Higher Education
Public Good or Private Gain
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Last September I wrote a column for Ingram's in which I chronicled the painful cuts occurring in Missouri higher education. Now, some eight months later, I wish I could report that the worst is over, but I cannot.
Additional withholds have occurred resulting in the Metropolitan Community Colleges operating with $10 million less in state aid than we had planned to receive. Other publicly supported two and four-year institutions have experienced similar or greater reductions. This has resulted in sub-stantial increases in tuition and fees across the state of Missouri. For example, we at Metropolitan Community Colleges have increased our tuition nearly 25 percent to $70 per semester hour. The $70 may not seem high if compared to the increased rate being charged by other Missouri four-year colleges and universities. However, to some students who have traditionally begun their higher education at a public community college, higher education is now financially beyond their reach. Accordingly, we like many other institutions are in the midst of a capital campaign to raise scholarship funds that enable financially needy students to continue their education. Of course, this is a most inopportune time for a capital campaign with the state and national economy nearly in a recession.
Meanwhile as we look to the next fiscal year beginning July 1, public officials in Jefferson City continue to debate whether we have a "spending" or a "revenue" problem. It appears rather certain that there will be another reduction in the appropriation supporting higher education--perhaps ten or fifteen percent! The Missouri Commissioner of Higher Education, Quentin Wilson, commented, "If we continue in this direction, we will be the first generation to leave the next generation worse off." If we aren't educating and training Missouri's future workforce, the future of the Missouri economy is not very bright, despite the eventual turn-around of the national economy.
There is a structural change taking place in the funding and support of higher education in Missouri, and all Missourians need to take notice. Over the last two decades, many of our elected representatives have changed their view of higher education; they no longer view education as a "public good" but as a "private gain". In other words, every person should pay for higher education since the individual reaps the benefits, rather than viewing an educated citizenry as a public good. If such thinking had prevailed after World War II, Americans would not have had the GI Bill--a program widely acclaimed as the best financial investment this country has ever made as measured by the increase in taxes paid by the educated and higher earning veterans.
The business community, which is or will be dependent upon a quality, educated workforce, should take particular notice. It is time for the "spending" vs. "revenue" debate to cease, and the public officials to act responsively to resolve these issues and provide adequate funding for public higher education. If not, the dismantling of higher education will continue. This will lead to a very bleak future for the people of Missouri.
It is reported that Missouri ranks 47th in the nation in its support of higher education at $155 per citizen. If our basketball or football teams ranked 47th, we would fire the coach, the athletic director, and the entire staff. If this doesn't change, whom do we fire? I think we know, and the firing opportunity will come in November 2004. 
Wayne Giles is the Chancellor, Metropolitan Community Colleges. He can be reached by phone at 816.759.1011 or by e-mail at Wayne.Giles@kcmetro.edu.