Privatizing our public university

IU's state funding has decreased over the years, forcing the University to rely more and more on private sources of funding. Only 21.2 percent of revenue for this year came from state or public funding, compared to 47 percent in 1975. Interim IU-Bloomington Chancellor Ken Gros Louis said a higher proportion of IU's revenue is coming from tuition, private funding and research grants. While this trend is not ideal, moving toward increased private funding seems inevitable for higher education.\nThe move away from public funds has happened at universities across the United States. State contributions to all public universities from state and local taxes declined by 10 percent from 1991 to 2004, according to The New York Times.\nAs IU leans more on private sources of funding, it seems donors don't get thanked enough. As students who rely on this institution for our education, we should extend our gratitude to those who care enough about education to pump blood into it and help our University thrive. All contributions are highly appreciated.\nWe want to thank every donor, not just those who donate large sums and get buildings named after them. Despite our gratitude toward donors, we can't forget that IU is a public university -- private donations aren't a guarantee.\nThe state funding pie is only so big, with many state expenses hungry for their fiscal filling. But regardless of finite resources, education should always be a top priority. As trite as it might seem, we are the future, after all. We urge Indiana's government not to cut our slice of the pie too narrow. Affordable, public education with quality programs is essential to our state.\nGeorge Kuh, the chancellor's professor of higher education and director of the Center for Postsecondary Research at IU, said, "Public institutions have little choice but to find ways of capturing lost income that is not coming from state or public funding."\nBecause IU is a public school, tuition rates need to be affordable for students.\nThe shift in funding might mean a shift in control over the University. Less state funding can mean less pressure to follow state recommendations. But the University still bears the burden of needing to attract wealthy donors, and the large donations are often restricted for specific purposes.\nThe only state control that comes along with state funding is the power to approve or disapprove academic programs. The state might make recommendations in regard to other issues, but all other formal powers fall on the trustees of the University. \nAs a research institution of higher education that is essential to the state of Indiana, frankly, we just need money ... from everyone.