State funding of public higher education is a Massachusetts problem
You can never entirely trust the media to report things correctly, but in a recent Valley Advocate article, Stan Rosenberg is quoted saying something pretty disingenuous. Regarding the decline in funding for Public Higher Education, he says, “Massachusetts may be kind of in an exaggerated position, but this is not a Massachusetts problem, this is a national problem.” I beg your pardon?
I can sort of understand that kind of statement with respect to, say, ecological problems. Climate change is a global problem with huge implications for the state, yet the state, whether it wants to or not, can't solve a global problem. But we're talking about our state university. And we're talking about the decline in state funding. Yes, it's a problem in many other states too—but I don't think it's meaningful to describe the problem as "not a Massachusetts problem". Is Stan suggesting that the Feds are supposed to fix the refusal of states to fund higher education? I don't buy it. This *IS* a Massachusetts problem. And Massachusetts can fix it.
Public Higher Education is a huge economic driver in the state. Most of the graduates stay in-state and provide a highly skilled workforce attractive to employers. Every dollar spent on Public Higher Education creates additional economic activity because the workers all live in Massachusetts. The debt our students are assuming to complete their educations is a huge economic drag on the future. We can and should fix this.
C'mon Stan. The ball's in your court.
