Funding higher ed directly linked to Hoosier state’s future

By Myles Brand, President of Indiana University

So, when the State Budget Agency’s budget outline called for no funding increases—even for inflation—for Indiana’s four-year public universities, the importance of this year’s budget debate was magnified. That proposal, if enacted, would widen the funding gap with our peer institutions and would make even maintaining the status quo on our campuses extremely difficult.

But this is not a time for despair. It is a time for unity and action. IU students, staff, faculty members, alumni and supporters need to come together to urge state leaders to adopt a budget that allows us to sustain and improve our programs. We have a strong story to tell about the quality of Indiana higher education and its importance to our future.

The potential pitfalls of a “flat-line” budget become clear before we even look at academic programs. Health-care costs, for example, are expected to increase at least 15 percent a year over the next two years. And anyone who has paid utility bills this winter knows the trends there. Those increases would not be covered under the budget agency’s proposal.

But even if the budget did allow us to maintain the status quo, that is not enough. We want to enhance programs to raise student retention and graduation rates. We hope to fund IU Link, to improve access to our electronic library resources from all our campuses. We must increase resources for faculty—for competitive salaries and to support teaching and research. We are seeking funds for the School for Informatics, which will broadly educate students in the technical and social aspects of information technology, first in Bloomington and Indianapolis, and then at the regional campuses.

These and other quality improvements are not frills. They are central to our mission of providing access to 21st-century higher education to qualified students.

I recognize that state leaders face difficult choices now that the economy is slowing. But they must take a long-range view. Higher education will strengthen Indiana’s economy. Our state’s best defense against economic adversity, when it comes, will be well educated citizens and a diverse employment base.

As the budget process moves forward, we need to send a strong and unified message: For the future of Indiana, we cannot afford not to invest in higher education.