College tuition to rise by 8%

The Board of Governors also approves cuts, layoffs at 11 Florida schools.

By SHANNON COLAVECCHIO-VAN SICKLER, Times Staff Writer
Published January 25, 2008

TALLAHASSEE - Quality vs. quantity.

The board in charge of Florida's 11 public universities chose the former Thursday, giving college leaders the green light to slash overall enrollment, lay off faculty and staff members, and take other money-cutting measures, all aimed at preserving the value of a four-year degree amid the state's budget crisis.

The Board of Governors also voted to raise undergraduate, in-state tuition and fees by 8 percent next year, to $83.58 per credit hour, or $186 more per year for a full-time student.

It is only the second time in the board's five-year existence that members exercised the constitutional authority they say they hold over tuition - a power the Legislature disputes.

"We have to raise the tuition so that universities can go forward with their missions," said board member Gus Stavros. "We have the worst faculty-student ratio in the nation, we're 42nd for need-based aid. I'm embarrassed. I've never been involved in a mediocre system in my life until now. Let's do it."

But the board backed off from a more aggressive proposal to raise tuition by roughly 13 percent a year over the next five years - a move that would have put Florida's tuition and fees at about No. 37 among the 50 states, compared to being the least expensive now at $3,361 a year. The larger hike would have generated $56-million in the first year.

The 8 percent hike will generate $32-million, just half of what universities already lost this year from their budgets. Thirty percent of the additional revenue will go to need-based aid; the rest will be used to hire and retain top faculty members and make academic program improvements.

The state's student-faculty ratio is 31:1, and it would take another 2,000 tenured faculty members to bring Florida to the national average of 25:1.

"We're moving in a serious, not knee-jerk fashion," said board member Tico Perez. "I think 13 percent for five years would have been overreactive."

The board is leaving budget-cutting details to university presidents, but the mandate handed down Thursday is clear: make whatever cuts necessary to preserve a high-caliber education for your students. In the meantime, we'll raise tuition to generate more money.

A change in policy

The board's support for enrollment cuts represents a major policy shift that effectively narrows access to would-be students, after years in which colleges dramatically increased their populations to give more people a chance at a higher education.

There are about 300,000 students enrolled this year, including 45,038 at the University of South Florida. But university system leaders say they have little choice: Universities will lose $147-million this year and as much as $171-million in 2008-09, due to state revenue shortfalls.

"The state university system budget is shrinking, and we do not have the ability to continue to keep our doors open," said chancellor Mark Rosenberg. "Because what matters is not just who gets in but who gets out and when they get out. Our graduation rates are stagnant. This needs to be done."

That could mean universities admitting fewer first-time students or community college transfers, laying off faculty and staff members, cutting or scaling back degree programs and placing more students on admissions wait lists.

"We cannot continue to do more with less," said Perez. "These are tough decisions we're going to have to make, but these are tough times."

Community college graduates have long enjoyed automatic admission into state colleges and universities. More than 15,000 made the leap to a four-year college in the fall of 2006, according to statistics compiled by the Board of Governors. Those transfers made up more than 31 percent of all new arrivals at state colleges that year.

Right now, there are no indications the open-door policy for community college students will change. If anything, community colleges are more worried about preparing for larger numbers of students who are turned away from four-year schools next fall, said Craig Johnson, vice president of academic affairs at Hillsborough Community College.

A power struggle

The board's decision to raise tuition will undoubtedly heighten tensions between the board and lawmakers, who are wrangling in court over which body has the power to set tuition.

"We need to do what we need to do, and the Legislature needs to do what they need to do," Perez said.

"It's frightening to think that the Board of Governors would seriously consider a proposal that would, in effect, destroy the prepaid college tuition program in Florida. This is the camel's nose under the tent," said Senate President Ken Pruitt, R-Port St. Lucie.

In recent years, tuition has gone up by about 5 percent each year. The last time there was a significant hike was in fall 1992, when tuition rose 15 percent.

The board's staff said that under the proposal approved Thursday, lawmakers would decide whether the popular Bright Futures Scholarship covers the higher tuition rates. Last year, lawmakers decided that Bright Futures would not cover the new "differential tuition" policy that allows the University of Florida, Florida State and USF to charge 15 percent more in tuition per year than the other colleges.

Board member Charles Edwards supported the tuition measure but warned it might be "delaying the inevitable" need for a far larger increase.

"We will be extremely fortunate if we can keep it at 8 percent and still provide the quality we need for students," he said.

"If we're going to recover from where we are to where we need to be, whether you like it or not, it's going to take higher tuition."

Times staff writer Tom Marshall contributed to this report. Shannon Colavecchio-Van Sickler can be reached at svansickler@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3403.

FAST FACTS:

The cost of college

The Board of Governors voted to raise undergraduate, in-state tuition and fees 8 percent next year, to $83.58 per credit hour, or $186 more per year for a full-time student.

[Last modified January 25, 2008, 00:15:29]