For those of you who are unaware, Northern Kentucky University is facing a major issue with the Commonwealth of Kentucky. NKU is currently underfunded by the state to the tune of $10.7 million when compared to comparable institutions.
I get it; some of you are probably thinking, “Well NKU must not be a very successful school if the state won’t fund them.” That’s incorrect. NKU has consistently been ranked by Forbes as one of America’s Top Colleges. We have over 200 campus organizations, we have an incredible Informatics program, and we are about to construct a brand new Health Innovation Center.
So what is going on? Why can’t we get the funding we so rightfully deserve? If you read President Geoffrey Mearns' recent article regarding this topic, you already know the answer. The truth is, the state of Kentucky doesn’t care how successful our campus is. In fact, it doesn’t matter how progressive we are as a university; our funding will not change.
The Commonwealth does not use outcomes-based funding when allocating money to its universities. What that means is that the state does not take into account how successful a university is when deciding its funding. That is astronomical. It is absolutely absurd. If Kentucky does not recognize and reward the success NKU has had over the past two decades, how can we expect it to continue? Our funding deficit is incredibly significant. To put it in perspective, $10.7 million is the equivalent of more than 2,000 student scholarships. Two thousand more students could potentially receive scholarships if our university received adequate funding.
Outcomes-based funding is an absolute necessity for the growth of not only NKU, but also Western Kentucky University, who is underfunded by $5 million according to the Council on Post-Secondary Education. The universities in Kentucky should not have to sit around each year, hoping they will receive enough funding from the state. Give us the opportunity to earn decent funding.
In all truthfulness, this could come back to be an issue for NKU. In the event that our university begins to regress, we very well could lose money if outcomes-based funding is implemented. But this is more about principle. Whether we thrive or whether we falter, let it be by our own doing; not by the pen of a legislator who has never stepped foot on our campus.
We deserve better. NKU deserves better. I’m not trying to be the opponent of the Commonwealth of Kentucky; far from it, in fact. But we have to stand up for our university. As students and as community members, it is our duty to make sure this doesn’t fall by the wayside. If NKU is to succeed in the future, we need to have the funding to do so.
