Doomsday scenarios are not pleasant to ponder, but in a tough economy they are increasingly common as lawmakers are forced to trim state budgets. A recent study suggested that public higher education, and in particular two-year institutions, might continue to suffer financially as the nation struggles to regain economic momentum. It is obviously a scenario that educators, policy makers and citizens do not necessarily want to consider, but could public higher education experience a fundamental shift in the future? Or, could two-year schools actually vanish from the educational landscape?
Understand history
Education is a major part of the fabric of the United States. What people sometimes forget is that free, public education for everyone has not always been a reality. The Founding Fathers did not sign the Declaration of Independence and immediately form the first school board. In fact, it really wasn’t until after World War II that the college population started to grow so rapidly. Obviously a belief in education is arguably a positive value, but has America stretched itself beyond what it can afford? Will the message of “go to college” need to change to “go to work?”
A sense of entitlement
When it comes to public education, citizens are used to it being free and readily available. Again, the positive aspects of access are many, but one has to wonder if citizens have forgotten that schools cost a lot of money. When students and parents walk the halls of a “free” high school or when students enroll in a heavily subsidized community college, do they realize how much public money has been put into those institutions? There have always been people who cry foul at the cost of private education, but the reality still exists that public education would be more expensive if students paid the actual cost of attendance.
Fiscal realities
Could there come a point where a state government announces that they can no longer fund certain aspects of education, particularly community colleges? In an age of economic uncertainty, slashed budgets, and mounting government debt, it would seem logical to assume that something has to give from a financial standpoint. Governments can only borrow so much money, and at some point tough choices may need to be made. Community college has become a mainstay of American higher education, but will it need to become more selective in the future? There are no guarantees in this economy, and public higher education may suffer a loss in the future fiscal climate.
http://chronicle.com/article/Continuing-Financial-Strain/128995/
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