Those on Beacon Hill and at our state colleges and universities are constantly making the case that an investment in public higher education is an investment in the future of the commonwealth.
And those at Salem State University have the figures to back it up. According to the latest edition of the school's alumni magazine, Salem Statement, 40,253 of its 50,408 graduates reside in Massachusetts. Of those, more than half (21,610) live in Essex County.
These are impressive numbers and might help account for the strong support the school receives from members of the region's legislative delegation who were instrumental in the drive to gain Salem State university status and who continue to lobby for new facilities like the new library on which construction is scheduled to begin shortly.
For years the state's university system, state colleges and community colleges lived in the shadow of the many prestigious private institutions of higher learning that draw students from around the country, even the world, to the commonwealth. The problem is that many are here for four years and then leave to start lives elsewhere.
But attitudes are beginning to change, and there's a new realization that investing in public higher education can reap great benefits in terms of the quality of life and opportunities for economic growth locally.
"Students are flocking to our public institutions because they recognize the access to high quality instruction and training available," according to Fred Clark, CEO of the State University System Council of Presidents. In other words, Massachusetts families are discovering they can receive a first-rate education without breaking the bank.
Clark's comments followed the announcement two weeks ago that an additional $55 million in federal stimulus money was being directed to the state's 29 public universities and colleges, bringing the total since 2009 to more than $350 million. It's one of the more worthwhile uses of this money.
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