The American Enterprise Institute issued a report and penned a corresponding op-ed in the Wall Street
Journal today calling for further disinvestment and privatization of America’s public colleges and universities. Ultimately what they are proposing is a return to the “high-tuition, high-aid” voucher model of college financing. In practice, this approach has proven to be a disaster for students and families
because it establishes a formidable upfront price barrier to college access, coupled with unreliable promises of financial aid. Public college and university leaders are committed to working with governing boards, lawmakers and other stakeholders to create a financing structure that keeps tuition low
and maintains quality while strengthening institutional capacity to deliver on their missions of research, innovation and building a skilled workforce. The goal is to move our country forward.
###
The American Association of State Colleges and Universities
(AASCU) is a Washington, D.C.-based higher education association of
more than 400 public colleges, universities, and systems whose members
share a learning- and teaching-centered culture, a historic commitment
to underserved student populations, and a dedication to research and
creativity that advances their regions’ economic progress and cultural
development. These are institutions Delivering America’s Promise of
Opportunities for All.