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> America has been forsaking our commitment to public higher education for decades now. Direct aid to students was flat when adjusted for inflation in the 80s
by kevbin 12y ago
> America has been forsaking our commitment to public higher education for decades now.
Direct aid to students was flat when adjusted for inflation in the 80s and 90s, but doubled under the second President Bush. The recession & financial crisis curbed our enthusiasm for Pell grants & whatnot, but funding has climbed in the last couple years & will again.
In addition the federal government funds university faculty, administrators, and researchers through the DOD, DOE, NSF, NIH, etc. This funding has fallen over time as a percentage of GDP, but has increased relative to inflation.
I don't think the US has forsaken its commitment to public education from a spending standpoint. We have lost track of the purpose and value of education. Schools today spend a lot of their money on administration and facilities that do not directly advance research or teaching.
- ForHackernews 12y agoYou're writing about funding at the federal level (Pell grants, DOE, NSF, etc.) but traditionally the most important component of public higher education was state university systems. Until the 1980s, California had world-class universities (UCLA, UC Berkeley) that were free for any students from the state.
- kevbin 12y agoThat's a good point. CA spends less out of its general fund per student in real dollars than in the 80s. I think "other" accounts for more UC $s than either general funds or tuition/fees. The UC's spending tracks the CA economy pretty closely. CA's "world-class prisons", on the other hand, just keep getting more money in good times & in bad.