Yet another situation similar to one in Utah — but perhaps with a slightly different solution — came from state Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, a three-term Washington Democrat. She suggested that states help fund private institutions that help take the burden of unfunded enrollment growth off the shoulders of state colleges and universities.

Last count Utah had 10,000 students in the public higher education system who were being funded solely by tuition and school budgets with no state help — that's compared to Washington's 18,000 unfunded students, according to Kohl-Welles.

Utah lawmakers last session did find $4.6 million for 770 new students, a dent in the almost $40 million enrollment growth funding gap that has widened over the past three years.

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