A different approach

Last week, the Campaign for College Opportunity [http://www.collegecampaign.org/] launched a statewide tour in California to educate the public about the benefit of public education. The group is being run, funded, and organized from outside the university system in California. This tactical decision gives it more flexibility without having to worry about ruffling feathers of elected officials.

Read the about the tour here: http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/breaking_news/13296094.htm

The campaign was able to get funding from some major foundations in California and nationally. Most institutions don’t try to organize their alumni to act from outside the institution because of the difficulty they have in finding outside money to fund a successful campaign. It can be difficult for an institution to convince major donors to give money to a public education campaign instead of giving money directly to a student scholarship.

But, I applaud the organizers behind the campaign. From examination of the board members it looks as if the public higher education institutions in the state may have helped organize this effort. More higher education institutions need to run these types of public education campaigns that outline the value of affordable public education and the value of higher education to the state.

It would be a better long-term investment if some alumni donors funded a campaign to convince the public of the value of higher education institutions. This could have a very noticeable affect on how state and federal leaders make funding decisions that impact higher education. Its just like the old saying – “give a person a fish and they eat for a day, teach a person to fish and they eat for life.”