RAPIDLY, THE financial distinction between a public higher education and a private college or university is disappearing. At a time when education may be most important – the golden ticket to tomorrow’s high-tech economy – costs are rising faster than families can absorb.
Several factors come into play.
One, clearly, is the unwillingness of legislators to maintain levels of public funding. At one time, for example, the University of Wisconsin system received about three-fourths of its funding through state sources. Today, it’s about half – and falling.