Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?
On Campus Blog
Alex Friedrich

Should colleges get out of the cafeteria business?

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

"Why the universities ... are even in the business of providing food and lodging is a question one could ask. Maybe they should turn those functions over to outsiders and concentrate on what they know best. ... Some schools have made some headway in that way. Food services at many many colleges are now contracted out. The universities still own the cafeteria facilities and so forth, but the outside firms do the work. And there's a fairly decent case that can be made that sometimes the colleges know a fair amount about how to educate students, how to do research, but they're not really experts at real estate or housing or food. There are others who can do those jobs better."

-- Richard Vedder, director of The Center for College Affordability and Productivity, in a segment on college affordability MPR's The Daily Circuit this morning..

[audio href="http://minnesota.publicradio.org/www_publicradio/tools/media_player/popup.php?name=minnesota/news/programs/daily_circuit_1/2012/05/30/dailycircuitaffordablecollege_20120530_64&starttime=0:0:8&endtime=" title="Making College More Affordable"]A Daily Circuit discussion[/audio]

Vedder said room-and-board costs at colleges are rising faster than those in hotels and restaurants. Universities have found they can partly obscure the rising cost of education by increasing such low-profile charges as food while curbing hikes in the high-profile cost of tuition. That's a tactic made easier by the fact that a number of on-campus meal plans are mandatory.

You can hear more from the exchange when I post the program's audio -- probably later today. So please check back.