August 22, 2010

Mountain West Campuses Confront Bad Budgets, Fast Growth, and Hot-Button Debates

Candice Towell for The Chronicle

Daniel Klaich, chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education, faces a difficult challenge: Nevada's budget offers less support for higher education than many states', yet the state's college-age population is growing quickly.

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Candice Towell for The Chronicle

Daniel Klaich, chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education, faces a difficult challenge: Nevada's budget offers less support for higher education than many states', yet the state's college-age population is growing quickly.

By Sara Hebel

Among the Mountain West states are many that face some of the nation’s biggest fiscal challenges and, at the same time, are also projected to see some of the fastest growth in college enrollments.

States in this region account for four of the five fastest-growing states, in terms of high-school graduates. Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and Idaho, in that order, are projected to have the greatest growth in high-school graduates from 2010 to 2020, according to the Western Interstate