State Colleges Revolt as Years of Cuts Divide US Campuses - Bloomberg Money News

From Pennsylvania to Oregon, the number of top public universities bidding to shake off government control keeps growing. The universities want more control over tuition and academic programs as they become less dependent on public subsidies. Some state systems have resisted because, without their flagships, they lose premier faculty and students as well as clout in legislatures that set funding. Pennsylvania’s West Chester University, the fastest-growing of 14 state-owned campuses and the one with the highest SAT scores, could break away under legislation filed this year. Its departure would deepen a divide between independent ‘haves’ and tightly controlled ‘have nots’ plagued by dwindling funding and enrollment. Pennsylvania State University and three other public institutions already operate autonomously. “We can do this better than they can,” said Robert Tomlinson, a West Chester trustee and Pennsylvania state senator who filed the bill in March. “We have a train wreck coming financially. We’ve got to do something.” http://www.moneynews.com/Personal-Finance/state-colleges-campus-state-budget-spending-cuts/2014/06/04/id/575083/