From the NY Times:
The United States has been sabotaging its future for decades by starving the public colleges and universities that have moved millions of Americans into the middle class. These public institutions, which grant more than three-quarters of the country's degrees, have responded by creating larger classes, cutting courses and raising tuition.Posted by Jason at February 16, 2004 08:27 AMThe gap between state aid and the real cost of an education is glaringly evident at the flagship public colleges, which often receive a pittance from the legislature while maintaining expensive, world-class programs that compete with those of top private colleges and universities. On average, the flagship public campuses get only about 30 percent of their budgets from the states, and in some cases the percentage dips into the single digits. The state legislatures have in effect become minority stakeholders that nevertheless control everything the schools do, from how they purchase paper towels to how much tuition they charge.