Higher education should be a priority

If Gov. Frank O'Bannon's Jan. 8 budget proposal passes through Indiana's state legislature, funds given to Indiana's public colleges will be frozen. This is unfortunate for students, faculty and administrators alike. The obvious negative consequences of freezing spending, including large tuition increases and cost cutting, will hurt the University as a whole. In addition, this sends a clear message to Indiana's institutions of higher education -- a message that they are not at the top of the state's priority list.\nThere's a four-year college within 25 miles of 95 percent of residents in the state of Indiana, wrote the late University Chancellor Herman B Wells in his book, "Being Lucky." Wells was proud of the tradition of higher education in Indiana. Few other states have two major universities with regional campuses and nationally-renowned programs, along with numerous other smaller colleges. \nHigher education needs to be higher on O'Bannon's funding list. The candidate some proclaimed as the "education governor," O'Bannon is cutting off the lifeblood of Indiana in an effort to quell fears of an impending recession. Indiana has been facing a "brain drain" in recent years, with graduates of Indiana colleges leaving the state to find jobs elsewhere. Taking priority away from education only serves to compound that, sending Indiana's high school seniors packing for colleges elsewhere. \nIn addition, professors who are offered higher paying jobs in other states flee IU for more respected educational institutions. Indiana sits at the bottom of technologically advanced states, at least in part because of a lack of foresight in the state government to fund those kind of projects. \nWe're proud of Indiana's institutions of higher learning. From IU's recent Rhodes Scholar and its 116 degree programs ranked in the nation's top 20 to Professor Henry Glassie's recent appointment to the National Council on the Humanities, there is a large tradition of excellence in the state. When examining the new budget, we urge state legislators to take a careful look at higher education. Several legislators have already expressed their disappointment in the proposal, including Rep. Pat Bauer, a South Bend Democrat who chairs the House Ways and Means committee. \nAs IU President Myles Brand said in a statement, "The great gains IU has made in recent years have been made possible in large part by the foresight of the legislature and the executive branch." \nHigher education is the future of Indiana's residents and the future of the state.\nCutting funding from IU, Purdue and the other universities in the state only hurts those residents. Reducing the brain drain and improving higher education in the state should be at the top of our list of priorities. \nState schools need the state government, and the state government needs its schools.