The examination of the relationship between fundraising and changes in state support was based on an understanding of public choice theory, which is rooted in political economy and used to determine social preferences in 'allocation of resources through the legislative process achieve maximum social benefit (Herber, 1983). The theory evolved over time with the central research of Buchanan and Tullock (1967) examining individual economic preferences demonstrated across the political system, establishing an approach to analyzing political decision making. The focus of public choice theory in the context of the proposed research questions is on decision-making costs in terms of offsetting increases in fundraising to achieve consensus. This incorporates the direct cost involved in financing, or not financing, higher education, the opportunity costs of bargaining through the political process, and the trade-offs between competing public demands (Herber, 1983). The company may follow non-strategic behaviors to enable collective decisions (Herber). Decision costs become the result of public choice bargaining to reach an agreement; Public choice involves making decisions within a dynamic context of higher education as a public good, particularly when examining the relationship between fundraising and state support (Buchanan & Tullock, 1967). Constitutional Economics Within public choice theory is the concept of constitutional economics which explains the rules relating to the legislative process that restrict the role of government and the scope of its decisions (Buchanan & Tullock, 1967). Buchanan and Tullock (1967) espoused the operational phase of legislation that arises from constitutional limitations. The pro budget… at the heart of the document… supports the college's mission. At the opposite end of the continuum is unlimited vision. The unconstrained view believes that people's nature and institutions can be improved (Sowell, 1987). The unconstrained view welcomes direct government intervention for the good of society (Sowell, 1987). Equating Sowell's view to public choice theory, there is much similarity between the unconstrained view and how an individual classifies higher education as a public good (Sowell, 1987; Ostrom, 1975). This research aims to find the relationship between the change in fundraising and the change in public financing of higher education. In trying to determine how politicians choose to fund higher education, recognizing politicians' views of people and institutions will help understand how they might respond to funding scenarios.