Dive Brief:
- Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal announced Tuesday a proposal for $142 million in state funding increases for higher education in his 2014-15 budget plan, to be presented to the state's legislators Friday.
- An $88 million majority of the funding increase would come from increases to tuition, though the state's higher ed institutions would keep the additional tuition revenue on top of existing state funding instead of using it to offset cuts.
- Another $40 million would come as a result of a workforce development initiative, Workforce and Innovation for a Stronger Economy (WISE), meant to adjust higher education for the state's job market.
Dive Insight:
In an environment where the rising cost of college is an increasing concern and a number of schools are finding a way to lower their price tags, one has to wonder if it is WISE to increase funding on the backs of students. It's possible that some students, turned off by the uptick in tuition, could look outside of the state for opportunities provided by colleges and universities that have lower price tags or are willing to make better offers — and if that happens and lures away some of the state's best and brightest, does it then take away from the WISE initiative?