From the Editor Hardships in Higher Ed

For loyal ACUP attendees, this year's Association of College and University Printers conference couldn't come soon enough. Most of the educational community has faced a very tough year.

Budget deficits in nearly every state have lowered appropriations to schools, forcing them to cut budgets. Even private schools have watched revenue drop due to decreasing enrollment. As a result, university departments have less money to spend on printing. When they do spend it, they're being careful to shop around for the best deal. And with commercial printers slashing prices, that deal is not always at the in-plant. So volumes have dropped, while in-plant overhead costs have not.