Aiding Higher Ed

As Gov. Ed Rendell prepares his 2008-09 budget, he might want to take a peek at what his counterpart to the north is proposing.

In his state of the state address earlier this week, New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer fired a shot across other states’ bows when he called for the creation of a $4 billion endowment and the hiring of 2,000 more faculty members, including 250 eminent scholars, in public institutions in the Empire State.

Spitzer’s recommendations arise from a state commission that warned New York is falling behind “in an intensifying global competition for preeminence in the knowledge economy.”

The report notes that New Yorkers can be proud of their institutions of higher education, but that they also should be worried about an erosion in research funding, which translates to a decline in jobs and income. Pennsylvania is listed in the report as a “peer state” – one that closely mirrors New York in terms of size, complexity and diversity.

Yet New York’s percentage of spending on higher education has increased faster than Pennsylvania’s. At the same time, it charges in-state students far less to attend its four-year public colleges and universities.

In fact, Pennsylvania’s in-state tuition – fourth highest in the United States at $9,672 for 2007-08, according to The College Board – is 48 percent higher than New York’s in-state tuition.

Lower tuition enables deserving students from lower-income groups to attend college. That leads to better-paying jobs and a higher standard of living.

Yes, student loan programs put college within the reach of most would-be students. But no one should have to shoulder the debt burden that many students now face simply to obtain a bachelor’s degree.

Pennsylvania also needs to do a better job of keeping collegians in the state after they have graduated.

If nothing else, Rendell should use his bully pulpit to work to lower the cost of tuition for Pennsylvania students. But the state also would be wise to look at successful state models – and proposals such as New York’s – to attract and retain quality professors.

Higher education is big business in Pennsylvania. There are upwards of 450 post-secondary education institutions in the commonwealth that cater to more than 650,000 students.

Communities with colleges have stronger economies and a better standard of living.

Spitzer’s bold proposal likely will come with a bold-faced price tag. But if it attracts more students and better teachers, it is likely to expand local economies and improve the quality of life in those communities.

That’s a proposition worth taking.

Originally published by Intelligencer Journal Staff.

(c) 2008 Intelligencer Journal. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.