Although the vice chancellor of Ohio's Board of Regents described Governor Ted Strickland's proposed increase in higher education funding modest and meager
he said the increase was still significant.
We have fallen from an already low level Vice Chancellor Rich Petrick said during the Resources and System Efficiency Committee meeting Thursday in Columbus. This is a huge improvement.
Strickland proposed his state budget last week. It calls for funding increases for public colleges and universities in exchange for no tuition increases next year and a maximum of 3 percent the following year.
Affordability of higher education is one of the top priorities and to do that we have to both hold down the cost and raise support said Eric Fingerhut, chancellor of the Board of Regents. We have to both
or we'd just be chasing our tails.
Freezing tuition levels is a shared sacrifice
Fingerhut said. I think the benefits of this will serve us for many years to come. This is a statement to get people to look at us again.
In his State of the State speech, Strickland introduced his goal of increasing the number of Ohioans with college degrees by 230,000 over the next 10 years.
We have to prepare the system for growth
Fingerhut said.
The higher education compact between the state and public schools will increase funding by 5 percent next year, and by 2 percent more the following year.
There's still going to be a gap in affordability after freezing tuition
Fingerhut said. It's going to take more than money to stop tuition increases.
The Board of Regents, the coordinating body for higher education in the state, has a direct, non-governing relationship with all of Ohio's public colleges and universities.
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Laura Bernheim
