The Periodic Table, Too

Some people aren't buying it.

From the Daily:

Bruininks requests $225M from Senate

President Bob Bruininks faced opposition and criticism about the expected tuition hike.

By Hilary Brueck, Jake Grovum

He came to request money from the state, but University President Bob Bruininks instead found himself defending upcoming tuition increases at the Capitol on Thursday.

Following his presentation of the University's capital request, Bruininks and Sen. Claire Robling, R-Jordan, sparred on an expected increase for the 2008-09 school year.

"The headlines scream 7.5 percent and it scares people away from the institution," Robling said. "I don't know how you can get the message out that you are still affordable to an average, middle-income family."

Robling questioned the tuition hike, citing a 13 percent increase in state appropriations to the University last year.

And from a faculty committee meeting last September:

Minutes
Senate Committee on Finance and Planning
Tuesday, September 18, 2007

"Will the Regents support a 7.5% tuition increase, Professor Martin asked? They have been told it is part of the budget plans, Mr. Pfutzenreuter said. Professor Chapman suggested that 7.5% will be seen as quite high. Mr. Pfutzenreuter agreed but pointed out that for Minnesota residents the legislature provided funding to buy down the increase by 2%, so it will only be 5.5% (for students from households with an income of up to $150,000). Professor Chapman said he was sorry to see such an increase in an election year; Mr. Pfutzenreuter said the other choices are increased state funding or less new investment."

Bottom line: The important thing is how much money students owe when they are finished at the U. Why is the U so reluctant to commit to stabilizing tuition? Why do they want to play these games of jacking up tuition and then say, well we will give more financial aid?

By the way is twenty percent of the endowment really being used for financial aid as this article implies? I thought that we spent less than 5% of our endowment per year...

Bob?