Higher Education Budget Cuts And the Ground Crew
By Julianne Malveaux
The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education released a report last month, “College Affordability in Jeopardy,” that showed public colleges “continue to become less affordable for students and families.” According to the independent, nonpartisan and nonprofit center, 16 states increased tuition and fees by more than 10 percent in fiscal year 2003. Every single state increased tuition and mandatory fees, and in some states the increases were startling.
Massachusetts leads the pack with an increase of 24 percent. Missouri, Iowa and Texas follow at 20 percent. North Carolina raised tuition and fees by 19 percent. While New York had the smallest increase at 2 percent, Gov. George Pataki has proposed increasing tuition by 35 percent or more at the State University of New York and the City University of New York. While tuitions have been rising, state support for public education has been falling. Just 14 states have increased their contribution to student financial aid, and many states have cut their appropriations to higher education.
