The severity of cuts and the unpredictability in state funding for higher education have garnered headlines across the nation since the turn of the present century. In this context, the authors in this new groundbreaking volume argue that too little attention is paid to the consequences of volatility in funding, as most discussions focus on levels of funding. Their research addresses an important blind spot in the academic literature since predictability matters—to institutions, students, families, and states. In addition, the risks of operating in an uncertain financial environment have led to behaviors that are not always in the best interests of states, institutions, faculty, students, or the public good.

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Acknowledgements
• Contents
• Foreword Volatility Is Here to Stay: Public Higher Education Must Broaden Its Responses to Salvage Its Public Mission
• INTRODUCTION Volatility in State Spending for Higher Education
• PART 1 Volatility in State Spending for Higher Education: Duration, Impact on Economic Performance, and Political Determinants
  • 1 Recovery From Cuts: How Long Does It Take for State Spending for Higher Education to Return to Precut Levels?
  • 2 An Analysis of State Economic Performance and State Support for Public Higher Education
  • 3 Examining the Intersection of Gender and Party in Relation to Volatility in Higher Education Funding
• PART 2 Financing Policies for Predictability
  • 4 Reducing Uncertainty: Do State Finance Policies Protect Against Volatility in Higher Education Funding?
  • 5 Can Colleges Win the Lottery? Modeling Volatility in Higher Education Spending From State Lottery Earmark Adoption
• PART 3 State Funding Unpredictability: Its Political Context and Impact on College Completion
  • 6 Political Volatility in State Commitment to College Completion Efforts
  • 7 The Relationship Between Volatility in State Funding and Graduation Rates at Four-Year Public Institutions
• PART 4 State Funding Unpredictability and Outcomes: Student Fees, University Staffing, and Public Research University Productivity
  • 8 Strategies for Closing the Gap? Universities’ Use of Fees and the Volatility in State Appropriations
  • 9 University Staffing in Times of Financial Uncertainty: The Relationship Between Volatility in State Appropriations and Use of Part-Time Faculty
  • 10 Do Changes in State Higher Education Appropriations Affect Public Research University Productivity?
• PART 5 Data Resource
  • 11 Using the State Higher Education Finance Data Set for Research on State Support of Higher Education
  • CONCLUSION The Need for Future Research on Volatility in State Support for Higher Education
• About the Contributors