If you looked at the Chronicle of Higher Education tables I cited in my previous post, you know this fiscal policy post is coming!
The state of South Dakota invests less in higher education than any neighboring state. All but three states outspend us… which is to be expected, given that we have fewer students enrolled in public universities and two-year institutions than all but six other states.
We are 34th in the nation for spending per public campus students. Among our neighbors, we spend the third least per student (and we’re a close tie with second-lowest Montana).
STATE |
Total Public Enrollment |
State Funds for Higher Ed |
State $/public student |
Total Student Aid per student (pub + priv) |
| Iowa | 171,075 | $816,055,053 | $4,770 | $252 |
| Minnesota | 253,238 | $1,653,249,000 | $6,528 | $625 |
| Montana | 46,260 | $243,920,115 | $5,273 | $51 |
| Nebraska | 101,032 | $760,198,501 | $7,524 | $1,107 |
| North Dakota | 47,964 | $358,491,256 | $7,474 | $410 |
| South Dakota | 44,305 | $233,805,655 | $5,277 | $103 |
| Wyoming | 32,802 | $373,759,707 | $11,394 | $488 |
Our low per-student investment transfers more costs to students. South Dakota public university students pay the third-highest tuition (and in this case, we’re close to second-place Iowa). Students at our two-year schools—the vo-techs, for which Republican G. Mark Mickelson wants to provide increased funding by raising the tobacco tax—pay the highest two-year tuition in the region and the third-highest tuition in the country, behind only Vermont and New Hampshire.
State |
4-Year Public Institutions |
4-Year Private Non-Profit Institutions |
2-Year Public Institutions |
| Iowa | $8,358 | $32,172 | 4,812 |
| Minnesota | $11,063 | $36,884 | 5,324 |
| Montana | $6,517 | $24,026 | 3,384 |
| Nebraska | $7,763 | $23,657 | 3,002 |
| North Dakota | $7,469 | $14,788 | 4,601 |
| South Dakota | $8,333 | $25,808 | 5,787 |
| Wyoming | $4,311 | $18,021 | 2,998 |
South Dakota’s underfunding of post-secondary education is clearest in its financial aid to students and in its support for two-year degrees. If we have any extra money to spend, improving equity and competitiveness in those areas should perhaps come first.
Russpublicans are anti-education because critical thinking citizens aren’t going to vote for them. Therefore, teach the populace how to weld, program a machine, or similar tasks, which do definitely take brain power, but a different kind of brain power.
So. Fund the concrete, job training type of education while making a wonderful liberal arts education more and more difficult to obtain. Then, as the numbers enrolled in liberal arts decline, Russpublicans can use that as an excuse to cut support even more, further sabotaging the states’ own citizens.
It’s a cruel and nasty plan from cruel and nasty leadership.
Cory,
Since when do State funds pay for College financial aid?
I like Vo-Tech education. I personally feel the first career qualifying education a student receives if they are using public funds is a field of study that qualifies the student to get a job that contributes to the community. After that if they wish to study the liberal arts they can do so on their own dime.
Debbo. . .You don’t “program” a machine. A machine is designed to perform a specific task. You don’t need to program it. You just “make it go” and it performs its specific function but this simply proves the value of Vo-Tech education doesn’t it.
While flying between MSP and BWI to visit son #2, (#1 resides in Massachusetts, both flew east) got to thinking about the purpose of a college education in South Dakota. Dakota Wesleyan brags that its alumni are tumbleweeds, because they scatter to the winds. SDSU advertises “you can go anywhere from here,”
And NAU says “get your degree, set yourself free.”
If the purpose is to provide vacation destinations for grandparents, this is working well.
Safe travels, Anne. Via con Dios.
Aitomatic welders have to be programmed. They don’t come off the showroom floor knowing their fate in life.
Yer auto needs a driver. You don’t just start it up and send it on its way. Someone needs to be along to input information such as acceleration, braking, turning, checking fluid levels. I have yet to see John Q Auto parallel park itself.
Open a microwave, shove in a bag of popcorn and then starve waiting for the darn thing to cook because you didn’t program it to cook popcorn for three minutes.
OS, Mike is correct. Manufacturing now requires that computerized machines be programmed for the specific material, depth of cut, design, quantity, etc. CNC machines, laser and plasma cutters, etc are programmed via computer to perform their tasks. Manufacturers are pleading for employees who know how to correctly program the machine and input or place the material for the correct result.
Debbo seems to think liberal arts degrees and churches are more important to society than welds that hold and machines that make civilized life possible. Liberal arts is a euphamism for worthless. I can say that, because my first college degree was a liberal arts degree and it was worthless. Everyone I know who has one agrees it is worthless.
Two or four years of listening to professors lecturing doesn’t create critical thinkers. It creates insurmountable student loan debt for all of us idiots who were dumb enough to believe people like Debbo that a college degree means something. And even if it did, having a bunch of “critical thinkers” who can’t weld or operate machinery means your church steeple falls on your congregation and nobody can run the crane to fix it.
This is 2018 in America: everyone wants to be a king or queen and nobody wants to maintain the castle. Let’s see how long this lasts until your neighbors eat each other because the microwave broke.
Ryan, I suppose it is how your define “worth.” Are we to take the position that “education” is only valuable as job training? What was your expectation going into a liberal arts education. -what were you trying to accomplish?
“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”
I think the Pompatus of Pablum has a thing for our Debbo. The last couple of appearances here he has jumped in her grill. He is either madly in love or, more likely, a potentially dangerous stalker.
P of P, isn’t it within the realm of possibility that a heavy equipment operator caused the church steeple to fall? Did that thought ever cross yer mind that accidents do happen even to experienced machinery operators?
Did you know the guv of Wisconsin actually attempted to change the 100 years old mission statement of the U of Wisconsin-Madison to reflect the koch bros desires to have more tech workers educated instead of critical thinkers? Just like Northern Mississippi, Wisconsin wants an emphasis on training laborers, not thinkers who can do.
As for yer worthless liberal education it apparently wasn’t a total wash. You agreed you weren’t too smart because you got a worthless degree, but obtaining that degree allowed you the critical thinking needed to guess it was worthless.
o – worth is admittedly a moving target. There are some people who go to college simply for the act of sitting in class and feeling like they are a part of something. I was not one of those people. I incorrectly thought, as did many of my peers, that college was the “correct and appropriate” next step after high school, regardless of one’s own dreams, goals, or abilities.
We were all sold the American Dream: “You can do anything you want if you get an education.
Stay in school and you will be rewarded with a financially-successful and fulfilling career.”
It was a sales pitch, just like that guy who tried to sell my wife and me the timeshare.
mike – google the word “irony” and see if it mentions your obvious infatuation with me. You lonely? No visitors in August? Don’t worry, it’s summer, people are busy enjoying things and they don’t want you to bring them down. They’ll be around when it gets cold. Probably.
Guaranteed the attraction ain’t you, Sport. It is yer Palinesque word salad that I find challenging. Hieroglyphics are easier to decipher.
Ryan, did you read my comments? Critical thinking will tell you that what you’re reacting to is not what is said. Calm down.
And No, I will not be your girlfriend, so stop stalking me.
You’ve been mad at me ever since I pointed out that white men are the worst terrorists/mass killers/school shooters in the USA and that white male privilege is real.
Facts are stubborn things, as a white male said. 😁😁😁
The state has over 1 billion in the reserve fund. What would be wrong with taking some, say 50 million and start a state funded loan program? Students who attend a state college or tech school could borrow from the fund that would charge a lower interest. If the borrowers agreed to stay in S.D. and work for five years a portion of the loan could be forgiven. Right now S.D. is a feeder system of our youth and educated to move to other states for higher wages. Maybe a progressive plan could help fill some of the skilled positions that exist?
FOR THE NAY SAYERS THE STATE STARTED THE REDI-FUND WITH 50 MILLION AND IT SEEMS TO BE WORKING.
I bet you find potato salad challenging, too.
Debbo~ You need to learn what a “machine” is and to use mike from idiocy as your source of support doesn’t help your argument. . . You teamed up with a dullard.
Debbo, read my comment again. I said you “seem to think” those things. I did not say you said anything. The ironic stupidity in your response is tasty.
And Stalking? Girlfriend? Shoot. I wouldn’t even employ you to cook my dinner for 70 cents on the dollar what I pay mike. You’d probably just stand there talking about yourself and get nothing done like you do here.
I proved you were lying through yer teeth twice yesterday, OldSilagepile. Yer either just mad, jealous or both.
My answer is still NO.
😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆