I disagree. Public colleges and universities are the backbone of our nation’s higher education system, educating roughly 3 out of every 4 college students. They’re simply too important to allow to fall apart when state legislatures fail to step up to the plate to provide adequate funding, as is all too often the case these days. And the best of them, including my undergraduate alma mater the University of Michigan, provide a very high quality education at a comparatively low cost, especially for in-state students. I gladly contribute to Michigan in gratitude for the outstanding education I got there at a price my parents could afford, at a time when top private colleges didn’t offer the generous FA they now provide. And because I believe in the mission and the importance of that university, and I know how much it depends on contributions from alums like me to maintain and build upon its excellence. And because I derive real satisfaction from knowing that I’m “paying it forward” and helping current generations of students enjoy the same kind and quality of educational experience I received.
I also contribute to the wealthy private schools where I got advanced degrees, again in gratitude, though in some ways they and their students are less in need of my money.
I don’t donate to my children’s colleges. Having already given them roughly a quarter of a million each in tuition and fees, I feel I don’t owe them another nickel. So I’ll keep some for my retirement. If my kids want to contribute when they’re financially able, that’s their business.