Interesting read by OU President David Boren (link via Tulsa World)
A few excerpts:
In Oklahoma, the share of the cost of university budgets being paid by students and their families has doubled while the state's share has fallen rapidly. When I first came back to OU to be president, the state provided 32 percent of the university budget. Now the state provides 15 percent and the support is falling. The OU Medical School receives less than 7 percent of its budget from the state. State appropriations for higher education in Oklahoma are now $100 million lower than in 2008.So the questions I would like to pose to Obamafest are as follows:In addition, $200 million in uncontrollable cost increases like health insurance have also been absorbed by Oklahoma colleges in four years without help from the state. This comes at a time when a new report by Battelle for the State Chamber of Commerce demonstrates that the economy benefits $5 for every $1 invested in higher education.
1- Should state prioritize funding for higher education, or should the cost burden be placed more on students via taking out loans, etc.?
2- A large amount of criticism seems to focus on the size of university endowments, administration (and sports coach) salaries, and athletic department budgets. Is this criticism founded? Why or why not?
3- Universities have increased costs, just like the rest of us. What responsibility does the university have for keeping these costs down before resorting to increasing revenue (via tuition, begging states for more funding, etc).
I am sure that President Boren didn't plan for this opinion piece to run the same day OSU announced it raised a billion via fundraising efforts.