Satrom Critical Of Hoeven’s University “Excellence Centers”
Joe Satrom, one of the Democratic candidates for the governorship, has been critical of Governor Hoeven's wishes to spend an additional $50 million on campus "centers of excellence."
From the Fargo Forum:
I agree with Satrom, in part. I don't agree with Hoeven's wishes to spend even more money on a program that hasn't really lived up to its intentions, but I don't agree that the money should be diverted to more state grants for college students.
Satrom thinks tuitions are too high yet he doesn't seem to grasp the fact that one of the reasons Teutons are so high is that the government keeps increasing the number of grants and loans available for college students.
The colleges have taken on an attitude that is similar to the health care industry. They keep raising their prices because they know it isn't the average citizen who is footing the bill. At least not directly.
In the case of the health-care industries, insurance companies are paying the big bills. In the case of higher education, its the government at both the state and federal levels.
If Satrom is really interested in seeing college tuition lowered he'd take a good hard look at why the tuitions are so high in the first place. Increasing the amount of grant money has been the politician's solution for rising tuition prices for the last thirty years.
Its time for some fresh thinking.
From the Fargo Forum:
The $50 million that Gov. John Hoeven wants to spend on campus "centers of excellence" should be used to offset tuition increases, Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Joe Satrom said Wednesday at Fargo.
Satrom said if elected governor he would use the money to triple the state grant program for college students. Only 10.6 percent of the program's 24,492 applicants were funded last year, he said.
"It's, I think, a sad indication of a system gone awry that we're increasing tuition so dramatically at a time when we're also really most concerned about our students leaving the state," said Satrom, speaking at his alma mater, North Dakota State University.
The former state senator, farmer and Bismarck businessman was especially critical of Hoeven's plan for the Department of Commerce to oversee the centers of excellence.
"It's a department that needs really careful scrutiny, it's been highly politicized, it has weak leadership and it needs attention just for its basic programs in economic development, let alone the absurdity of giving it $50 million more so that it has an oar in higher education," Satrom said.
I agree with Satrom, in part. I don't agree with Hoeven's wishes to spend even more money on a program that hasn't really lived up to its intentions, but I don't agree that the money should be diverted to more state grants for college students.
Satrom thinks tuitions are too high yet he doesn't seem to grasp the fact that one of the reasons Teutons are so high is that the government keeps increasing the number of grants and loans available for college students.
The colleges have taken on an attitude that is similar to the health care industry. They keep raising their prices because they know it isn't the average citizen who is footing the bill. At least not directly.
In the case of the health-care industries, insurance companies are paying the big bills. In the case of higher education, its the government at both the state and federal levels.
If Satrom is really interested in seeing college tuition lowered he'd take a good hard look at why the tuitions are so high in the first place. Increasing the amount of grant money has been the politician's solution for rising tuition prices for the last thirty years.
Its time for some fresh thinking.
