University enrollment

After an era of expansion that mirrored the state’s explosive population and economic growth, Nevada’s two public universities got official word this week that their enrollments are declining. But what would seem like worse news piled on top of bad, given the prospect of budget cuts amid the state’s flat tax collections, actually has a silver lining.

UNLV and UNR have long had an open-door admissions policy. For years, lecture halls have been packed with academically unprepared high school graduates who lower the quality of education for more dedicated students. Eventually, these underachievers drop out.

But university administrators have tolerated their enrollment because each warm body nets thousands of dollars in state subsidies. Enrollment-based funding has brought predictable revenue growth to each campus over the years, but academic mediocrity came with it.

Credit the university system with finally taking steps to end this cycle. UNLV and UNR stopped offering remedial math and English classes to freshmen who lack basic proficiencies. This year, the first meaningful upgrade in admission standards took effect, requiring incoming freshmen to have at least a 2.75 cumulative grade-point average in high school. And next fall, high school graduates will need at least a 3.0 GPA to get into UNLV and UNR.

If that leads to a further decline in enrollment at the universities by diverting more students to community colleges, all the better for the higher education system and Nevada’s taxpayers. Pushing undeserving students into academic environments that offer no chance for success is a waste of state resources. If UNLV and UNR ever want to attain a decent regional reputation, this is a good start.

Of course, that’s going to leave the universities with less state money under enrollment-based funding. It’s hard for system officials to argue that after years of operating under this formula, they can’t possibly get by with less money for a smaller student body. The public won’t be sympathetic when they realize faculty are guaranteed generous annual pay raises for teaching a couple of classes per semester — especially when only half the system’s students actually complete their studies and receive a diploma.

“I think the whole funding formula needs to be re-examined,” said Chancellor Jim Rogers, who is talking with lawmakers about substantially increasing student fees. “It was always based on bodies delivered, rather than the quality of the bodies.”

Those are reasonable suggestions. But Mr. Rogers and other state officials should keep in mind that students will agree to pay more only if they think they’re getting something of comparable value in return.