The States and Public Higher Education Policy

Among the many challenges facing US higher education today, affordability, access and accountability are increasingly commanding the attention of the public and policymakers alike. As students and their families struggle to meet rising tuition prices and state resources for the funding of higher education are constrained, policymakers confront issues of affordability within state and institutional budgets. Changing demographics and challenges to affirmative action complicate the admissions process even as colleges and universities seek to diversify enrolments, and issues of institutional accountability have given rise to the restructuring of higher education governing boards and systems and to a re-examination of the role of public trustees in governance. In this book, Donald E. Heller and other higher education scholars and practitioners explore the debates surrounding issues of affordability, access and accountability. In a concluding chapter, Heller considers the impact of technology on public colleges and universities, a subject that dominates many discussions of higher education. Offering a broad perspective that should appeal to policymakers and educators, the book provides an unobstructed view of key issues that will shape the future of higher education.