Understanding the funding requirements of public institutions starts with recognizing them as state assets with capacity to meet state needs, especially those that disproportionately serve underrepresented, low-income, or rural student populations and adult learners. As policy makers wrestle with resource allocation decisions under unfavorable…

Many states are passing "free" college plans, and policymakers at both the state and federal level continue to debate the merits of national "free college" or "debt-free college" proposals, also known as Promise programs. Both federal and state "free" college proposals are geared toward a policy objective of…

The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) Statewide Survey delivers objective, advocacy-free information on the perceptions, opinions, and public policy preferences of California residents. PPIC invites input, comments, and suggestions from policy and public opinion experts and from its own advisory committee, but survey methods, questions,…

A policy analysis of Florida's 10-factor Performance-Based Funding system for state universities. The focus of the article is on the system of performance metrics developed by the state Board of Governors and their impact on institutions and their missions. The paper also discusses problems and issues with the metrics, their ongoing evolution, and…

This survey was conducted with funding from The James Irvine Foundation. Its goal is to inform state policymakers, encourage discussion, and raise public awareness about Californians' opinions on issues affecting the state's public colleges and universities. It is the fifth annual PPIC (Public Policy Institute of California) Statewide Survey on…

This edition of the PPIC (Public Policy Institute of California) Statewide Survey is the fourth in a series of surveys funded by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation focusing on higher education. This survey seeks to inform state policymakers, encourage discussion, and raise public awareness about the state's public higher education…

The traditional funding model of the Cooperative Extension System has been stretched to its limits by increasing demand for information and programs without concurrent increases in funding by the public sector. As the social, economic, and political environments have evolved and become more complex, extension is often asked to apply the expertise…

Summaries of conference discussions on state funding of public higher education are presented. Attention is directed to the practice and the context of state funding. The following topics are addressed: current state priorities and relationships between state government and publicly-supported institutions, funding for quality, incentives in the…

Contents include discussions of: the commission's objectives and findings, the immediate problem at the City University of New York, governance, long-range structure for the public sector, the private sector, access and opportunity (including the state tuition assistance program), the board of regents, cost implications of the commission's…

Proceedings from a conference on the economics of higher education are presented. Following an introduction by Henry Wasser and opening remarks by Mina Rees, a paper by Gareth Williams is presented. In "The Buffer Under Pressure: An Examination of the British System of Financing Higher Education in Periods of Affluence and Stringency,"…

This report examines state policies and performance in the areas of enrollment and affordability. The authors' goal was to better understand the Utah's generally good performance in "Measuring Up 2004: The National Report Card on Higher Education." Utah's historically strong performance, especially in terms of providing affordable higher…