New from Yes to Higher Ed co-chairs: California higher ed still number one, but can we stay on top?

A new blog post from Yes to Higher Ed co-chairs Dick Ackerman and Mel Levine appeared in Fox & Hounds on Oct. 14, 2015.  Below is an excerpt of “California Higher Ed Still Number One, But Can We Stay On Top?”:

State funding levels for higher education remain well below where they were before the last major recession.   State investment is needed to keep tuition and fees affordable, attract and retain top flight faculty and enable qualified Californians to take advantage of our great schools.  The economy has come back in California and State investment in higher education needs to come back, too.

It is imperative that decision-makers in Sacramento not rest on their laurels when it comes to higher education funding.  The voters get it.  A recent poll by the Public Policy Institute of California found that 80 percent of voters say that California’s public higher education system is very important to the quality of life and economic vitality of the state over the next twenty years.

One of the arguments in favor of allowing legislators to spend up to twelve years in either the Senate or Assembly is that lawmakers will be able to focus on the longer term.  There is no better place to start than carving out a State funding plan that assures that our higher education system remains on top and continues to be a major engine of growth and opportunity in California.

Read the complete article on Fox & Hounds.