Dive Summary:

• The National Association of State Budget Officers has released its latest report, Improving Postsecondary Education Through the Budget Process: Challenges & Opportunities, which was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and analyzes the current state funding crisis in higher education.
• The report cites "evidence of a serious communication problem between state officials and higher education advocates" and warns that colleges cannot continue to offset reductions in state funds by raising tuition.
• Instead, the report contends that universities and colleges need to see the writing on the wall and cut back on expenses by sharing services and being more efficient with what funds they do have. 

From the article:

"... Looking forward, if state spending is unlikely to recover any time soon, as the report and most analysts believe is the case, the status quo (mostly of offsetting state cuts with tuition increases) won't work. Changes will be necessary both in how states allocate their funds and what colleges do with them. 'This report was really motivated by budget officers' feeling that the old model, where we'd slash the heck out of higher ed in bad times, give it above-average support in good times, and colleges raise tuition to make up for the cuts, isn't going to be sustainable,' said Scott Pattison, executive director of the budget officers' association. ..."