MSU TRENDS

As tuition has increased at higher education institutions across the country, MSU has followed suit. Over the last few years, MSU has also had a series of funding "crises". These trends prompted a group of faculty, including yours truly, to begin to question whether the "usual suspects" (increasing undergraduate education costs and declining taxpayer support) were really the culprits. The links on this page document the results of those inquires.

The original position paper (see below) has been updated to reflect changes through 1998.
Note that the instructional expenditures for 1998 are estimates from budget data.
Acrobat (pdf) version (76-98) here.

Affordability has become increasingly important for many Montanans.
You will find a brief exposition of the issue here.
Acrobat (pdf) version here.

A presentation was made to the regents in the fall of 1997.
    The trends were documented and an argument was made for full disclosure and other reforms.
    You can find a somewhat better, active-X version here.
    Acrobat (pdf) version here.

Our initial efforts in 1997 culminated in a position paper based on trends from 1976 to 1996.
Acrobat (pdf) version here.

You can get the Adobe Acrobat (pdf) reader

here