When Hillary Clinton’s campaign was formulating its higher education policy, it reached out to one of the nation’s foremost experts on the issue of funding for state colleges and universities: LSU President F. King Alexander.
For years, Alexander has been active in higher ed policy circles and has advocated for greater state support of public institutions. He was quoted in today’s New York Times, commenting on the merits of certain aspects of Clinton’s proposal, announced Wednesday, to eliminate tuition at state colleges and universities for families with annual incomes of up to $125,000.
“The most important part of the plan is that the federal government plays a role in getting states to reinvest and keep higher education affordable at public colleges and universities,” Alexander says in the article. “You can only play in the free college game if your state maintains its commitment.”
Speaking to Daily Report this afternoon, Alexander says while he does not necessarily advocate for free college tuition, it’s important for the federal government to incentivize states to continue funding their higher ed institutions. Over the past three decades, states across the country have drastically cut that funding. In 2015, state investment in higher education nationwide was on par with where it was in 1966 and only about half of where it was in 1980.
“You have to stop states from getting out of the business of funding higher education,” Alexander says. “The Clinton people get it. Using federal funding to incentivize better use of state funding is critical.”
—Stephanie Riegel
