The article doesn't answer the question: did the tuition and fee costs rise due to administrative (and campus) costs rising, or did the administrative and campus spending rise to use the budget available from increased tuition and fees? I'm betting the latter, brought about by the loan programs instituted during the Clinton administration.
Firing the extra administrators won't reduce the cost to students. If the university is less expensive it will be less elite.
Universities have endowments. They don’t need to spend all the money they get through tuition, they can use some to increase their endowment. In the end, if your endorsement has eleven digits, you are elite, regardless of what US News says.
Firing the extra administrators won't reduce the cost to students. If the university is less expensive it will be less elite.