Gov. Jay Nixon caught the attention of many Aug. 25 when he expressed his new idea for funding higher education through a goal system for Missouri colleges and universities.
Nixon put together a task force of education representatives from around the state to determine goals for each school by 2013. Under the new plan, if a school does not meet its goals by that date, it will not receive full funding. Representing the UM System on the task force is Nikki Krawitz, UM System vice president for finance and administration.
Although Nixon said the proposal will make higher education funding more predictable for the state, concerns have surfaced at MU about potential flaws in Nixon’s plan. Some say it might hurt Missouri’s economy instead of helping it, and some may argue what defines effectiveness in higher education.
“In theory, Nixon’s program sounds great,” freshman Christi Renfroe said. “I think everyone would prefer lower tuition rates, especially MU students coming from out of state, but I am skeptical about the goal setting aspect. Who sets these goals, and how will they regulate them?”
Nixon’s goal is for students to not only receive a college degree, but to make the process less expensive and more attainable, according to his office’s news release. More students will enter the workforce with a higher level of education, which will help Missouri’s economy grow tremendously.
There is a gap between the amount of scholarship money given to students attending private universities and the amount given to those attending public universities. Nixon’s plan is to cut partial scholarship money from the private schools and not increase tuition for the public school, thus leveling the playing field a little more.
“I think the problem with the proposal is that it is very hard to measure effectiveness in higher education, and I am particularly concerned about using graduation rates as a measure of university performance,” assistant economics professor Cory Koedel said. “For example, if a target graduation rate is really set, then it would be trivial to reach that target by giving students passing grades, even when they don’t deserve them. But that dilutes the quality of the education, and ultimately the value of the degree.”
Koedel also said he thinks the proposal could lead to universities developing unsound practices.
“My concern is that policymakers are not thinking carefully about the incentives they are proposing, and that the incentives will lead universities to do things that are not in the best interests of students or the Missouri economy,” Koedel said.
Nixon’s new model was backed up by students who do not wish to pay higher tuition costs next year, but is of major concern to those who do not trust the universities to set the goals themselves in order to make this happen.
“Moving forward, we must now fix the funding model for higher education, to make it less crisis-driven and more predictable from year to year,” Nixon said in a news release.
