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Tell me what you think about Alabama's Education.


MONTGOMERY, Ala. A report from the Alabama Commission on Higher Education gives the state a failing grade for the affordability of its colleges and universities.

The report, presented to the commission Friday, follows a national study that gave Alabama -- along with 42 other states -- an "F" in putting the price of a college education increasingly beyond the reach of many students.

Because of slow growth in the state education budget and a diversion of money to K-to-12 schools, Alabama's public colleges and universities began imposing double-digit tuition increases in the mid-1990s, The Huntsville Times reported Monday.

French, in Friday's report, said families in Alabama must devote a larger share of income to tuition than those in the best performing states.
http://www.wtvm.com/Global/story.asp?S=5800171&nav=menu91_3_5

For low- and middle-income students in community college, net education costs represent 36 percent of their family's annual income. For four-year public schools, that rises to 39 percent.
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ACHE has for many years been a pain in the neck.

They've been a pain to the higher ed types and to those whom would avail themselves of higher ed (clientele/customers).

Part of AL's problem with higher ed is that it is INSUFFICIENTLY FUNDED. It has been for quite some time.

Here's why & how.

ACHE regulates the Universities in Alabama. They DO NOT regulate the Alabama's Community & Junior College system. Their sources of funding are different too!

For example, the ACJC (not their official name) is funded with K-12 money. Yep... betcha' you did'nt know that, did you?

While, on the other hand, universities must "beg, borrow or steal" from whatever sources they can.

Unfortunately (or fortuntely, in my opinion) Tom Corts is now heading up the two-year system as the Interim Chancellor after Roy Johnson was fired for gross negligence and outright theft. Dr. Corts was the president of Samford University for over 20 years, and is a man of the utmost caliber and integrity.

It's unfortunate in the sense Johnson was a cheat, but it's excellent that Corts is in place.

However, part of the problems in AL's education system goes back much further than Johnson. It goes back to the days when sharecroppers had to come begging, hat in hand, for something from their landowner masters. They didn't have the right or priviledge to make decisions in their own best interests.

But, fast foward to the 21st century...

Here we are still having to go to Montgomery and beg the legislature for a hand out.

And the fiefdoms are still controlled by the puppet masters who relish their ability to control others.

Enough ranting...

If Alabama were to
1.) Cut the Community & Junior College System out of the K-12 funding system, and to
2.) Put them in with all higher ed, i.e. universities, and then
3.) Establish a Board of Regents to oversee the long-range management of the whole organism,

higher education in Alabama would take upon a decidedly different appearance.

It would be more affordable, it would 'put right things in right places' (who stores milk and sugar together?), eliminate duplication of efforts, reduce or totally eliminate opportunities for massive fraud, allow a unified and strengthened educational force, reduce costs (including operational), increase opportunities for others to obtain education beyond high school (including technical skills, which have long been ignored).

Do I believe in higer ed? Oh yeah, I sure do! My parents both have advanced degrees which they earned in Alabama's public universities, my peer-aged first cousin earned his professional degree here, I earned my professional degrees here, my sister-in-law earned her professional degree at Auburn, and my maternal aunts & uncles earned their higher ed in Alabama (they lived in Auburn).

We've all seen it change. What it's morphed into is not a pretty picture. It's high quality, that's certain. However, it's more costly than it should be.

We all had opportunity, and those whom come after us should as well.

Amen.

Here's the referenced article:

State flunks affordability test for college
Higher ed group cites rising tuition, low investment in aid

Saturday, December 09, 2006
By BOB LOWRY
Times Staff Writer
bob.lowry@htimes.com

http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/index.ssf?/base/...694105840.xml&coll=1

http://www.al.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news/1165659694105840.xml&coll=1

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