Higher Education Chancellor To Legislators: Just Pretend Like You’re Not Really Spending Money

Unbelievable:

BISMARCK – In a Wednesday overview for the North Dakota University System budget bill, Senate Bill 2003, chancellor Bill Goetz urged lawmakers to look at the budget requests more as policy issues than budget issues.
“The success of the university system does not rest just with the people in the university system but also with legislators,” he said. He commended the 2007 Legislature for the past university budget, which he said allowed the system to “continue to build on prior successes.”

“Build on prior success” of course means a roughly 40% budget increase once Hoeven’s proposed 39% hike in spending is coupled with the additional $12.4 million in spending the University System wants lest they be forced to make good on their threat to raise tuition again.
With tuition rate increasing at double digit rates, and state appropriations to higher education also growing at double digit rates, it’s hard to imagine why such heavy increases in spending are necessary. The only argument I can get out of people who support this foolishness is “it’s higher education, and you can’t oppose higher education.”
Which is nonsense. Let’s hope the legislators reject Goetz’s self-serving counsel and budget responsibly.