Statesman Journal
May 13th, 2015
This week the governor and state legislative leaders will receive a forecast of how much money Oregon will have to fund many important programs and services in our state during the next two years.
If current trends continue, the economic outlook will improve as we recover from the last recession. Unfortunately, Oregon’s public universities and community colleges have not recovered and still suffer from the cuts of the last economic downturn. That must change if we want to support a strong middle class for Oregon, keep post-secondary education accessible and invest in a sustainable economy.
As legislators finalize the 2015-17 budget, higher education must be a priority.
Never before have Oregonians been as supportive of higher education and understood that attaining a post-secondary degree improves an individual’s quality of life and benefits our entire state and economy. Last month, when legislative budget leaders traveled across the state, they heard the message loud and clear: Reinvesting in higher education is critical and can no longer be overlooked.