Education Budgets To Take Another Hit?

The ongoing saga of educational budget cuts has me continue to question what lies ahead for students. Although it is a national concern, the issue really hits home right here in California. Programs are closing, professors are relocating to other states to teach, faculty positions are left unfilled and class sizes continue to grow. Terry W. Hartle, senior vice president of the American Council on Education shares his concern, “What we are seeing is the abandonment of the state’s commitment to make California’s education available to all its citizens.”

According to a recent article in the New York Times, "This fall, for the first time, the University of California will take in more money from student tuition than from state finances." Lasts year's University of California tuition hikes prompted student protests. The news of the latest increases have not had as much of a backlash due to students being on summer break, but will certainly make an impact. 

It seems that many students are now contributing financially to their own education. This means that they sometimes have to choose between gaining valuable experience at an unpaid internship or taking a job that helps pay tuition and puts food on the table. The need to work while they study, in addition to the late notice tuition increases, is making it more and more difficult for students to prepare for the future. 

Let's hope there's a solution in the near future. Without the government's support, programs will continue to be cut and tuition increases will resume.