February 1, 2011 State Support for Education To the Editor:

Re “The Talent Magnet” (column, Jan. 25): 

As someone privileged to lead a very vibrant public university, I applaud David Brooks’s insightful observations about the importance of promoting conditions “where brilliance can happen.” But enabling talent, collaboration and creativity to flourish is difficult when state support for higher education is being reduced so dramatically.

If taxpayers and legislators are unable or unwilling to provide the support essential to keeping our institutions at the forefront in the global innovation economy, then university presidents and governing boards should be given greater autonomy to determine appropriate and reasonable tuition levels. 

At the same time, we need to ensure that when students are asked to invest more in the cost of their educations, there is sufficient financial aid for all of them. This latter issue is one of the most important public policy questions of our time. 

Joe Gow
Chancellor
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
La Crosse, Wis., Jan. 25, 2011