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It is certainly clear that we Americans are tired with the rhetoric and want our government to move in different directions. It is imperative for the Obama administration and the new Congress to cooperate in the general interest of our country.

Today, we have a good opportunity for a natural bi-partisanship in the field of higher education only if regulation and legislation were approached in a fact based, rational manner. The approach must not depend on ideology but should be grounded strongly in reality.

The value of higher education has been under discussion for quite some time now. Many a question has been raised on the value of public and private universities, community colleges and for-profit career colleges.

Accurate and balanced view is provided by very few news stories all of which revolve around sensationalism. Analyzes presented in them are selective and failure stories are taken as representative while most statistics are quoted out of context. This reckless distortion of the scenario has hurt no one more than the students. 

There are two sides to every story as is evident with the fact that for every bad outcome there is one from the other side. For example, if you come across someone for whom a particular institutional type did not work, you will get a completely different perspective from another for whom it did work very well. It is imperative to consider both sides of the story as it is evident that the truth lies somewhere in between.

One situation that can be considered to be a reality is that all needs of students cannot be satisfied by a single type of school. For example, students who are unable to find fulfillment for their needs in public universities or community colleges are certainly benefited by the career schools and colleges and vice versa.

The diversity of our higher education system is in fact our strength which must be understood by those ardent critics who spare no ink in demeaning systems on a continuous basis. Individuals with different interests and needs are better placed to choose the path they want with so many different diverse institutions on offer. They can choose the path they want that can help them become more educated and skilled.

Diversity in higher education certainly serves our society, democracy and our economy well enough. It is essential to maintain this system with its wide range of choices. Students must be provided with clear, comparative information that can help them make an informed decision. Their desires and needs must be successfully served by their choices.

Similarly, another reality often portrayed in the news is some want students to bear the cost of entire education while others want education to be offered for free. Here again, it is essential to choose a mid-path as both approaches will not work by themselves.

Universal public higher education cannot be certainly afforded by the taxpayers while the nonprofit and for-profit private education can be effectively offered only through public support of aids that are student based including the Federal and State grants and loans. The only thing that must be emphasized upon is that all educational institutions must be completely transparent in their use of these supports.

With scarce resources and fast changing economy, there is a great need for higher education today. It is important to devise ways and means of reducing the impact of escalating costs on both taxpayers as well as students.