It’s a waiting game at Western Illinois University, and one with high stakes. As Illinois’ budget standoff moves into its 11th month, people at the state’s public colleges are wondering: When the state turns on the financial tap, what kind of money will come back? Who will still have a job? What programs will still be open? The impasse in Illinois is particularly drastic, but it is symptomatic of the instability of state support for higher education. That instability has raised fundamental questions about the future of the nation’s regional public universities, which educate nearly 30 percent of Americans who attend a four-year college. What is their role? What should it be? Are they meant to bring a broad, liberal-arts education to the masses, close to home? Or should they hone a utilitarian focus, offering majors designed to funnel graduates straight to ready-made careers in the regional job market?

May 22, 2016 ・ From Chronicle of Higher Education