Mississippi Universities

Universities in Mississippi get few $'s, then other educational entities and less money then they did in the past.

Indeed, where state dollars funded half of university operating budgets in 1990, state dollars fund only 25 percent of those budgets today. This declining proportion in the face of rising costs (tuition has doubled since 1990) has been against the logic of the marketplace, Meredith believes. Why? Because new jobs requiring at least a bachelor's degree have been increasing at triple the rate of other employment categories.

Another argument is the increased earning power that comes with a college degree - about $1 million over the span of an average career. Mississippi universities now award 14,000 diplomas annually. But a big gap persists. While 25 percent of all Americans are college graduates, the proportion in Mississippi is 17 percent.

It's time we make higher education a priority in Mississippi.