Editorial “Aiding the publics” opines:
“Because Pennsylvanaia taxpayers subsidize the cost of higher education, state lawmakers have been reluctant to discount tuition for out-of-state students.
“ But Edinboro officials note that seats in classrooms are going unfilled and tha attracting out-of-state students will not cost the state any additional money and will in fact, increase revenue.”
“Therefore, state universities are attempting to get ahead of the curve by reaching out to students who live beyond state borders.”
WATCHDOG: The editors confuse added revenue with added profits or added surpluses (or less losses).
As both economists and business people know, in the short run adding revenue can be useful because overhead is fixed.
But over time, overhead must be brought in line or profits / surpluses will be negatively impacted. This means Edinboro might need to transfer professors and staff to other campuses where they are needed. Or reduce its staff through layoffs and attrition.
Subsidizing out of state students only makes sense if their states reciprocate for Pennsylvania students.
A better argument for out-of-state discounts can be made in the case of foreign students because they can bring diversity.
Filling classroom seats with students taking courses that lead to better paying jobs should be the highest priority. College costs, without subsidies, should reflect that goal.
The economic value of diversity is a mystery yet the cost is very real. Perhaps someone will eventually able to put a dollar valuation on it but it should not mean an over representation of any single world region.
If people value diversity the least we can do is make it actually diverse.
EDITOR: We agree that there should be trade schools for those who share the writers views.
But to produce creators and leaders, we need Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science graduates who have a broad education and, through academic challenges, have learned how to learn (which makes acquiring, switching and updating skills all the more possible.)