Senate taps millions more for higher ed

03/23/2007

The bill would mean a U tuition increase of more than 5 percent; MnSCU would stick to its planned 4 percent hike.


By Norman Draper,
Star Tribune
Last update: March 22, 2007


The Minnesota Senate Thursday passed a $3.1 billion two-year higher education finance bill that provides new money to public colleges and universities but doesn't stem rising tuition. It's the first big appropriations bill to pass either the House or Senate this year.

The bill allocates $137 million in new money to the University of Minnesota and $136 million to Minnesota Colleges and Universities (MnSCU). That's about $45 million less than requested by the university and $41 million short of MnSCU's request.

The new money covers inflationary expenses and puts new money into technology, student aid programs and other areas, said chief sponsor Sandy Pappas, DFL-St. Paul. But Pappas said she was disappointed the bill did nothing to shift the burden of college costs from students and back to the state.

"We made no progress in returning to the traditional two-thirds, one-third split -- two-thirds being paid by the state and one-third by the students," she said. "We're closer to a 50-50 split now."

Two amendments aimed at freezing or reining in tuition were defeated. One, which proposed limiting tuition increases to 3 percent a year, was turned down by only a three-vote margin.

MnSCU system spokeswoman Linda Kohl said the bill wouldn't change MnSCU's plan to hold tuition increases to 4 percent over the next two years. But Richard Pfutzenreuter, university vice president and chief financial officer, said it would cause the school to abandon some of its academic initiatives and raise tuition 5.5 percent, instead of the 4.5 percent in the university's budget request.

The bill includes a Dream Act provision, which allows children of illegal immigrants to attend state colleges and universities at in-state, instead of more expensive out-of-state, tuition rates. It also attempts to control hefty college textbook costs by setting up a pilot textbook rental program and requiring bookstores and professors to give students more information about less costly curriculum alternatives.

A higher education spending bill is still being put together in a House committee.