Whether you look at the last two years or the last five, Massachusetts has cut funding for public higher education more than any other state. Over these same time periods, student enrollment has skyrocketed. In fact, from FY 2008 to 2009, only 4 states saw their student population increase more than ours. And of course, student costs continue to increase at a rate far exceeding inflation. See PHENOM’s summary of the data, or the entire report by the State Higher Education Executive Officers.
This is a) a crisis b) a catastrophe c) a scandal d) a profound problem for the state’s residents and the economy e) all of the above. It’s why PHENOM has launched a campaign to Be Average — let’s get at least up to the national average in state support and down to the national average in student costs.