http://www.djournal.com/pages/story.asp?ID=229080&pub=1&div=Opinion

EDITORIAL: University needs

Mississippi's universities have endured a long period of what can only be described as financial neglect by the Legislature.

They got a little more attention in the 2006 session, but not enough to offset six years of budget cuts and an annually shrinking percentage of the general fund budget. Most of the $90 million increase for the current fiscal year went to faculty salary increases - the first, in most cases, in five years.

Legislative appropriations to universities hit their highest mark for fiscal year 2000, and no state programs or institutions have taken the kind of hits universities have since. ...