[rewmie]

> I don't see why students can't go to another state to get their education.

As a non-american, I am baffled by this way of thinking. Higher education is supposed to be a way to ensure that a state is self-sufficient in terms of some core competencies by retaining a small number of workers specialized in compiling, developing, and sharing industry knowledge.

Is West Virginia so empoverished that they can't manage to support the two dozen or so teachers required to support an engineering degree?

[morelisp]

As an American, I think freebee56's thinking is very rare - intellectually most people understand the situation as you do, and emotionally flagship state universities engender a strong sense of identity in graduates and state residents, in some states even for those who didn't attend it.