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Students footing more of bill for public higher education
The “public” component of public higher education is rapidly eroding, with public colleges now getting more than 43 percent of their revenues from student tuition as opposed to state and local taxpayers, compared to less than 30 percent as recently as a decade ago.
The figures come from a new report out March 16 offering the latest snapshot of who pays the bill for America’s public colleges and universities, which educate roughly 70 percent of students.
SHEEO, a group representing state higher education officials, finds that amid surging demand for college, per-student state and local funding for higher education has fallen 12.5 percent over the last five years and reached its lowest point in the 25 years of the study.…Read More
State higher education spending sees big decline
State funding for higher education has declined because of a slow recovery from the recession and the end of federal stimulus money, according to a study released Monday.
Overall, spending declined by some $6 billion, or nearly 8 percent, over the past year, according to the annual Grapevine study by the Center for the Study of Education Policy at Illinois State University.
The reduction was slightly lower, at 4 percent, when money lost from the end of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act was not taken into account.…Read More
Higher education unveils new funding formula
New Mexico’s Higher Education Department is pushing a new funding formula that gives more state money to high-performing schools and less to underperforming ones, New Mexico Business Weekly reports. The proposal, presented to the Legislative Finance Committee Nov. 17, would allocate part of the annual higher ed budget based on each school’s achievements in course completion by students, degrees and certificates awarded, the extent to which colleges emphasize STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) curriculum, and graduation levels for “at-risk” students. Higher Education Secretary Jose Garcia said the new formula replaces subsidies paid up front for projected college costs with performance-based rewards…
…Read MoreFinding a way to fund higher education
Taylor Reveley, the president of the College of William & Mary, has spent a lot of time thinking about college financing, and he knows some of his ideas are politically unpopular, Virginia Business reports. But that hasn’t stopped Reveley from proposing a striking new model for the 318-year-old school that that could help ignite a debate on the way Virginia funds higher education. Since state funds are shrinking, he reasons, why not let the market determine college costs? Thirty years ago, state funding represented 43 percent of William & Mary’s operating budget. In 2000, it provided 28 percent. Today, state money represents about 13 percent and is, in Reveley’s words, “heading south.” William & Mary’s situation mirrors problems at many public colleges and universities across Virginia for whom the state has become an increasingly unreliable financial partner…
…Read MoreEducation group to push for funding
Higher-education supporters have formed another new group that aims to pressure the Legislature to be more generous with education funding, reports the Seattle Times. Earlier this year, University of Washington alumni formed a group, UW Impact, to push for more funding for the university. Both Washington State University and Western Washington University are following suit with groups of their own. The newest group, the College Promise Coalition, was announced Tuesday. It’s an umbrella group that includes public colleges and universities, faculty and student groups, business leaders and education organizations. “This is a broader statewide coalition that will help play a coordinating role” among all the different groups, said spokesman Sandeep Kaushik…
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