They reached no conclusions. Quite simply, the available data on higher education expenditures make it difficult to ascertain direct relationships between cost drivers and increases in the price of higher education. For some higher education finance experts, however, the reasons for rising college costs, and for resulting tuition and fee increases, are not that mysterious. Revenues determine costs, in the sense that institutions raise all the money they can and spend it, and that determines cost. In order to cut costs, therefore, revenues have to be cut.
Higher education is highly adept at finding new sources of revenue and keeping the juggernaut going.
Simple, but I think broadly accurate. William E. Troutt, who chaired the commission, is pleased with the results. However, others think the report has had little impact and already has been forgotten. In the report's aftermath, the American Council on Education commissioned an opinion survey which revealed that the public thinks higher education costs much more than it actually does and has inadequate knowledge about financial aid that is available to students. Ivan Frishberg, director of the Higher Education Project for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, sees it differently.