Education, public policy and innovation

A recent New York Times opinion discussion noted that top French academics are coming to the U.S. to enjoy the increased salaries, freedom and competitive energy our academic environment provides. Many believe that our universities, with their competition and vast bank accounts, are somewhat responsible for the American culture of innovation -- think Stanford and Silicon Valley, or MIT and Harvard and the Boston biotech industry.

But in a time of decreased government funding for education and research, someone has to fund this innovation. The skyrocketing costs of tuition leave little room for doubt as to who is funding the continued progress of American academia. (Some universities raised tuition 15% this school year.)

The burden that major research universities levy on their students in the form of debt is unsustainable in the long-term. But the debt our own government is facing makes increased federal support for innovation a challenging proposition. Who should pay to create and maintain an academic environment that fosters innovation?