Higher ed: A tale of two states

Maybe it doesn’t qualify as irony, but it is an incongruity: Enrollment in Kentucky’s public universities and colleges is at a record high, the Council on Postsecondary Education reported Friday, with 212,994 students enrolled in fall 2007 – a 3.2 percent increase over the previous fall. Meanwhile, Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear has proposed to slash university funding by 12 percent in the next state budget. What’s wrong with this picture?

It’s clear – and heartening – that more students than ever are seeking a college education, and are relying on state institutions to fill the bill. The University of Cincinnati this fall welcomed its largest incoming freshman class in decades – about 4,150 new students, boosting overall UC enrollment to around an unprecedented 37,000. There even was a waiting list for would-be UC freshmen. All this has happened despite – or perhaps because of – higher academic and admissions standards during the past couple of years. Meanwhile, Kentucky’s new figures put it on track toward its goal, announced last year, of doubling the number of college graduates living in the state by 2020.

The reasons why both states should cheer increased enrollment is clear: More students means more graduates, finding better jobs with better incomes, helping state economies. It’s one of the best long-term investments a state can make. So Beshear’s proposed cut must be troubling to many Kentucky business and educational leaders. Ohioans, on the other hand, should welcome Gov. Ted Strickland’s decision this week not to target universities for cuts, despite a predicted shortfall that could reach $1.9 billion by June. Eric Fingerhut, head of the state’s board of regents, called that a “watershed moment,” especially considering Ohio’s recent past of deep cuts to higher education.