When people ask me why I chose to dedicate my career to community colleges, the answer is always the same: because we are the open door. Community colleges are where possibility begins—regardless of income, age, background, or experience. We don’t turn people away. We meet them where they are, and we walk beside them as they build a better future. That promise, however, only holds if we keep that door truly open. And that means keeping college affordable.
The phrase “affordability is access” isn’t just a slogan. It’s a guiding truth. If working families can’t afford to attend, then access is an illusion. It’s not enough to have an open admissions policy if tuition costs are still a barrier. For many students, especially those juggling jobs, children, or financial hardship, even a small increase in tuition can be the deciding factor between going to school and giving up the dream.
Education Shouldn’t Be a Luxury
I’ve spent enough time walking campus hallways, talking to students at orientation tables, and sitting in on foundation scholarship decisions to know how close to the edge many students live. Some come to school hungry. Some are housing-insecure. Many work full-time jobs or multiple part-time gigs while trying to complete their coursework.
For them, a few hundred dollars in added tuition or fees isn’t minor—it’s a crisis. It means more hours at work, less time to study, and a greater chance they won’t finish what they started. When we raise tuition, even modestly, we send a message that higher education is still something to be earned only after someone proves they can afford it. That is not what community colleges were created to be.
Our mission is different. We are supposed to be the most accessible and equitable part of the higher education system. We are supposed to say “yes” to those who’ve heard “no” too many times. And holding the line on tuition is part of that promise.I have been proud to be a president that “held the line” against raising tuition at our community college for at least seven years. We also held the line against asking taxpayers for more dollars (for eight years), which can be a burden to local families. This position of “holding the line” protected the people we serve: the local community and our students from the excesses of higher education.
The Real Cost of Dropping Out
There’s a dangerous myth in higher education that says small tuition increases don’t really affect enrollment or outcomes. But anyone who’s ever worked in a community college knows that’s not true. The real cost isn’t just measured in enrollment numbers—it’s measured in dreams deferred, degrees unfinished, and potential left untapped.
When a student drops out because they can’t afford tuition, we all lose. That student loses opportunity. Their family loses financial stability. Our communities lose skilled workers, future leaders, and engaged citizens. The cost of dropouts—socially, economically, even morally—is far higher than any amount we gain from raising tuition.
I’ve seen students come back to college years later and tell me, “I never wanted to leave, but I just couldn’t afford it.” That should never be the story. It’s our job to prevent it, not rationalize it.
Financial Discipline with a Purpose
Of course, I understand the realities of running a college. Budgets are tight. Costs go up. State support is a battle each year. As a college president and academic officer, I’ve had to make hard financial decisions. Freezing tuition isn’t always easy. It requires prioritizing needs, cutting that which is necessary, and sometimes saying ‘no’ to good ideas so we can say yes to the most important ones.
Community colleges often discuss the funding of programs. This is crucial. But the physical plant of colleges also matter. Capital improvement is essential, and some of this comes in a form that students do not even see. HVAC systems are very expensive, and there is an expectation that they should work well. Enormous resources are spent on simply temperature, humidity and fresh air control systems. A friend once told me that with buildings, it is all about the roofs. The roofs must be attended to immediately and completely, otherwise the building is in jeopardy. These capital issues do not even begin to touch the modernization and positive-feeling of the classrooms. To do this kind of deferred maintenance work requires millions of dollars, in big chunks. Since this does not come from the state in the necessary proportions, colleges are often left on their own to modernize and repair. If an institution has no buffer in the budget to do so, they risk viability if they become over-extended. These needs of the college, however, cannot be the excuse for never-ending tuition increases.
Education is a Public Good
At the heart of all this is a belief I’ve carried with me throughout my career: education is a public good. It’s not a commodity to be priced at market rates. It’s an investment we make together—as a community, a state, and a country—because the returns benefit everyone.
When students graduate from college, they earn more, they give back more, and they lead more. They become nurses, electricians, teachers, lab techs, small business owners. Their children grow up seeing college as part of the future, not just a dream. That cycle of uplift and opportunity is what built the American middle class. It’s what still sustains towns and cities today.
If we let the cost of community college climb too high, we risk breaking that cycle. We risk telling working families, especially those on the margins, that education is no longer meant for them. That’s not just a policy failure—it’s a social justice offense.
The Path Forward
Holding the line on tuition isn’t just a financial decision—it’s a leadership choice. It’s a statement of values. It’s a commitment to the students who trust us with their hopes and time and money. And it’s a recognition that the strength of our colleges depends not on how much we charge, but how deeply we serve.
I will always advocate for affordability—not because it’s easy, but because it’s right. Because every student who walks through our doors deserves a fair shot. Because working families shouldn’t have to sacrifice their future just to afford a better one.
And because access without affordability isn’t access at all.