Sunday, Nov. 19, 2006 | 7:18 a.m.
Nevada System of Higher Education Chancellor Jim Rogers is heading for an education-funding showdown with the 2007 Nevada Legislature.
Rogers, who detailed his budget and policy initiatives in his annual state of the system speech Friday, will be asking for more money for the state's university system to pay for myriad projects and programs that include providing more scholarships, improving retention and graduation rates and increasing research.
According to stories by the Las Vegas Sun's Christina Littlefield, one of Rogers' key requests involves how the state figures the amount of money it gives to higher education. Currently, the state funds Nevada's colleges and universities using a formula that is based on national per-student costs at similar institutions. But Nevada pays its universities only 84 percent of that average cost, the Sun reports.
Rogers, however, wants state lawmakers to set a timetable for gradually increasing that funding to 100 percent. In fact, if the 2007 Legislature does not raise that funding to at least 89 percent of the national average, Nevada's higher education institutions could lose more than $50 million because enrollment projections have fallen short.
While the chancellor said he also supports the idea of raising tuition, he added that it should be accompanied by a comparable increase in financial aid to help those students who could not afford the increase.
Although we understand Rogers' desire to make sure that Nevada's colleges and universities are "not underpriced," we also would want lawmakers to make certain that a tuition increase occurred only with corresponding increases in financial aid. Students already don't receive enough financial aid, which, in turn, forces many to hold down full-time jobs while going to classes. These students struggle to graduate.
In addition to retaining students and making sure they graduate successfully, Nevada's institutions of higher learning also must attract - and hold onto - researchers and graduate students who are involved in cutting-edge studies and projects.
Students pay a small fortune to attend Nevada's universities. In-state students pay about $3,500 a year in tuition, and tuition costs for out-of-state students are close to $14,000 a year. All students deserve a good education for their money. Nevada's business community also deserves college graduates who are up to the tasks in a competitive work environment. And communities as a whole thrive when they possess a top-notch college or university.
Bolstering Nevada State College so that it can take some of the undergraduate pressure off the state's universities, making certain that Nevada's students are being adequately prepared to enter college from the time they enter kindergarten and expanding the University of Nevada School of Medicine are going to cost plenty.
The challenge of finding this money is exacerbated by a 1979 law that limits state spending using a formula based on population growth plus inflation. The state is closing in on that cap.
It is unfortunate that the Nevada Legislature has contributed to this problem by failing to keep up with rising education costs. But it is not too late to step up. When the session convenes next year, it is imperative that lawmakers find more money to improve our education system and stop shortchanging our students.
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