Report: Higher ed funding remains mixed as free speech bills gain popularity - Pat Donachie, Education Dive

Funding for higher ed institutions remained relatively level overall this year. And in the first half of the year, bills pertaining to protecting free speech on public campuses were one of the most consistent issues raised in state legislatures, according to a new report released by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, which examined the top financial and policy trends shaping public higher education nationwide so far this year. Thomas L. Harnisch, director of State Relations and Policy Analysis with the AASCU, said funding for higher education was increasingly disparate from state to state, based on economic opportunities and challenges unique to each. “There are a number of states that have really tight budgets. In many states, the revenue picture is fairly stagnant; there’s just not considerable growth in state revenue. Higher education has to operate in a constrained budgetary approach.” http://www.educationdive.com/news/report-higher-ed-funding-remains-mixed-as-free-speech-bills-gain-popularit/448608/