Should a state school…

Should a state school have faculty, staff, and teaching facilities financially well-supported enough that its students can be educated to the highest research university standards? I think that may be the fundamental question facing my university (and the people of Illinois who express their opinions about state funding priorities) right now.

Because if your answer is 'no, providing a first-class education at a state school is not our priority,' then what you're actually saying is that only the rich kids deserve the best education -- and consequently, the best jobs. Only the children of lawyers, doctors, financiers, and those with inherited wealth get to go on to become lawyers, doctors, financiers, and accumulate wealth.

Creating and supporting a research 1 state university (with tuitions heavily subsidized by the state) is, by its very nature, an incredible step towards social justice.