Reference no: EM132465413

The chair asks all members of the task force to research the state's budget expenditures and the distribution of public funds within higher education and requests that all findings be shared at the next tuition task force meeting. The task force members unanimously agree that this is valuable information to inform the discussion and also asks that each task force member make recommendations about enrollment caps and their effectiveness as a means to influence political entities within the state.

During the initial research phase, a member of the tuition task force discovers a new term, "differential tuition", and shares this with the other members as one idea for the task force to consider. Differential tuition is the practice of using multiple tuition rates within the state and/or within an institution. The chair of the task force asks that the group further explore this option and to bring their recommendations back to the next task force meeting. Additionally, the chair requests that the group share their findings regarding the state's budget expenditures and the methods of distribution for public funds within higher education.

Members of the tuition task force agree that they should further research the practice of differential tuition as well and share their findings with the other members of the task force. The chair of the task force has asked that each member answers to the following questions and share them with the group at the next meeting.

In your first post, provide a detailed breakdown of your state's budget expenditures and the distribution method used for public funds within higher education. Outline the portion of your state's budget that is devoted to higher education. Describe how public funds are distributed among the public institutions in your state. State your opinion of whether the funding mechanism seems to be fair. State how the institutions that receive more funding are different from those that receive less funding. What dollar amount would be required to restore the 15 percent cuts? Describe why you think it is reasonable to restore the funding by cutting other areas. Why, or why not?

In your prior post, you provided a detailed breakdown of your state's budget. In your next post, define differential tuition. Explore whether differential tuition is used within any of the public or private institutions in your state. If so, list the colleges and programs that are more expensive. What possible justifications exist for the use of differential tuition? Is there a difference in tuition between various public institutions in the state where you earned your undergraduate degree? If so, what is the tuition range? Describe the characteristics of the institutions that have higher tuition rates and how they differ from the less expensive institutions.