Nate Johnson : Measuring Inequality in Higher Education Funding

The United States spends about six percent of its GDP directly or indirectly on a system of postsecondary education that includes 6,000 public and private institutions and awards four million degrees annually. In spite of the progressive beliefs and political positions of most who lead or work within that system, it continues to be organized and funded in ways that widen rather than reduce social and economic equality.
My presentation will provide an overview of the sources and destinations of funding in U.S. higher education, including resource allocation at different levels (federal, state, system, institution, administrative/ academic unit). I will outline some hypotheses about where along that continuum the resource inequalities are widest and why, and conclude by inviting discussion of how other countries' financing systems provide alternatives or are subject to the same challenges.

Nate Johnson is the principal consultant at Postsecondary Analytics, a consulting firm in Florida, and is resident in Lyon as the spouse of Collegium fellow Aimée Boutin. He provides strategic advice and research to state governments, institutions of higher education, and nongovernmental organizations.