Iran and Israel, tuition at state schools, trans athletes, airships

Regarding “U faculty decries spending priorities” (June 18): As an old codger (very old!) I was saddened to read about the infighting between the academicians and the bean-counters. The sad reality is, you can’t have one without the other. And I surmise that both camps have the same goal: to produce citizens who are not only educated but who recognize their obligation to apply their education toward the betterment of the community. Finding the perfect budgetary balance that places academics as the top priority of a world-class public university, while recognizing that this requires practical administration, is the crux of the current debate.

Back to my status as an old guy. As an undergrad at the University of Illinois, 1959-1963, my in-state tuition was $100 a semester. Nobody graduated with student debt, so everyone was happy. But then came medical school at the U of I. Whoa! Sticker shock! They wanted $150 a quarter! But our youthful distress was assuaged when the dean of our med school welcomed our freshman class of 215 students. He immediately left a favorable impression. Besides wishing us success, he said, “When you’re finished here, be an asset to your communities. Remember, the taxpayers of Illinois are paying for your education. ”

So, the debate over priorities will always plague budget planners. If not already in place, perhaps an independent agent can advise state legislators as to what a reasonable state funding allotment to the U should be. Hopefully that could move toward the mission of land grant colleges as written over a hundred years ago — free tuition for all (or at least graduating without too much debt). And maybe an independent agent could weigh in on the proposed budget requested by the administration? All parties might sleep better at night.

Richard Masur, Minneapolis