Ed Rossmann Special to The Citizen The âmistakeâ in the title of Christopher Newfieldâs book, "The Great Mistake" (2016, 430 pages), refers to what he calls the privatization of American state universities that began in the 1980s. No, universities were not sold off to the highest bidder. What happened was that the cost of tuition â originally free â was shifted to students and their families. After 40 years the result, according to the author, is high student debt, poor instruction, badly educated students and a declining middle class. The move was the result of half a century of conservative policy. Free markets, small government and minimal regulation were the themes. Taxes were to be kept at a minimum. A university should be run like a business in the education marketplace.