Published: April 24, 2008 10:43 am            

Council may balk at some requested tuition increases

April 22, 2008 — FRANKFORT — The president of the Council on Postsecondary Education said Tuesday that Kentucky tuition increases in recent years are “not sustainable” and he expects the council to try to “maintain college affordability” when it reviews proposed increases next month.

Brad Cowgill said the poor economy and credit crisis which is limiting student access to loans has created consensus among CPE members to take a conservative approach when they meet on April 30 and May 1 to review tuition rates at Kentucky’s eight universities and the community college system.

He wouldn’t specify any proposed level of increase he expects the council to accept, but he said tuition increases have averaged about 10 percent a year over the past decade. He also expressed concern about a proposed 13 percent increase in tuition at the Kentucky Community and Technical Colleges.

Cowgill called the 13 percent increase proposed by KCTCS “clearly excessive.”

The CPE was created by the 1997 higher education reform legislation, popularly known as House Bill 1, and replaced the old Council on Higher Education. One of its responsibilities is to approve tuition rates requested by the universities and KCTCS. It has never denied the requested increase of any of those institutions in the past.

But since 1998, tuition rates have grown by more than 150 percent in Kentucky – and are slated to go still higher next fall. Cowgill said some of the responsibility lies in inadequate funding from the state. This year’s budget reduces higher education funding by 3.4 percent following an earlier 3 percent cut this year. University presidents say they have little choice but to make that up with tuition.

The University of Kentucky Board of Trustees met Tuesday to vote on a proposed increase of 9 percent. Western Kentucky University and the University of Louisville are also proposing a 9 percent increase while Eastern Kentucky University is looking at an 8 percent increase.

Eastern Kentucky University President Doug Whitlock said he understands the council’s concern about the impact tuition has on enrollment and the goal of doubling the number of degrees in Kentucky, what the council calls “Double the Numbers.”

“But it would also impact Double the Numbers to have inadequate tuition increases,” Whitlock said because the universities can’t offer smaller classes and will have to close admission to some students.

“If the institutions are not able to put programs in place to help students be more successful, that will have an impact on Double the Numbers,” he said. Eastern, Whitlock said, will increase its institutional financial aid for students by $2 million next year to a total of $25 million funded by EKU. Whitlock said he is prepared to defend EKU’s requested 8 percent increase when he meets with the council on May 1.

Gov Steve Beshear said Tuesday he hopes the council will review carefully each university’s tuition proposal and judge them separately because each has “its own unique needs.” He said he’s like everyone else – he wants tuition to remain affordable for Kentucky’s students although that is not easy in tough economic times.

“None of us wants tuition to go up at all, if possible,” Beshear said. “Obviously, under the current financial circumstances, it will have to go up some. I understand that and I think the general public does. How much it goes up is the real question.”

Cowgill was recently appointed president by the council after serving as interim for less than one year. Prior to that, he was budget director for the previous governor, Republican Ernie Fletcher. Beshear opposed his appointment – at least in the absence of a national search as laid out by statute creating the council – and last week sought an opinion from Attorney General Jack Conway on the legality of Cowgill’s hiring as permanent president.

Beshear said he has not heard from Conway and a spokeswoman for Conway said the opinion wouldn’t be released Tuesday.

Beshear wouldn’t say if he’s considering abolishing the council or reconstituting it by executive order.

“I’m taking this one step at a time,” Beshear said. “I obviously feel strongly that they’re not following the law in terms of their failure to have a national search for the new president. I’ve asked the Attorney General to issue an opinion one way or another so we will have some direction to go. Once we get that opinion then we’ll decide what else we need to do, if anything.”

RONNIE ELLIS writes for CNHI News Service and is based in Frankfort. Reach him at rellis@cnhi.com.

        

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