College and University Funding Models part 3 – Return to the 70s

The second of my proposed funding models is also my preferred funding model, and in the end, the hardest one, in my opinion, to achieve. Because achieving it will take a whole lot more than the states just willing to throw more money at higher education.

Honestly, I think the best funding model for state universities would be a return to the funding levels the states had in the 1970s. This was the time period when students could afford to pay for their tuition by working part time during the school year, maybe full time during the summer, at minimum wage jobs. Maybe they take out some small student loans in order to make life more comfortable, but they can make it just by working.

In this sense, the funding model stays the way it is now. People in roles like mine see very little difference. Students see the difference because their tuition makes up a whole lot less of the University revenue, but on the administrative side of managing those budgets, it stays pretty well the same as it is now. That sounds easy, right?

While this model gets rid of some of the tricky questions about what it might mean to be public education, especially around residency (out of state tuition can still be charged) and the need to apply/get accepted into the University/College, it still has the issues of needing to increase taxes to return to this level of funding, and who should be paying those taxes. No matter how we increase funding for a college education, that will be a question we have to answer.

But more than that, this idea requires a fundamental change to the way we think about our society as a whole, not just the value of a post-secondary education. Because this model does not just require funding the University to the point where students can afford to pay their own tuition, it requires that they be able to pay their tuition AND live – as in rent, bills, food, etc – on a part time, minimum wage income.

Returning to this level of funding is not just about University funding. It requires establishing a real, livable minimum wage. It requires rent control or affordable housing near Universities. Because some students can live at home, but for others, “home” is a few hundred miles away from the closest University or College. Housing prices near Universities are often high. Faculty get paid a lot of money, and they want to live near where they work, causing a premium. And simple demand from the number of students who want to live close to the University also allows landlords to charge higher rents.

And if your answer is that the students do not need to live walking distance from the University, then it still requires affordable housing somewhere in your city that has good commute options. Maybe that is public transportation, but if you are expecting a student to commute to school, and still work, that might mean that a car really is a necessity. At which point you need affordable parking on or near campus.

This model is my favorite model because of the complexities, because it is not just about valuing higher education, but about rethinking our society as a whole, what a minimum wage job looks like, where to find affordable housing, and takes commute options into consideration. Students (or their families) still end up with some skin in the game by needing to pay a little bit of tuition, which I think is important for getting the most out of the system.

It is a system that does not penalize people for taking a year or two or twenty off between high school and college. It creates a funding model where it is affordable for a person to work part time and go to school. Loans will still be available, and some people will always want the loans to make things easier, more comfortable, but they will not be a requirement in order to afford an education.

And for those for whom a post secondary education is not the right choice right now, jobs will still pay enough to live on, to save on.

To me, this model is about reinvesting in our society as a whole, in our population, as a whole, not just those who are going to college. And even though I think it would be the hardest to pull off, that makes it my favorite college funding option.