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Legislature allows hikes that may cost hundreds
By Carol Biliczky
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Tuesday, Jul 14, 2009
If state universities take advantage of the chance to hike tuition, students' bills could grow a couple of hundred dollars over the next year.
At Kent State, a 3.5 percent increase — the maximum permitted by the Ohio General Assembly — would cost full-time in-state undergraduates about $244 a year.
That would bring the total for tuition and mandatory fees to $8,674, 55 percent more than in 2000, according to Beacon Journal calculations.
Unlike their competitors, administrators at the eight-campus KSU system held off any action on tuition or their yearly budget until the legislature acted.
Meanwhile, administrators at other universities are scrambling.
Cleveland State University trustees will meet July 23 and could repeal their freeze for the fall semester. The university administration is recommending that they maintain the freeze, John J. Boyle III, CSU's vice president for business affairs and finance, said by e-mail.
At KSU, President Lester Lefton has expressed worry about how much the university will get from the state, especially since the school lost $2.2 million in 2007-08, the first operating loss in its history.
In March, Lefton said the university was on track to lose $3.2 million in 2008-09.
Trustees will meet at 3:30 p.m. today to discuss the 2009-10 budget, as well as possible raises for nonunion employees and tuition — topics that normally would have been handled in April or May.
At the University of Akron, trustees froze tuition and eliminated nonunion employee raises for the 2009-10 school year in April.
The university already has sent out bills for the fall semester with tuition at the same level as fall 2006, the last year it was increased.
However students have seen higher bills along the way.
Like other tax-supported universities in Ohio, UA raised fees for all students and increased charges for graduate and out-of-state students. None of that was covered in the two-year agreement with the state to freeze tuition in exchange for more money from the state.
In a news release Monday, John Case, UA vice president for finance and administration, said the university would take an ''analytic approach'' on what to do.
He said he is scrutinizing the budget to see where UA can ''improve efficiencies'' and would submit recommendations to university trustees.
UA spokeswoman Laura Massie said there were no plans for a special trustee meeting before the next scheduled one Aug. 5, 19 days before the start of the fall semester.
A 3.5 percent increase at UA would bring undergraduate tuition and fees for two semesters to $8,866, 38 percent more than in 2000, according to Beacon Journal calculations.
Carol Biliczky can be reached at 330-996-3729 or cbiliczky@thebeaconjournal.com.
If state universities take advantage of the chance to hike tuition, students' bills could grow a couple of hundred dollars over the next year.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Front Line, KC
Posted 07:31 AM, 07/14/2009
this must be part of obama's making college affordable for all plan.
Posted 08:10 AM, 07/14/2009
How much have the politicians spent with their wars? Seems to me money would be better spent on education than the military.
Akron, OH
Posted 08:10 AM, 07/14/2009
@Akroudy - I was thinkin' the same thing. Apparently Ohio and it's Universities weren't let in on the big plan.
UNIONTOWN, OH
Posted 08:17 AM, 07/14/2009
HEADLINE: Mob attack obviously about race
NO JUSTICE NO PEACE! NO JUSTICE NO PEACE! NO JUSTICE NO PEACE!
peninsula, oh
Posted 08:18 AM, 07/14/2009
Thank a republican.
Akron, OH
Posted 08:26 AM, 07/14/2009
I hear it from my employer, students coming out of college want a starting salary the same as someone who has been in the industry for 10-15 years. It's no wonder, with students coming out of college with over $100,000 in debt, they want a high salary. I look back just 20 years ago and thought paying $3,600/year for college was a lot. Now even making a decent salary, I could not afford to go back to school for a Master degree or PhD: I could not afford my mortgage, utilities, car payment and pay back the college debt that people face today. I can't imagine what people will be paying for a degree in another 10 years? I like to be an optimist, but soon only those families making seven digit earnings will be able to put their kids through college. Then again, that might be what the politicians want.
Question to other parents out there with kids, are you worried about how they are going to be able to afford anything by the time they hit their twenties?
Akron, OH
Posted 08:38 AM, 07/14/2009
I love how the ABJ starts off this article: "If state universities take advantage of the chance to hike tuition...."
Take advantage of the chance? The universities just had $170 MILLION DOLLARS in funding taken away. What do we all propose they do? Fire half of everyone on campus? How are the public colleges and universities supposed to offset that much money WITHOUT HAVING to raising tuition? There is no choice for them!
We should all be glad we HAVE public colleges and universities. Look at the tuition charged at private institutions of higher learning and then tell me that you wouldn't be willing to pay an extra $300 or so a year for your education.
It kills me that Obama is telling everyone that we should all go to college, that the U.S. needs college graduates so badly to remain competitive, then he throws BILLIONS at the automakers while we have to cut $170 MILLION DOLLARS from higher education.
We as a nation have our priorities out of whack. I say we stop spending billions on saving big business, stop spending billions fighting other countries' wars, and put some of our hard-earned money back into our hometowns.
Akron, OH
Posted 08:51 AM, 07/14/2009
Besides, I THINK the public instutitions always had the choice to take the state funding OR raise tuition. In order to keep tuition as low as possible, they always chose the funding.
Wish the ABJ had investigated and reported on that angle.......
Posted 09:08 AM, 07/14/2009
Ohio public universities are among the least affordable in the nation, and this is why. Colleges need to cut out discretionary spending first, then I might feel bad for them losing money.
Akron, OH
Posted 09:24 AM, 07/14/2009
The problem with making college affordable for all is that not everyone is cut out for college. This isn't a putdown, simply a statement of fact.
For some reason, we look down our noses at folks who have blue collar jobs or other jobs that don't require a four-year degree. Folks feel obligated to go to school, and colleges don't turn anyone down.
A wife of a friend has racked up close to 60,000 in student loan debt. She has had to take classes three times to get the required grades to get into the program she wants. Some of theses classes are first year algebra.
Now, 60k later, she has capped out her debt limit and can't continue. So, 60k wasted and still stuck making ten bucks an hour. Guess who will pay the bill? You and me.
The fact is, the government should assist with a college education if it is going to get its money back several times over through higher taxes. It should not be a charity where everyone gets a free ride.
We should also stop sending our blue-collar jobs overseas so someone who is willing to work hard, but not cut out for college can still make a living wage.
akron, oh
Posted 11:59 AM, 07/14/2009
And this is news.
Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Posted 01:31 PM, 07/14/2009
I don't understand who exactly will be attending these universities... unless all the students plan to bail on their student loans after graduation, saddling the government with further debt.
Posted 05:35 PM, 07/14/2009
Something's wrong with this equation. Take away any form of job traing from High School telling all students that a college education is the only way to have a chance at a job. Next make a college education unaffordable.
akron, oh
Posted 06:04 PM, 07/14/2009
@Akroudy: This isn't about Obama. This bs is on the State level.
