More state money will improve Purdue

The Indiana House Ways and Means Committee voted to give Purdue more money instead of less.

To give you an idea of what the situation is like, imagine you're watching the Weather Channel one night and its forecaster predicts heavy thunderstorms for the next day. The next morning you walk outside in your coat with your umbrella ready only to find the sun shining and the birds singing.

That's a little like how it feels to be Purdue right now.

Many expected a tight state budget to decrease its funds to Purdue in the next two years. Preparations are being made to deal with the forecast of less state funding.

However, the committee has voted in favor of giving Purdue even more money.

The budget still has to be voted on and accepted in the House, then proposed and accepted in the Senate Finance Committee, then voted on and accepted in the entire Senate, before being finalized between representatives from the House and the Senate.

There's still a long way to go for The Bigger Budget That Could, but this first step is promising.

It is in the best interest of the legislature to increase the funds given to Purdue. The money would go to salaries and supplies.

Much of the quality of education that Purdue is known for comes from its people. Like any luxury, well-supplied professors at the top of their respective fields are expensive to keep on staff.

But these professors are a large reason for the quality of education associated with a Purdue degree. That quality draws students to Purdue, which draws more revenue to Indiana.

Indiana has increasing numbers of high school graduates attending college, with 61 percent of Indiana seniors seeking higher education. Many will look to state universities for college, but others will need to be enticed by the quality of programs and prestige that comes from a good university.

Write or call your representatives and tell them that investing more in Purdue is investing more in you and investing more in Indiana.

n Editorial Board: Keith Thomas, Tom McHenry, Melissa Davis and Laura Pelner.

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