PERSPECTIVES: Why It’s Time for Tuition-Free Public Colleges & Universities

America is facing a crisis: a public good has become a private matter. Lawrence Wittner, the author of this piece, is professor emeritus, History, at The State University of New York at Albany.

Quote from the article:

“Campus administrators, faced with declining income, are increasingly inclined to accept funding from wealthy individuals and corporations that are reshaping higher education to serve their interests.  From 2005 to 2013, two rightwing billionaires, Charles and David Koch, spent $68 million funding the kinds of programs they wanted on 308 U.S. college and university campuses.  In New York State, when Governor Andrew Cuomo initiated Start-Up NY, a scheme to provide a tax-free haven to businesses that moved onto or near public (and some private) college campuses, there was never any question about how SUNY’s chancellor and other administrators would respond.  Instead of resisting this business takeover of university facilities and mission, they became leading cheerleaders for it.”

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