The worst kept secret among students and staff alike at the University goes something like this: The amount of funding allotted to the University by the state is wholly inadequate. This fact served as the backdrop for President Dave Frohnmayer’s ultimatum to the Oregon State Board of Higher Education earlier this month. If the board doesn’t work with the state to bring more funding the University’s way, he and University officials will ask for a greater level of autonomy in working with what funding it has.
Frohnmayer has a point: Statistics indicate that, indeed, the University should be receiving public funds at a rate far greater than what it currently does. This is based on a school-by-school comparison with other public universities across the nation.
In making his case, Frohnmayer pointed to state schools in North Carolina, Iowa, Washington, Michigan and Virginia – each of them comparable in size and structure to that of the University. The five schools received an average of $319 million in state funds for the 2006-07 school year. The University, by contrast, received just $69 million – one-fifth of what was allocated to the other schools.
Additionally, whereas those five other states offered an average of $10,036 in public funds per student, Oregon offered a meager $3,232 by comparison. This lack of support from the state has forced Frohnmayer to look elsewhere for funds. And nowhere has this been more apparent than in the rising cost of tuition for students.
As it currently stands, Oregon residents attending the University this year will pay approximately $6,174 on tuition; this is based on an average 15-credit academic term for a three-term school year. Out-of-state students will pay approximately $19,338 for the 2007-08 school year. Neither of these figures takes into account the added cost of room and board. Unless drastic changes are made by the State Board of Higher Education and the Oregon University System, Frohnmayer’s hand will be forced, and incoming students will have to split the difference as a result.
Frohnmayer wants more control in allocating what funds the University has. This would, in effect, restructure the school’s method of budgeting to more closely resemble that of a private school. The supposed benefit of such a move would be more freedom in determining costs for tuition, and in allocating money for scholarships and student financial aid. The short-term implications of this, however, would only stand to hurt incoming students. While it’s true that more financial aid would be allocated, it would still only go to students whose parents reside in lower tax brackets. Middle and upper-middle class students and their parents would be forced to take out bigger loans, resulting in higher debt upon graduation. This could ultimately end up in students turning to other universities to get more for their money.
The first phase of Frohnmayer’s autonomy-oriented governance would likely be a further increase in the cost of tuition. More than one-third of revenue generated by the University during the 2006-07 school year came from tuition and fees. This compares to 27 percent earned through donations and contracts, and just 13 percent from the state general fund. If Frohnmayer has his way, the years to come may see those numbers become even more lopsided.
This is not acceptable for students. Though the University’s president has a point when he says the state needs to do a better job of funding the University, his alternative of greater control only stands to hurt students in the short run. It is clear then that only one viable solution remains. The state of Oregon must fund its flagship university. And though the amount of money needed to put the University on par with its peers across the country won’t come overnight, it’s time to start heading in the right direction.