In a sputtering economy, and with demographic changes ahead, the model of ever-increasing price and merit-based student aid cannot be sustained. But what new system might rise in its place? One option is returning to a system in which the government bears more of the cost of higher education--something that might be possible, if still unlikely, in a weakened economy. Another possibility is to create a system in which students begin at community colleges and transfer to four-year institutions, which would serve as "finishing schools." Cutting tuition is also another possibility. However, for all the talk, little action has been taken toward any alternative pricing model. "There's a lot of things colleges can do," says Robert A. Sevier, senior vice president for strategy at Stamats Inc., a higher-education-marketing company. For instance, he suggested, tuition-dependent colleges can work on differentiating their brands from others and increasing endowed scholarships.