Community colleges offer an important pathway to the middle class. However, many students fall off the path along the way; almost half of students drop out and only 38% complete a degree within eight years, according to an analysis by Preston Cooper of the American Enterprise Institute. These statistics are even worse for at-risk, minority and…

The federal government pays for a wide range of goods and services that are expected to contribute to the economy for some years in the future. Those purchases, called investment, fall into three categories: physical capital, research and development (R&D), and education and training. There are several economic rationales for federal…

The SREB Fact Book on Higher Education includes data on the population and economy, enrollment, degrees, student tuition and financial aid, faculty and administrators, revenue and expenditures. With more than 100 tables of detailed information, the Fact Book is one of the nation's most respected and most comprehensive collections of comparative…

This case study explores devolution of low-income student subsidies, via the national student loans program, from the central to local governments in Latvia by means of decentralizing political and financial responsibility to provide public assistance to low-income students in obtaining funds for higher education. It describes municipal engagement…

This report describes 8-year projections of state and local government fiscal gaps and surpluses, suggesting that even if state and local governments close their current budget gaps with entirely recurring actions, most states will face continuing difficulty financing current services with existing revenue structures and will not have resources…

Dollar amounts of research support from federal, state and local, industry, institutional, and other sources are charted for each state, the District of Columbia, and the territories. (MSE)

The Council of Ontario Universities, in view of important decisions to be made about the financing of university education, addresses a brief to the governments of Canada and Ontario. Discussed are: (1) the tripartite approach; (2) federal, provincial and university responsibilities; (3) federal-provincial funding arrangements; (4) the fiscal…

Three papers are presented from a conference on governmental and economic affairs held at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. In "Federal Legislation and Higher Education," John P. Mallan pointed out that the major portion of funds is channeled through student aid programs, and research and development funds are concentrated in a…

The wide variation among the states in the support level on a per-student basis of aid to private institutions by state and local governments is discussed by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Total aid, state-by-state statistics, private sector enrollment, and enrollment vs. aid are examined. (MLW)

The decline in the number of federally related jobs is threatening public policy schools and policy analysis is experiencing a loss of esteem. If this trend continues, the quality of students interested in public policy schools may be diluted. (MLW)

Catching up with deferred maintenance and improvements at colleges and universities has become a serious problem of time and money, and new federal state, and local safety regulations are increasing costs. Some contend administrators have failed to provide leadership at their own institutions. (MSE)

Findings of a study on higher education financing in the states are summarized with specific reference for the states covered by the 1977 Adams versus Richardson decision. The study, "Higher Education Financing in the Fifty States: Interstate Comparisons" (Marilyn McCoy, D. Kent Halstead), was jointly issued by the National Center for…

This publication serves as a source document that provides a basic understanding of Illinois school finance. It supplies information on the sources and amounts of funds available for prekindergarten through postsecondary education in Illinois common schools. The publication contains a summary of fiscal year 1999 appropriations to the Illinois…

The growth of federal influence on American higher education and the roles of state and local governments are discussed. The shift of power to a central government and precedents that over the years have established federal involvement in educational issues that are not directly enumerated in the Constitution are addressed. A decision that…

Literature concerning the relationship between higher education and politics is reviewed. Attention is directed to federal, state, and local levels of government and to institutional politics. Federal involvement in higher education, governmental regulation, higher education lobbying, and the emergence of the new Department of Education are…