Since their introduction in the United States, state universities have served as the foundation for higher and continuing education. However, economic downturns and state budgeting threaten the accessibility of these institutions.

“In tough economic times, some people think it is easier to cut funding to higher education because it has a tuition revenue stream that K-12 doesn’t have,” Jim Palmer, a professor of higher education at Illinois State University, told Reuters in a recent news story.

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