Bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell hosted a dynamic keynote presentation at Hope College’s Catalyst Summit, which provided an energizing exploration of how to improve access to college.

College will never be free. The question we need to ask is: who should pay for it, and when? The current model — used throughout higher ed — forces students to pay a lot at the poorest point in their lives, burdening them with debt for decades. But a bold new way called "Hope Forward" flips the current model on its head.

Every student who takes Economics 101 learns the concept of supply and demand—specifically, how a decrease in the supply of a good or resource drives up its cost. Can supply-and-demand theory also explain the rising cost of attending college?

This op-ed is the third in a series in which President Matthew Scogin from Hope College will be exploring the ways that the economics of higher education influence the decisions students make about their education—and what we (as a country) can do to improve access to higher education.

This op-ed is the second in a series by President Scogin. "The discussion around improving access to higher education -- specifically due to the decades-long price increase of a four-year degree -- is typically framed as whether or not college should be free."

This op-ed is the first in a series in which President Scogin be exploring the ways that the economics of higher education influence the decisions students make about their education—and what we (as a country) can do to improve access to higher education.