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Undergraduate Tuition To Rise At Least 6% In Fall

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By ADAM EMERSON

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 9, 2008

Florida's undergraduate students will pay at least 6 percent more in tuition next fall, even though the state's university leaders would have them pay more.

Wary of losing more money in a political battle, the state university system Board of Governors on Thursday backed off its initial plan to raise tuition by 8 percent and adopted the smaller increase approved recently by the Legislature.

The compromise means a student taking 15 credit hours of classes will pay about $70 more a semester, or $23 less than what the board initially sought. At research universities such as University of South Florida, tuition is going up even more - a move approved by the Legislature last year.

Although the board won't recognize the Legislature's authority to raise undergraduate tuition and is suing to settle that issue, its leaders say they could lose other money available to its schools by defying lawmakers.

"We know this tuition issue is going to be resolved," said Bill Edmonds, spokesman for the Board of Governors. "Why create this confusion and hardship on the universities and the students, and anxiety with the Legislature, over just a few dollars?"

Resolution may not come quickly. The Board of Governors and a group of influential Floridians, including former Gov. Bob Graham, are suing the Legislature to wrest away its power to raise tuition. But the board doesn't anticipate a ruling soon.

For now, even a 6 percent increase is welcome revenue for universities facing millions in cuts, but the board placed parameters on how that money can be spent.

For instance, 30 percent must go to financial aid for needy students. The chancellor of the university system, Mark Rosenberg, said that was a promise made to Gov. Charlie Crist, who has said he will sign off on the increase.

Some university presidents, however, say they already use private foundation money to pay financial aid and need the tuition money to fill gaps left by budget cuts.

Bernie Machen, president of the University of Florida, said his university already has paid more into need-based financial aid. During the 2006-07 school year, the university paid $9 million to aid financially needy students, all with private money from its foundation.

"I might need tuition money to hire faculty and pay the light bills - stuff I can't do with donor money," said Machen, whose university announced this week that it is laying off 20 faculty members and 118 other employees. "We are being micromanaged to death down here."

The board said that Crist accepted the 6 percent tuition increase with the financial aid condition. Last spring, the governor vetoed a 5 percent tuition increase.

"We simply gave our word on this," said Carolyn Roberts, chairwoman of the Board of Governors.

At some universities, undergraduate students will pay 15 percent more in tuition. USF, Florida State University and the University of Florida all made the case successfully last year that they needed the additional revenue to achieve greatness.

Crist signed off on the plan, but asked those universities to wait until next fall to raise student costs that high. Lawmakers this spring allowed the University of Central Florida to join the group.

A 15 percent increase means a student taking 15 credit hours of classes will pay nearly $175 more a semester. At USF, this applies to any resident undergraduate student new to the university next fall, such as freshmen or transfer students, as well as students who have enrolled since last fall.

Reporter Adam Emerson can be reached at (813) 259-8285 or aemerson@tampatrib.com.

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