I just returned from the annual meeting of the Council on Social Work Education in San Antonio.  I had the chance to speak with a score of colleagues from around the country about the current fiscal crisis in higher education. 

The surprising result (at least to me) is the striking disparity of experience between public and private universities.  No easy generalization is either accurate or fair, of course, but on the whole, privates are prospering while publics are struggling. 

Some deans at private univesities report record enrollments, revenues, and even faculty/staff raises.  Deans at publics may face increased enrollment demands, but nonetheless are cutting or contracting programs and people under the strain of reduced public appropriations.

My guess is that absent a robust and broad ecnomic recovery, the private windfall is unsustainable.  It may well be another bubble getting ready to burst.  But at least for the moment, we seem to be witnessing yet another instance of "the rich get richer...."