Governor Brewer went to Tucson to present to the ABOR and make a case for holding off on massive tuition increases for the three universities.
During her meeting and in press releases following, she called for reforms in the three Universities' business plans. Basically, she made it be known that she does not feel there is room for the three major state universities to all be research level institutions.
She called for them to have a new business model by the fall that provides students with a predictable and affordable map to getting their education. This is smart. We can't have students starting their freshman year and having to leave because it becomes too expensive in years 3 or 4.
Now is the time to make one of the community colleges a 4 year college. Mesa Community would be the best start since it's by far the largest with the most campuses. ASU and UofA need to come up with tiered tuition plans. Someone there for a basic 4-year degree should not pay the same as a higher-level degree.
The goal here is to provide higher education to as many kids as possible that want to obtain that. It's their job to provide that and to make sure those kids who start school finish, and become functioning contributors to society.
Full Press Release from the Governor Here and remarks to the ABOR Here.
1 comment:
Shuffling the deck chairs while the boat is sinking.
The government owned and subsidized college system was an aberration from day one of its existence.
UofA, ASU and NAU students can never expect tuition to be stable as it will always be subject to the pressures upon the state budget. Downturns in tax revenue will always provide a reality check for the socialized education system.
Here's a better idea. Sell of one, two or all three of these universities and see if there is demand for all the education they provide. One presumes the state of Arizona might net one or two billion dollars from their sale (not to mention eliminating subsidies to each university) and with continued restraint in government spending the State of Arizona might be able to reduce the tax burden on Arizona taxpayers.
What an idea.
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