Tuition will rise $224 at state-owned universities
Tuition across Pennsylvania’s 14 state-owned universities will increase by a base yearly rate of 2.99 percent, or $224, effective this fall.
The State System of Higher Education’s board of governors approved the new rate for 2018-19 during a meeting Thursday in Harrisburg. It brings the in-state undergraduate price to $7,716 a year, not counting other fees including food and housing, most set by individual campuses.
Board members were shown a range of options, from a 4 percent increase to a freeze, but ultimately, by a 15-4 vote, they backed the resolution presented to them, some more reluctantly than others.
Officials described it as the
second-smallest increase in more than a decade.
But it likely will not sit well with students in a state where public university prices are higher than all but two other states, nor will it fully address a $49.2 million budget shortfall the campuses face. By itself, the higher tuition leaves about $19 million to be made up by the campuses in spending cuts, according to system projections.
Board chairwoman Cynthia Shapira said she supported the move reluctantly, saying that if no increase is approved, “the people it will directly affect at the moment are our students.”
“If we don’t raise tuition,’’ agreed board vice chairman David Maser, additional programs and professors will go. “Things go away. Opportunity goes away.”
Even so, he and others also said the current funding system does not work, and one student board member noted that tens of millions of dollars are going to pay salary increases. He said they are no doubt justified, but added it nevertheless is not going to students.
The state this year increased the system’s appropriation by 3 percent, but it remains one of the nation’s stingiest in its support of higher education — third from the bottom.
Thursday’s vote covers 102,000students systemwide. It comes as the University of Pittsburgh and Penn State University — two of Pennsylvania’s four state-related schools — are due to set their own rates for the fall in coming days.
The base yearly in-state tuition across the State System stood at $7,492 last year, though several universities have been given permission to charge full-time undergraduates a per-credit rate. Additionally, the board is weighing a proposal that would phase out the practice of setting a single tuition rate altogether, in favor of allowing universities to propose their own tuition charges.
Penn State President Eric Barron said he would recommend to school trustees that they freeze in-state tuition on all Penn State campuses in 2018-19 if the state budget deal granting his institution a 3 percent increase passed, as it did days later. His board meets July 19 and 20.
Pitt officials also expect to set the school’s tuition this month, but so far have not said if they expect to propose a freeze to their board of trustees.
Pitt and Penn State already are among the priciest public universities in the nation, charging Pennsylvanians a yearly main campus tuition of $18,130 and $17,416, respectively, for the 2017-18 academic year.
During Thursday’s meeting, the state system board also agreed to set the technology fee at $478 for Pennsylvanians and $728 for nonresidents.
State House Speaker Michael Turzai, R-Bradford Woods, who appointed himself to the system board this spring, came to the meeting with questions about the system redesign. He was among those voting against the increase, expressing his disappointment.
“When legislators voted for the fourth straight increase in state funding, many members’ vote was predicated upon an expectation that the [State System] universities would hold the line on tuition,” he said.
Also voting no were Rep. Michael Hanna, D-Clinton/ Centre; Sen. Judith Schwank, D-Berks; and student member Joar Dahn. Everyone else voted yes except Sen. Ryan Aument, R-Lancaster, who was not present.
Mr. Turzai asked if there should be, in effect, magnet campuses “versus each school doing what it thinks it can do best.”
He also inquired about the system’s commitment to the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and math.
Interim Chancellor Karen Whitney referred him to a part of the meeting agenda package, which she said notes that the share of students enrolled in STEM and health fields at the former teachers colleges already totals 28 percent, versus 11 percent for teaching.
During the public comment portion of Thursday’s meeting, the head of the faculty union suggested three items as being among those his membership believes should be included as the system continues its ongoing redesign effort.
Kenn Mash, president of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties, called for:
• A joint application tool enabling students to apply to multiple system universities simultaneously.
• An infrastructure that includes fee collection to facilitate faculty on multiple campuses to develop collaborate academic programs.
• Creation of a gateway page on the State System website showing distance learning opportunities across the 14 institutions.
The State System universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester universities of Pennsylvania.