The American Federation of Teachers examines the result of cuts to higher education in Illinois (41% since FY 2000): layoffs, program elimination, increased tuition, lower enrollments. The state’s recent manufactured budget crisis has greatly intensified the damage. As The Daily Show suggested in 2016, the message to young people is “Get the fuck out of Illinois.”
Manufactured budget crises can produce deep and lasting damage. Sometimes that seems to be the point.
Wednesday, January 23, 2019
Defunding public higher education
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comments: 4
Unfortunately this issue is probably not limited to Illinois. Having attended Kansas State University I thought it would be interesting what is going on in Kansas. In 2016 the state cut funding by 4%. They based the cuts on: "It cuts a percentage of state funding based on their total operating budgets. As a result, universities that have more outside funding -- more research grants, higher tuition, larger endowments -- are seeing their state aid drop off more precipitously." See https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/05/23/kansas-cuts-criticized-hurting-large-research-universities (although a bit dated at this point). Of course, no one brings up that tuition is higher because of previous state cuts!
I like this statement: “In essence, this formula punishes K-State and KU for conducting research and successfully securing federal research grants that bring new dollars to Kansas.”
I like how higher tuition translates to a larger cut in funding. Most likely higher tuition because the state cut funding.
In comparison when I attended KSU there was limited funding-ie student loans, etc. But then again our tuition was around $300 a semester regardless of the number of hours but is now based on the hours taken.
Kirsten
That’s a real catch-22: schools are encouraged to bring in outside money, but when they do, it’s used to justify deeper cuts.
Here in Illinois, the U of I fares pretty well, at least in relation to the state’s regional universities. Hard times there, really hard times.
States with the most strain on their pension plans are New Jersey and Kentucky (both only about 31 percent funded), and Illinois, with a plan that is 36 percent funded.
Believe me, I’m aware of my state’s pension woes.
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