States are cutting funding and college tuition is rising and
student loans are exploding and we are officially in a public higher education
crisis. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities more states are
pushing the burden on students and this may have an impact on the skill level
of the next generation and their ability to successfully navigate the economic
environment. The problems are a result of a number of issues related to budget
cuts, increased tuition, and policy decisions.
The primary issue is that public college education is
increasingly being removed out of the hands of the average student. During the
recession it was necessary to cut state budgets to ensure that the books were
in balance. Despite these cuts many states still were not able to balance their
budgets in other areas. State appropriates from 2008 to 2013 for higher education
declined around 19%, student expenditures rose 27% and enrollment has increased
over 11%.
The report indicates that policy decisions appear to be the
major problem. Although one cannot disagree with the concept that the decisions
we make impact other things down the line we have to wonder if there is
something more fundamental going on. Has the college education refused to
change with the times and bulky systems are now eating a larger lion’s share of
personal, state, and federal costs?
There are three fundamental problems. 1.) States must raise
revenue and become more efficient, 2.) Higher education needs to reform to make
it cost effective and convenient, and 3.) Higher education should become more
relevant to both the individual student and their employment prospects.
Raising revenue doesn’t necessarily mean raising taxes but
can mean raising economic activity that leads to greater revenue generation.
Updating appropriate infrastructure and encouraging economic activity can create
efficiencies and better long-term budgeting. Higher education must focus on
their core responsibilities and encourage the development of the entire human
being through innovative development that lowers costs. Higher education should
be aligned to the needs of the modern market while still respecting the arts
and other programs that foster the creativity needed to succeed.
We know that this is a huge problem and no one is likely to
have all the answers. Yet through working together, brain storming, taking
action, and implementing we can change the foundational aspects of higher
education that allow more members of society to learn the skills they need to
make their lives successful. We can no longer afford to bury our heads in the sand
and pretend we don’t have some work to do. There are lots of bright people with
bright ideas….we only need to find the one’s that will work. For now…we are engaging
in a public discussion with few right or wrong answers.
