactions in a college environment, where the common goal is to achieve upward mobility.

There are about 40 million people who have some college experience but no degree. UB guest columnist Betty Vandenbosch, chancellor of Purdue University Global, says that if we want to solve the skills gap and at the same time benefit these people and their families, they need to finish their education.

Higher education has a cost transparency problem. But beyond the moral and ethical reasons that institutions should be completely clear about price, there is a practical argument: Colleges have nothing to lose by being transparent, says guest columnist Jason Reinoehl, vice president for strategic enrollment management at the University of Dayton in Ohio.