Universities ask to be included in federal stimulus

Representatives from 36 different institutions of higher learning, including three Big 12 Conference schools, asked President-Elect Barack Obama on Tuesday to consider the needs of higher education in any stimulus plan.The letter ran as an advertisement in the Tuesday editions of The New York Times, Washington Post and Boston Globe.It included signatories representing the University of Colorado at Boulder, the University of Nebraska and the University of Texas system. KU did not sign on to the letter.”As Congress and the Executive Branch consider an economic stimulus initiative, it is critical that any legislation include a substantial investment in states and their educational systems, particularly public higher education,” the letter reads. “That investment initially should focus on infrastructure: building essential classroom and research buildings and equipping them with the latest technologies.”