Page 208 - Crisis in Higher Education

Government’s Role in Higher Education • 179

The third point in Table 9.1 is as follows: A while ago, tuition was free at
many but not all public colleges and universities. It hardly seems convinc-
ing to argue that things “use to be” this or that way, so they should be that
way again. Circumstances change. There are many actions and practices that
were at one point common and accepted behavior. For decades Irish, Italian,
Hispanics, and others faced discrimination based on ethnicity or religion;
young woman were require to wear dresses or skirts to high school; and con-
sumers could buy a full-size candy bar for a nickel. Today, these are illegal,
unacceptable, or infeasible. The problems with higher education are that
tuition has risen much faster than the rate of inflation, and the growth in
state budgets tends to be in line with economic growth. Plus, other parts of
the state budget, specifically Medicaid, have grown faster than inflation. Even
if states can find ways to allocate the same percent of their budgets to higher
education each year, they cannot keep pace with the extraordinary rise in
tuition. It is time for universities to shoulder the responsibility for high costs.
The fourth point in Table 9.1 is as follows: Elementary and second-
ary schools are tuition-free so public colleges and universities should be
tuition-free. A primary difference is the legal requirement for students
who are 6 to 18 years old to attend school. State mandates for providing
free primary and secondary education usually begin at age 5 and end when
17
students turns 23. The primary purpose of this education is to provide
basic knowledge that people need to live in society no matter their job.
Seeking a two-year or four-year degree is a choice, so there is no compel-
ling reason for government to pay for it. Those who do not graduate from
high school are not able to pursue an advanced degree, and not every-
one who graduates from high school is interested in such a degree. These
points do not stop government from passing laws to make public colleges
and university tuition-free, but doing so hardly seems fair to those who
cannot or choose not to attend.

9.2 ELIMINATING OR DRAMATICALLY
REDUCING SUBSIDIES

Some argue that government should not subsidize higher education, and
the reasons are summarized in Table 9.2. The most compelling argument
is that increasing subsidies leads to wasteful spending because they reduce
pressure to keep costs low. Grove City College and Hillsdale College, which