Two important predictions on the future of state colleges and universities appeared in January. Moody’s Investors Service, known for credit ratings of borrowers, investments and government entities, released its “2011 Outlook for U.S. Higher Education,” and Illinois State University’s Center for the Study of Educational Policy issued a report on state education funding. The outlook is grim by both accounts. Moody’s pronounced a negative outlook for the “large majority of rated universities” adversely affected by “tuition pricing and state funding threats.” It’s not hard to see where that negative outlook came from when you look at state-by-state analyses in both reports. The Illinois report reveals that even though overall state appropriations have decreased only 2 percent, on average, in the past two years, that reduction coupled with increasing enrollments affects the future prospects of schools in nearly two-thirds of our states.
| What kids are reading |
| This weekly column looks at lists of books kids are reading in various categories. These books have won the Michael L. Printz Award for books that exemplify literary excellence in young adult literature”. Book No. 1 is the winner, the other books are Honor. These awards have been announced every January since 2000. |
| Printz Award books for 2011 (Young adult) |
| 1. Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi |
| 2. Stolen by Lucy Christopher |
| 3. Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King |
| 4. Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick |
| 5. Nothing by Janne Teller |
Stimulus funding has postponed some deep cuts, but that’s due to run out at the end of this year, and students — pinched by double-digit tuition increases at many schools — will continue to bear the brunt of the budget crisis. This plays out in expected and unexpected ways.
State schools have been increasing tuition at rates far outpacing inflation. It started long before the economic downturn, and has continued even as families try to recover from setbacks ranging from unemployment to smaller savings accounts. Students — usually too young to have savings to fall back on — are greeting this reality by adjusting their college plans.
Some are not applying to schools that fit their career goals because of cost, or if they apply and are accepted, they are taking part-time jobs to help pay expenses. Some who would have been accepted a few years ago by a state school may be bypassed in favor of out-of-state applicants whose increased tuition is needed.
Part-time jobs might sound like good temporary solutions, but most students don’t reduce their course load as they increase the number of hours they work. Homework and family life are adversely affected when they juggle class and work schedules. I’ve taught students who carry full-time course loads and work full time as well; contrary to myth, these are not the “best years of their lives.”
Class sizes are being increased in most schools; in my writing classes the cap is up by only one, but in many courses it’s much larger. Just as airlines have retooled so that most flights are packed full, most courses in state schools are packed full, too, with fewer sections being offered.
With reduced section numbers, many students can’t get into classes they need, and have to postpone graduation by one or two semesters. Some even choose to postpone graduation indefinitely because they can’t afford to continue.
Is it doom and gloom for our state universities? I don’t think the outlook is totally bleak because most students and families are resilient. But I fear for the weakest and poorest students — the ones whose educations society has worked hard to encourage and who may be daunted by large tuition increases. Perhaps we need to expand No Child Left Behind so that college-age students aren’t left behind, either!
Erica Jacobs, whose column appears Wednesday, teaches at George Mason University. E-mail her at [email protected]
