July 16, 2004

State Spending on Higher Education Has Remained Steady, Despite Claims to the Contrary, Report Says

By PETER SCHMIDT

Reports of the death of state support for public higher education may have been exaggerated.

In fact, overall state spending on higher education has generally kept pace with enrollment growth and inflation over the past three decades, despite temporary lags during recessions, according to a report released last week by the State Higher Education Executive Officers, which represents top state higher-education officials.

"The fundamental message of this report is that the sky is