Spring Break
Tuesday's trustee meeting will decide tuition
Jeremy Katz
Issue date: 3/6/09 Section: News
Over the past several weeks, tuition raises, program cuts and spending freezes have become hotly debated issues at UConn. On March 10, the Board of Trustees will determine tuition for next year.
With Connecticut facing a $922 million budget deficit for 2009, Gov. M. Jodi Rell has introduced cuts and spending freezes to combat the deficit. The state deficit is projected to rise to $2.9 billion in 2010 and to $3.1 billion in 2011.
This year, state funding to UConn was cut by 3 percent, totaling $12.1 million. A proposed budget plan released by Rell on Feb. 4 called for a 5 percent cut for the next two years, which would equate to $34 million in 2010 and $50 million in 2011. In order to overcome these cuts, University President Michael Hogan proposed an 8.67 percent increase in tuition, raising tuition by $624 annually for resident students and $1,900 for out-of-state students. His plan is designed to reduce layoffs and program cuts.
In a campus survey conducted on the potential increases, 95 percent of students agreed with Hogan's proposed 8.67 percent when given four options, detailing various levels of cuts and their potential results.
Rell, however, does not favor a tuition increase; she believes that there are plenty of excesses in the university's budget that can be cut, according to Rich Harris, spokesman for the governor.
"Money spent on unnecessary equipment, catering, furnishing, cell phones and cars can all be cut back," Harris said. He also said the governor has "not cut a dime out of tuition assistance programs."
At an open meeting on Feb. 24, Lisa Troyer, senior associate to Hogan and chief of staff, described the situation as "a balance between cuts and tuition increases, where finding the right balance is important."
In the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, signed into law on Feb. 17 by Barack Obama, an unprecedented amount of money is set to flow into the state governments. In Connecticut, $2.97 billion in direct assistance will go to residents, according to Sen Christopher Dodd. Of that, $443.5 million will go to state stabilization, designed to prevent teacher layoffs and education funding cuts. Also, federal Pell Grants will be increased at the maximum level by $500 annually.
With Connecticut facing a $922 million budget deficit for 2009, Gov. M. Jodi Rell has introduced cuts and spending freezes to combat the deficit. The state deficit is projected to rise to $2.9 billion in 2010 and to $3.1 billion in 2011.
This year, state funding to UConn was cut by 3 percent, totaling $12.1 million. A proposed budget plan released by Rell on Feb. 4 called for a 5 percent cut for the next two years, which would equate to $34 million in 2010 and $50 million in 2011. In order to overcome these cuts, University President Michael Hogan proposed an 8.67 percent increase in tuition, raising tuition by $624 annually for resident students and $1,900 for out-of-state students. His plan is designed to reduce layoffs and program cuts.
In a campus survey conducted on the potential increases, 95 percent of students agreed with Hogan's proposed 8.67 percent when given four options, detailing various levels of cuts and their potential results.
Rell, however, does not favor a tuition increase; she believes that there are plenty of excesses in the university's budget that can be cut, according to Rich Harris, spokesman for the governor.
"Money spent on unnecessary equipment, catering, furnishing, cell phones and cars can all be cut back," Harris said. He also said the governor has "not cut a dime out of tuition assistance programs."
At an open meeting on Feb. 24, Lisa Troyer, senior associate to Hogan and chief of staff, described the situation as "a balance between cuts and tuition increases, where finding the right balance is important."
In the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, signed into law on Feb. 17 by Barack Obama, an unprecedented amount of money is set to flow into the state governments. In Connecticut, $2.97 billion in direct assistance will go to residents, according to Sen Christopher Dodd. Of that, $443.5 million will go to state stabilization, designed to prevent teacher layoffs and education funding cuts. Also, federal Pell Grants will be increased at the maximum level by $500 annually.
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