As if Arizona's apathy toward higher education wasn't embarrassing enough, last week's announcement that ex-UA professor Vernon Smith was named a Nobel Prize winner in economics should be the academic equivalent of a 2x4 to the head for every lawmaker in the state.

Smith left the UA in the summer of 2001 for more money and better research opportunities at Virginia's George Mason University. He has become the poster child for the UA's "brain drain," the loss of high-profile faculty to higher-paying institutions.

Smith's honor came in large part for the 25 years of work he conducted here, but because the UA wasn't able to adequately fund his research, he decided to pack up and head east at a time when many believed his Nobel Prize nomination was imminent.

It would be easy to blame the UA for Smith's loss. But the university can't create money, and it takes lots to keep top-flight professors.

That money should come from the Legislature and tuition, but neither of those sources has been very productive in recent years.

More state money would make the university more attractive to top professors, as well as private donors, whose contributions are vital to the success of any university.

Until lawmakers are willing to prioritize universities and regents are willing to permit a significant tuition increase, the UA will keep losing brilliant minds and the prestige they bring with them.

Some administrators have said that Smith's loss means the UA will lose out on millions of dollars in potential grants.

The newly-proposed "Focused Excellence" plan will probably help slow the brain drain.

The university will likely be able to direct more money toward the professors and departments it values most.

But until Arizona lawmakers make a real commitment to higher education, it is likely that researchers of Smith's caliber will continue to flock to better-equipped institutions, a loss that would hinder any further attempts at excellence.