State and Local Spending on Higher Education Reached a New 25-Year Low in 2011
From the beginning of the recession, in the 2007-8 fiscal year, through the 2011 fiscal year, college enrollment increased nationally by 12.5 percent, to 11.5 million students, the report says. But state and local appropriations have decreased by $1.3-billion over the same period… States and institutions alike should work to reverse the trends of decreasing government support and increasing costs to students, the report concludes in a commentary section. Otherwise, it says, the economic future of the United States will be at risk. “Other countries are rapidly improving the postsecondary education of their citizens; if the United States falls behind in either quality or the number of students who enroll and graduate, it will not be easy to catch up,” George Pernsteiner, chair of SHEEO’s executive committee and chancellor of the Oregon University System, said in a written statement accompanying the report.
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by Eric Kelderman, The Chronicle of Higher Education.