Donna W.

Carney

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The article As Campuses Crumble, Budgets are Crunched by Scott Carlson, discussed how
college administrators are scrambling to come up with ways to handle skyrocketing maintenance
costs at their institutions. Many colleges have buildings that were built in the 1960s and 1970s
that are in need of major repair or replacement. There has also been a building boom on
campuses nationwide and these buildings will soon be in need of major repair. I agree with the
author that inadequate planning is done when the buildings are constructed. We must always
plan ahead so we can be ready for major repairs without depleting our current facilities budget
for unexpected major repairs. We have issues similar to these at my college. We have buildings
that were built in the 1960s that are currently in need of major repairs and upgrades. However,
these repairs are done on an as-needed basis because we do not have the money to do major
upgrades. As far as the future implications on the field of higher education, we need to be
planning and asking where we can obtain revenue for these upcoming repairs and be prepared
with the ability to pay before a major incident occurs.
The article Financing Higher Education Worldwide by Scott Jaschik, discussed how the United
States and other countries receive funding for higher education. The U.S., Japan, China, and
Canada charge some form of tuition fees to students. European countries may have extremely
low tuition fees or no tuition fees at all. Higher education institutions in the United States obtain
significant amounts of revenue from endowment funds. The entire world of higher education is
facing increasing costs as well as increased needs of additional revenue. Students all over the
worldwide have access to numerous loan programs to use for financing their higher education.
Not all of the colleges and universities in the world are as easily accessible as the institutions in
the United States. However, other colleges and universities outside of the United States are
improving their higher education institutions in order to attract more students. I agree that the
United States has a large number of financial aid programs available to students which make
higher education affordable. However, it is unfortunate that not all the possible students in the
world have the same opportunities for higher education as we have in the U.S. The reduction in
state revenues and the need to increase tuition and fees in the U.S. may make it difficult for some
students to attend college; however, there are ways to make the desired education affordable if
the student really wants the degree.
The issue brief Financing Higher Education: A Myriad of Problems, A Myriad of Solutions by
Lkhamsuren, Voloc and Kimmie, discussed how countries are under strong scrutiny due to the
sweeping socio-political changes. The paper discussed higher education in the countries of
Mongolia, South Africa, United States, and the Ukraine. An overview of current policies was
provided which examined the influences on higher education, weaknesses were identified, and
recommendations for improvement were made. I thought the paper was very informative and
provided helpful information on tuition charges and how higher education is financed by other
governments. Suggestions were made for improvements in these four countries. The paper
discussed how important it is to perform a needs analysis when planning higher education policy.
Special populations of students may be disadvantaged when trying to access higher education.

Donna W. Carney

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Of all the policies of higher education finance regarding these four countries, the issues that were
always believed to be pressing and in need of additional work and research were understanding
the countries cultures and politics. I agree with the author that is very important when
discussing policy in higher education finance to understand a countrys culture and it politics.
Culture and politics are drivers in all nations economies. Since most nations contribute in some
way to higher education it is fair to say that politics plays a large part in the furtherance of higher
education. The implications for higher education for all these countries are that politics will
always have a major bearing on revenue for higher education.