Say you're having a conversation with someone at a party, and he or she asks where you go to school. "Oh, in Rhode Island," you say airily, revealing that you attend an Ivy League school without actually admitting that you attend one. You know the person will assume you go to Brown. After all, isn't Brown the only university in Rhode Island?
Obviously, the answer is no. In fact, Rhode Island boasts an impressive total of 12 colleges and universities, of which four are public institutions. While a majority of Rhode Island's private institutions are financially sound, we worry about the fate and credibility of the state's public institutions due to funding concerns.
According to a recent study by the National Science Board, the state government has cut funding to the University of Rhode Island by 47 percent since 2002, adjusted for inflation. This sharp reduction has been occurring steadily over the past decade despite strong opposition from many URI administrators and faculty members. As the future of Rhode Island is contingent on the success of its educational institutions, the state has to reconfigure its priorities to take into account the importance of higher education, particularly public research universities.
The sheer magnitude of the cuts to URI funding suggests the state government is not deeply committed to all of the principles of higher education. Public research universities like URI were established to broaden the reach of higher education, especially for high-achieving students seeking a more affordable alternative to an expensive private school.
Cuts to funding imply that this purpose is not worth much to the state government. These cuts do a significant amount of damage to the academic experiences of students at public universities, both by limiting their resources and by conveying the message that their education is not a priority for the state.
Earlier this year, URI students and faculty were given the opportunity to voice their concerns about the cuts at a public forum for the Special House Commission to Study Public Higher Education Affordability and Accessibility in Rhode Island. Major grievances that were aired included the negative effect the cuts would have on financial aid and classroom resources, but another point raised was the potential decrease in the university's contributions to the state. As URI faculty member Joan Peckham said, "The best investment the state can make is to support partnerships among the educational institutions and industry." The state government is actually doing itself a disservice by cutting funding to those who may resuscitate it in the long run, and we therefore find these cuts not only inexcusable, but illogical.
The idea of facilitating research at URI has been viewed favorably by certain Rhode Island state officials in the past. Governor Lincoln Chafee '75 P'14 P'16 believes that developing "research and development capabilities at URI would be helpful in attracting federal research funds to Rhode Island as well as in providing an additional stimulus for economic development in our state," his spokesman told Providence Business News last year. But this statement appears to be directly at odds with the state's recent economic policy. Gov. Chafee, please listen to your own wisdom - how can you hope to get this state out of its economic rut if you do not foster a knowledge economy from the ground up?
Taking a look at the bigger picture, we wonder about the future of state-funded schools if the economy keeps underperforming. Will cuts continue to be made across the country as funding is dedicated to more immediate concerns than educational programs? Not necessarily. But for such programs to continue to grow and flourish, state officials need to recognize higher education's real contribution to economic development and make it a priority. Otherwise, schools like URI will continue to suffer.
Editorials are written by The Herald's editorial page board. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.
