Higher education pays off handsomely for society. Yet on a nationwide basis, states' support for higher education per full-time-equivalent student has fallen to just $6,290, the lowest in 15 years. A dedicated source of funds for higher education is problematic. But what if state and federal lawmakers applied the impeccable logic of the gas tax to…

Last year, leading lights in for-profit and nonprofit higher education convened in Washington for a conference on private-sector innovation in the industry. The national conversation about dysfunction and disruption in higher education was just heating up, and panelists from start-ups, banking, government, and education waxed enthusiastic about…

A report by the Education Commission of the States suggests states are squandering an important resource by not devoting enough money or attention to private colleges. Unless governments reorient policies, especially concerning financial aid, competitive grant eligibility, and provision of new programs, the diversity of higher education may be…

A trend away from state support of university research with commercial potential is noted, because of state budget restraints, changes in political leadership, and the belief that support of university research is not an efficient way to help businesses and create jobs. Cuts in specific programs in Virginia, Illinois, Texas, Kansas, and Nebraska…

Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York face giant deficits in their state budgets. The financial impact of the 1986 federal tax reform law was underestimated by colleges and income estimates were overly optimistic for 1988 and 1989. Unpopular, new taxes are seen as the way to solve the budget crunch. (MLW)

The expected 7.7 percent increase in state student financial aid has been revised down because of midyear state budget reductions, to possibly the lowest rate in 23 years. Few states will make big increases. About 52 percent of all need-based aid will go to private college students. Dollar amounts of aid in each state for 1991-92 are charted. (MSE)

Budget problems are leading states to limit grants for college students in 1990-91, although overall aid spending is higher than ever. Grant programs not based on need are increasing faster than spending on need-based aid, mostly in awards for academic achievement and programs for equalizing tuition between public and private institutions. (MSE)

For each of the 50 states, the outlook for higher education in the state legislature in 1992 is outlined. Information includes the date of the legislative session, budget request for higher education, prospects for the request, nonbudget issues likely to be considered, and issues specific to private colleges. (MSE)

Increasingly, state officials are dealing with the financial needs of the fastest-growing segment of the higher education market by expanding their financial aid programs to working people, parents, and students with disabilities who must attend college part time. (MLW)

Since 1983, Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton has made education the central focus of his administration, raising teacher salaries and qualification requirements, encouraging participation in higher education, and raising taxes to fund reform despite resistance. Continuing problems include limited resources and low esteem for state colleges among the…

Critics say federal rules for welfare programs have built-in biases against higher education, and financially pinched states also discourage postsecondary education by welfare recipients for political and economic reasons. Issue revolves around use of the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) Training Program. States differ in their approaches…

The legislative outlook for higher education is summarized state by state. Appropriations requests show the amount sought by state-wide coordinating boards or by individual college and university systems, not by governors. All appropriations requests are for operating expenses of the 1989-1990 fiscal and academic years. (MLW)

The findings of an annual report by the National Association of State Scholarship & Grant Programs, which each year surveys the state agencies responsible for student aid, calls spending increases in need-based aid for undergraduates "a very positive reversal of the slow growth rate" for such aid. (MLW)

The summer drought, the oil-market slump, and the desire for political popularity are among the causes for state financial problems. A report by the National Governors' Association and the National Association of State Budget Officers found that in 1987, the amount of money left in general-fund accounts was at its lowest point in 12 years. (MLW)

A variety of trends in state colleges are viewed as privatization, including increased institutional responsibility for meeting costs, financial aid shortfalls that keep many students away, pressure for more institutional autonomy, recruitment of private colleges to provide some state-subsidized programs, payment of private colleges to accept…