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From the plains of the north emerges a reminder of the promises made by our government towards enrichment of public higher education. Public universities are facing huge budget cuts in many states that are cash strapped right from California to Arizona to Florida.

Apart from the Minot flooding which was in the news recently, North Dakota is a state where lawmakers this spring approved the 8.2 percent university budget increase for 2011-13. This is a whopping 18 percent increase from the 2009-11 budgets. Incidentally, this is a state where budgets are allocated for two years in a row.

In other states we come across grim situations where there are class size increases, axed programs and laying off staff and faculty members, North Dakota on the other hand realizes the value of investing in transforming higher education over anything else. A lot of state dollars have been invested by North Dakota towards higher education, much higher than any other state in our country.

Now, more money is set aside in this state for financial aid, professors are awarded with annual raises, job training programs are being created, private industry and university research are being clubbed through funding of centers of excellence and courses are being expanded.

Of course, this state is in a position to make the outsized investment with the help of its oil rich industries. The state as such is said to have a surplus funds of $1 billion and the unemployment rate here is only 2.3 percent. Other states like Florida are certainly not in this enviable position.

As compared to the 15 percent tuition fee increase in states like Florida, North Dakota has only incrementally increased the rates. Though this state had the option of investing oil wealth in tax cuts and road repairs, the fact that they realize the importance of enhancing economic growth and quality of life by investing in higher education is very encouraging.

North Dakota continues to entice newcomers with universities that provide top quality education. New courses in nano-science and applied technology have been created in the North Dakota State College of Science according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. Similarly, programs in engineering, life sciences, nursing and environmental fields have been enhanced by the University of North Dakota.

This state’s economy is today driven by fields related to energy. In keeping with this trend, Bismarck State College has spruced up programs in this field to train more students. Florida’s public universities are however doing inspiring work in job training initiatives, educational programs and research efforts and North Dakota falls short in aspects such as nationally ranked programs, research funded federally and enrolment.

There is a strong connection between economic development and our universities. A $500 million initiative has been announced by our President to pair manufacturing companies with universities and create more job opportunities. Florida’s universities have played a pivotal role in this aspect in industries such as technology, aerospace, agriculture and biomedical.

If Florida wants to be at par with North Dakota, it cannot whittle away at higher education and jeopardize its economic status.