GREAT FALLS – The governor is urging the Board of Regents to vote on Friday for a tuition freeze at Montana’s schools, despite pleas from some students and administrators who are worried about cuts.
University officials have proposed an increase — while Gov. Brian Schweitzer is calling on the schools to hold tuition steady for students during a national economic meltdown.
“The difference between five or 10 million in a billion-dollar budget is not quality,” Schweitzer told the Board of Regents on Thursday. “Surely there can be a little contraction in a balloon without the balloon having a hole in it and flying away.”
Still, faculty and student government representatives also appeared before the regents to advocate raising tuition to forestall cuts to services and programs.
“This is an investment in education and I haven’t heard that anywhere in the whole discussion,” said Andrew Ware, chair of the faculty senate for the University of Montana.
The seven-member Board of Regents, which is meeting in Great Falls, appears to be divided over whether to increase college costs for 2010 and 2011.
“If we continue to increase our cost structure and the economy does not right itself in the next two years, the decisions are going to be even harder,” said Regent Todd Buchanan, who plans to vote against any rise.
Regents Janine Pease and Lila Taylor also spoke against raising tuition for in-state residents. But Regents Stephen Barrett, Clayton Christian and Mitch Jessen, who represents students on the board, said they would consider a tuition increase. Regent Lynn Morrison-Hamilton, who could end up being a tiebreaker, remains undecided.
“The purpose of the stimulus money was to try to preserve jobs and keep people working,” said Barrett, who noted that about 140 people would lose their jobs if tuition stays flat.
Barrett plans to introduce a motion Friday for a 3 percent tuition increase at the state’s flagship schools — Montana State University-Bozeman and University of Montana-Missoula — but other proposals are also afoot.
One being pitched by University of Montana President George Dennison would boost tuition at the school’s Missoula campus by 5 percent.
Under that plan, tuition would stay flat at the school’s three smaller campuses, and $1 million would be transferred to them from Missoula’s state funding to defray heavy cuts.
Montana State University President Geoff Gamble supports that model, but estimates his school’s needs could be met with a 4 percent bump in tuition at its Bozeman campus.
The Legislature increased funding for the state university system by about $12 million, far short of the $30 million the schools said they needed to maintain existing services.
Along with tuition rates, the regents must also decide how much to allow fees to increase at the 11 schools in the state’s higher education system.