Chuck reports that Georgia universities are seeking a 10% tuition increase. The four University of Missouri campuses have recently seen a 7.5% tuition increase approved . If this trend continues, eventually the amount of money contibuted by students will far outweigh the amount of money contributed by the state, which raises two important questions. First, won’t this situation undermine the goal of public education? Second, has anyone thought about how much worse the The student is the customer, and the customer is always right problem will become?
If this editorial in the UMKC student newspaper is correct, then students are already paying more to the system (46% to 42%) than the state does. We’re not yet paying far more, but more is more.
I am very curious about answers to your questions, George, and they’re good questions, but for me they just underline the odd notion of what “public” education means, in the States.
The state should have a vested interest in ensuring that its citizenry are well educated. Then again, there are probably politicians who don’t want voters to think critically.
To support Heidi’s point, there are several states where the state’s contribution is only 20-25% of the university’s total costs. Like George, I think the state has an interest in investing in the eductaion of its citizens.