Economic Problems and the Future of Higher Education.

By Cynthia Herbert Adams and David D. Palmer T IS BETTER TO BE I mentally ill, and college I educated, than to just be ■ mentally ill" was a favorite I expression of a former psy^Jk» chiatrist at the University of Connecticut. He was explaining why Student Health Services put so much time and effort into keeping even quite disturbed students matriculating. Of course, this quote is reminiscent of the 1980s. The economic conditions of today have helped change how we view the disadvantaged and any group or educational function not thought essential. In response to this crisis the price of a public higher education has soared while the quality and diversity of the product have dropped. Nationally, higher education is receiving a shrinking share of the state pie. The number of available course majors and options has declined, student/ teacher ratios have increased, library acquisitions have decreased, maintenance and renovation of the universities' facili-