<p>Funding for higher education in Michigan has long been tenuous. The writing has been on the wall for years now, and public universities have been building up their funds in the event that state funding is seriously curtailed. 20 years ago, when I was in financial aid, MI cut its second-half funding for a state scholarship. Just before 2nd semester started, students learned that they would not be receiving the $1200 second installment of a scholarship that they thought they would be receiving … and schools had to scramble to come to their aid. This year, colleges did not even know how much money they would be receiving from the state until school began! Funding is constantly changing, and schools are aware that this may be getting worse as our state economy continues to decline. These are public universities, and as such they should be funded by the public. If the state wants to legislate the amount of money a school can receive from donors before they have their funding cut, they can do so. In the meantime, the fundraising is icing on the cake. I consider the endowments to be fiscally responsible under the circumstances.</p>