Why is State U recruiting so many out-of-state students? And what it means for higher ed. - Brian C. Mitchell, Huffington Post

In an era of stagnant or declining enrollment of traditional age students, the failure to make investments in the rest of the public system will only exacerbate the chasm between the public flagship research university and the other public colleges in the state. The recent efforts by the University of Wisconsin to separate itself from the Wisconsin system suggest the level of acrimonious warfare that might break out. Second, changing financial fortunes call into question the historic mission of public colleges and universities. There are at least two ways to think about this issue. On the one hand, America established public colleges and universities as the “people’s schools,” training students for a variety of occupations - many of them critical to the economic wellbeing of the state. They consciously subsidized the tuition charged, thereby making it possible for generations of first-time college bound youth, including immigrants, to receive a college degree. On the other hand, flagship research universities also provide a public good by serving as powerful economic engines that can drive a state and even regional economy. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-brian-c-mitchell/why-is-state-u-recruiting_b_13503134.html