Education as a special interest

The Chronicle of Higher Education reports:

Colleges and other educational entities spent more than $102-million in 2008 to lobby Congress and federal agencies, placing education seventh highest on a list of industries ranked by the Center for Responsive Politics. The overwhelming majority of the spending by educational entities came from higher education rather than from elementary and secondary education.

Within the education “industry,” the State University of New York system spent the most on lobbying in 2008 — a total of $1.6-million — and was just one of three higher-education institutions to spend more than $1-million last year. Corinthian Colleges spent $1.3-million, and the University of Texas spent close to $1.2-million. . . .