"It would be a mistake to blame the spiraling cost of college education on short-term factors," Washington Post reports. "This problem didn't start with the recession -- and it won't end with it, either. Annual tuition increases have been accelerating for three decades. Neither federal dollars, nor crisis budget-cutting nor endless tuition hikes -- nor any combination of the three -- represents a sustainable fix. If U.S. colleges and universities are to retain their international superiority, not to mention the confidence of their customers, they must adjust their business models accordingly. Beyond furloughs or shorter library hours, they must find structural savings -- through such reforms as creative scheduling, easier distance learning and more teaching by tenured faculty ... institutions must practice what they preach in freshman economics: There is no free lunch."