The U.S. Supreme Court struck down an appeal by the University of Wisconsin, Madison on Monday on a previous ruling that would require public universities to allow student fees to fund religious activities related to prayer or proselytizing, Inside Higher Ed reported. Several national higher education groups, including the American Council on Education, supported the university by arguing that the lower court's decision violates the separation of church and state. The majority opinion of the Court of Appeals explained that if state universities fund student activities, they cannot exclude religious-based groups, according to Inside Higher Ed. Wisconsin, however, argued that schools are able to decide which activities to support based on educational concerns. Although the Supreme Court ruling does not imply an endorsement of the lower court's decision, the Court of Appeals's ruling will remain in effect in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin, the three states covered by the Seventh Circuit, Inside Higher Ed reported.
Funds for the four state universities in Pennsylvania will be cut in half under the $27.3-billion state budget 2011-2012 announced by Gov. Tom Corbett, R-Pa., Tuesday morning, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, which includes 14 universities and Pennsylvania State University's multiple campuses, will also lose 50 percent of its funding. Penn State officials interviewed by the Post-Gazette said the plan is "catastrophic" and an "apparent push toward privatization of public higher education," the Post-Gazette reported. The plan creates a "more limited but vigorous government" and was constructed "with honesty and restraint," Corbett said in a press release. The budget, which reduces overall state spending by $866 million, back to 2008-2009 expenditure levels, allows Corbett to maintain his promise not to raise taxes, the Post-Gazette reported.
A California state legislative committee is currently drafting legislation to prevent students at for-profit institutions with high student loan default rates from receiving grants from the state financial aid office, Inside Higher Ed reported. This legislation comes in response to complaints from officials from public universities regarding discrepancies in funding between students at their schools and those attending private colleges and universities. Students at for-profit institutions in California can receive up to $9,708 annually from the state's financial aid program, while students at state universities can receive no more than $4,884. The state legislative committee's proposal will seek to find a compromise between the status quo and calls to entirely eliminate aid to students at for-profit colleges. For-profit institutions contend that the legislation's focus on loan defaults unfairly affects their institutions, Inside Higher Ed reported.
