Thanks to UFF’s advocacy efforts, Florida’s funding isn’t the worst. States without staff and faculty unions have seen steeper declines in state investment, such as Louisiana, where higher-ed funding declined $5,500 per student, corrected for inflation, between 2008 and 2020. Meanwhile, in states where faculty and staff regularly speak to legislators, through their unions, public colleges and universities are more likely to see improved investment. In Illinois, for example, state funding increased by nearly $5,400 per student.