Governor proposes deal for colleges, universities

Photo

Ohio Governor Ted Strickland (D-Lisbon)

Main university campuses would be limited to a 3.5 percent tuition increase in 2010-11.

STAFF REPORT

AUSTINTOWN — Gov. Ted Strickland said he plans to offer the state’s public colleges and universities the equivalent of a 3 percent tuition increase in exchange for their extension of a two-year tuition freeze now in effect.

The governor stopped at Lloyd Elementary School in Austintown on Monday to talk about his plans to upgrade education in the state.

He said all state institutions of higher learning will be asked to continue the tuition freeze for 2009-10 and that freeze would extend through 2010-11 for all community colleges and public university branch campuses. Main campuses would be asked to limit any 2010-11 tuition increase to 3.5 percent, he said.

The freezes come after a decadelong period of tuition increases that averaged 9 percent annually across the state, Strickland said.

“We appreciate that the governor takes higher education seriously,” said George McCloud, vice president for university advancement at Youngstown State University.

McCloud said the university has learned that the state funding under the governor’s plan would provide a 6 percent increase on the amount of money now provided by Ohio, which is $49.5 million this fiscal year.

That would normally translate into an increase of about $3 million (roughly the equivalent of a 3 percent tuition increase on the $94 million YSU now brings in annually in tuition and fees), but McCloud said the university will likely net something less.

The money will be channeled through the current state assistance funding formula that provides state aid based on a number of factors, including the number of graduate and undergraduate students, with more money allocated for graduate students than undergrads.

YSU undergraduates outnumber its graduate students by more than 10 to 1.

The amount of state aid will mean some difficult challenges and tough choices by the university to balance its budget, McCloud said, citing generally rising costs and contractual obligations that YSU must meet.