Loans Should Count As College Funding

Aren't government-backed student loans a de facto form of government assistance to colleges?

Sept. 4, 2013 11:11 a.m. ET

While I applaud Robert Gates and David Boren ("Public Colleges Boost Economic Growth," op-ed, Aug. 27) for drawing attention to the importance of education in the global economy, I disagree with their view on the level of government support for university costs. They offer detailed numbers on government support for university budgets and demonstrate how it has fallen since 1980. What they don't consider, however, is the growth in government tuition-assistance programs. Isn't giving dollars to students under de facto government guarantees and low interest rates a contributing source of government assistance?...

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