The College Board last week released its 2011 Trends in College Pricing. In the section on institutional finances, the report found, "State appropriations per full-time equivalent (FTE) student declined by 9% in inflation-adjusted dollars between 2007-08 and 2008-09, by 6% in 2009-10, and by 4% in 2010-11. Average tuition and fees at public four-year colleges rose by 9% beyond inflation in 2009-10 and by 7% in 2010-11." The College Board also reported, "The 18% real decline in state appropriations per FTE student from 2007-08 to 2010-11 was the largest three-year decline in the 30 years" of data reporting.
http://trends.collegeboard.org/college_pricing/