University President Calls for College Cost Control
A university president argues higher education must earn public trust by controlling costs, citing his own institutions' tuition freezes and administrative
University of Arizona President Suresh Garimella states colleges must justify their costs before asking families for more money. He writes that public skepticism stems from tuition hikes and bureaucracy, not a denial of a degree's value.
Garimella, who has served in higher education leadership for 14 years, says accountability comes from disciplined stewardship. He argues universities are good at explaining unavoidable costs but reluctant to justify every expense.
A Record of Tuition Freezes
Garimella points to his own experience to show cost control is possible. He highlights multi-year tuition freezes at three public universities where he has served.
At Arizona, he says this happened while eliminating a $177 million budget deficit. He attributes these outcomes to intentionally different choices, not a sudden drop in higher education expenses.
Cutting Administrative Spending
To restore financial sustainability at the University of Arizona, Garimella details specific austerity measures. The administration cut administrative spending by more than 20 percent and dissolved inefficient, multimillion-dollar administrative units.
A comprehensive evaluation of leadership positions reduced the number of vice president roles to three. The op-ed frames every unnecessary dollar spent as one a family must earn, save, or borrow.
Expanding Access and Opportunity
Alongside cuts, Garimella says his institution worked to expand pathways and reduce time to degree. They strengthened transfer routes with community colleges and introduced accelerated three-year medical and veterinary degree programs to address workforce shortages.
The university also expanded flexible online programs to lower the cost and time required for a degree. Garimella states that opportunity should not depend on family income and should be part of what every great public university provides.
He says Arizona is using philanthropic gifts and industry partnerships to expand internships, experiential learning, and study abroad for financially constrained students.
The Role of Public Universities
Garimella argues that flagship public universities, not elite private institutions, hold the key to affordability for most Americans. He says their defining strength is excellence at scale delivered at an affordable price.
He calls for states to invest more in students at universities that challenge costs and reduce bureaucracy. This public funding, he contends, should reward institutions that produce results and responsibly manage money. Garimella concludes that trust must be earned through actions, not messaging.
