From The Times West Virginian of Fairmont, W.Va.:
West Virginia state policymakers are taking a look at retooling the way taxpayer money is funneled to the state’s colleges and universities, and the possibility they are studying targets the proper goals.
Let’s just hope in making any changes, however, that lawmakers don’t further reduce the state’s support for our higher education institutions.
In response to a mandate from the legislature, the Higher Education Policy Commission, which provides oversight of the state’s public colleges and universities, is studying moving higher education funding to a performance-based structure. Currently, funding is based on number of students.
The new proposal calls for 70 percent of funding to colleges and universities to be be based on credit hours taken, with higher-level courses and science, technology, engineering and mathematics courses given more weight, according to a report by the Charleston Gazette-Mail. A quarter of funding would be based on total degrees awarded. And 5 percent of funding would be tied to student success, measured by various factors, including graduation and retention rates.
Read the entire editorial at http://www.timeswv.com/opinion/editorial-commitment-needed-for-higher-education/article_fe6cf9b4-025e-11e8-8526-df291fa71572.html
Read more articles at http://www.timeswv.com
