Moreover, legislators should allow one finding, in particular, to shape their budgetary decisions in the coming years.

According to a phone survey of 1,012 Mississippians, which was conducted by Mississippi State University's Social Science Research Center and the University of Mississippi's Social Science Research Lab, a high percentage of state residents is satisfied with the quality of education at Mississippi's 15 community colleges and eight universities.

Among the results:

More than 71 percent of respondents say the education offered at the state's universities and community colleges is on par with the education offered to students in other states.

A similar percentage (71. 2 percent) believe that higher education in Mississippi benefits the entire state, not just those who receive a diploma.

These findings, in and of themselves, are quite encouraging, especially when you consider that higher-education officials have been forced to do more with less in recent years.

Despite fears to the contrary, the survey suggests that the state's higher-education system has managed to hold on to many of the gains it achieved during the mid to late 1990s, when universities and colleges didn't have to fight and claw for every dime they received from the Legislature.

The last three years have been markedly different, however. Beginning in 1999 and continuing through 2001, the Legislature slashed funding for higher education by a whopping $98. 3 million.

The state's universities and colleges can't continue to absorb these drastic cuts without eventually eroding the quality of education and, by extension, the state's economy.

Which is why lawmakers should heed what is arguably the most important finding in the survey:

More than 86 percent of respondents say many Mississippi businesses would not prosper without a quality higher-education system.

A vast majority of poll respondents recognize the direct correlation between a healthy higher-education system and a healthy economy.

Unfortunately, this relationship is lost on some members of the Legislature, who tend to view higher education as a secondary issue and not an essential priority.