How will we pay for public higher education?

You may have seen this in the NYT today about a study suggesting -- to no one's surprise, I imagine -- serious public discontent with higher education. Of course, it's about money and access.

nearly two-thirds of those surveyed said that colleges should use federal stimulus money to hold down tuition, even if it means less money for operations and programs.

We're trapped in a nightmare scenario, really, of increasing  costs and decreasing public funding. And lots of people are screaming about it, rightly.

Several groups at the University of Wisconsin – Madison are working together to begin public discussion about how we as as institution can respond to this. More information is available here, but here's the basic info for the event, from the press release:

How will we pay for education in the years to come?
PROFS, along with CAPE (Coalition for Affordable Public Education) and UFAS (United Faculty and Staff) invites you to a public forum on the financing of higher education at 4 pm on Tuesday, February 23 at the Memorial Union (check TITU).

As you know, the financing of higher education has changed significantly over the past several decades. Shrinking state support and sharply increased costs have forced campuses to chart new courses for survival. Are our only alternatives hyper-inflationary tuition increases and larger classes?

This forum is the first in a series aimed at starting a discussion on these topics. Panelists for this forum are:

• Kevin Reilly, President, UW System
• Andrew Reschovsky, professor, La Follette School of Public Affairs
• Noel Radomski, director, Wisconsin Center for the Advancement of Postsecondary Education.

For more information, please contact Michelle Felber at PROFS, 263-9273 or mfelber@bascom.wisc.edu, or visit the PROFS website, www.profs.wisc.edu. 

Be there or be square.

Image from here.