Public Funding of Higher Education: Changing Contexts and New Rationales

"A rational voice... Send this book to members of your board―and, perhaps, to members of your state legislature come budget time."

"Not only informative but even novel to an experienced observer... It will appeal to a sophisticated audience of policy analysts, politicians literate in the social sciences, and educational leaders whose opinions... matter."

"A thoroughly original contribution to the field. The collection of authors is refreshing, including some well-seasoned voices and some new ones―certainly not your typical academic roster."

Much of the twentieth century saw broad political support for public funding of American higher education. Liberals supported public investment because it encouraged social equity, conservatives because it promoted economic development.

Recently, however, the politics of higher education have become more contentious. Conservatives advocate deep cuts in public financing; liberals want to expand enrollment and increase diversity. Some public universities have embraced privatization, while federal aid for students increasingly emphasizes middle-class affordability over universal access.

In Public Funding of Higher Education, scholars and practitioners address the complexities of this new climate and its impact on policy and political advocacy at the federal, state, and institutional levels. Rethinking traditional rationales for public financing, contributors to this volume offer alternatives for policymakers, administrators, faculty, students, and researchers struggling with this difficult practical dynamic.

Contributors: M. Christopher Brown II, Pennsylvania State University; Jason L. Butler, University of Illinois; Choong-Geun Ching, Indiana University; Clifton F. Conrad, University of Wisconsin–Madison; Saran Donahoo, University of Illinois; James Farmer, JA-SIG uPortal; James C. Hearn, Vanderbilt University; Janet M. Holdsworth, University of Minnesota; Don Hossler, Indiana University; John R. Thelin, University of Kentucky; Mary Louise Trammell, University of Arizona; David J. Weerts, University of Wisconsin–Madison; William Zumeta, University of Washington