Higher education is a critical engine for driving our state economy. Much of what is vital in Minnesota business, from agricultural production to mining to medical devices, comes directly from research and education conducted at our universities. Investment in educating skilled workers and in research to push technology and knowledge forward gives our state a competitive advantage and creates the key businesses of the future.
Higher education is also critical for retaining and recruiting young people to our state. Research shows that the location of colleges, training programs and graduate programs is one of the largest factors in young people’s choice of where to locate and pursue their careers.
Higher education is one of the most important factors in economic opportunity for young people, especially for young people from working-class and minority backgrounds. Skills learned through higher education open opportunities for upward mobility.
For more than a decade we have been failing in our commitment to higher education. Between 2009 and 2013, the Legislature decreased the share of the Minnesota state budget spent on higher education from 10.4 percent to 4.7 percent, reducing per-student funding by almost $2,200. State funding for the University of Minnesota has declined by 40 percent since 2002. This reduction in state funding has led to increases in tuition of $1,700 per student at Minnesota public institutions.
Where Minnesota was once a focus of excellence in higher education and research, and where once Minnesota higher education was structured to guarantee opportunity for
working-class students, in the past 15 years, we have seen our commitment to those things falter. Tuition costs are rising to levels pricing higher education out of reach for many Minnesota families. Research programs have weakened. The national reputation of many of our higher-education programs has slipped. This all leads to less opportunity for young Minnesotans, an increase in our kids leaving the state for opportunities elsewhere never to return and a decrease in the inflow of young people from other states. It also leads to a weakening of the quality and the amount of research, risking our history of incubation of strong businesses employing cutting-edge knowledge.
Minnesota is now a leader in high value-added industry. We’re first in the entire Midwest and one of the top states in the country. If we want this to continue, and if we want to continue to have education and jobs that retain and attract young people, we need to renew our state commitment to higher education and research, both in principle and financially. This is an investment that is much more important for the economic future of our state than cutting property taxes for corporations that will take that money to other states and countries or decreasing taxes for very wealthy individuals. In the long run, investment in our future will lead to greater wealth for our state than those other choices. It already does. Minnesota has one of the highest incomes per person in the country, incomes that give Minnesotans higher take-home pay than low-tax states.
As an economist and faculty member at the University of Minnesota Duluth, I understand the value of investing in our education system. I know Minnesotans understand the importance of high-quality educational institutions and are willing to support them. We need to invest in making higher education affordable so everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We need to invest in education and research to ensure our state’s success and create the return dividends that will recapture that investment. That is how all of us will do well.
Rep. Jennifer Schultz of Duluth represents District 7A in the Minnesota House.
Meet with Schultz
State Rep. Jennifer Schultz of Duluth is available for coffee with constituents on Thursday afternoons or by appointment. Please email her at rep.jennifer.schultz@house.mn or call her at (651) 296-2228 to arrange an appointment.