Oregonian
February 24th, 2015
It's a sign of the problems higher education has getting the Legislature's attention that earlier this month, a pro-college demonstration by hundreds of students on the steps of the Capitol came at a time when lawmakers were somewhat distracted.
The same day, the governor was quitting.
Timing is everything -- and in Salem, it rarely seems to be the time for higher education.
The subject is more likely to come up when the Legislature is looking for places to cut spending. Last year, the Center on Budget and Public Policy in Washington, D.C., calculated higher ed cuts by each state over the course of the recession (2008-2014) and found that Oregon slashed its spending by 37.9 percent -- the fourth-fastest pace in the country. Considering Oregon's low position to start with, the move dropped the state from 46th in higher ed support to 47th.
We're running out of states beneath us.