Higher education workers were left out of the Governor’s budget recommendation for a 1% bump. That’s not acceptable. They truly have done more (huge enrollment increases) with less (significant budget cuts).
The thinking, I assume, is that higher ed can raise tuition and find whatever money it needs in the students’ pockets. I disagree. The comparatively low tuition of Utah’s state institutions gives our students a significant advantage. Smart people don’t flippantly give away their advantages.
Part of our problem with completion rates is that too many of our students work part-time. Increased tuition means even more will do so, and even less will complete.The reality is that some of our institutions should raise their tuition (e.g., UofU and USU) and others definitely should not. But, all our valuable personnel should get a bump.
Those 2 items likely will command all the money that higher education might receive this session.
(See also the January 2012 edition of the Higher Ed Matters newsletter, which focuses on the upcoming legislative session.)
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