About 104,000 students at 14 state-owned universities will learn Thursday how much their tuition will increase.
The State System of Higher Education would need to raise tuition by 6.9 percent to cover a $40 million shortfall in its $1.2 billion budget. The system governs the state-owned universities, including California, Clarion, Indiana and Slippery Rock.
"We could have a mix of a tuition increase and budget cuts to balance the budget," said Tom Gluck, spokesman for the system.
The system's Board of Governors had planned to vote on tuition July 8, but postponed a decision when Gov. Ed Rendell got wind of plans to increase the rate by as much as 6 percent. Rendell reprimanded the schools for "wasteful spending."
The University of Pittsburgh's Oakland campus already has raised tuition in the arts and sciences by 17.6 percent for new students and 6 percent for returning students. The Pennsylvania State University raised tuition for freshmen and sophomores at University Park by 12 percent.
Tuition at the state-owned universities has increased by 32.6 percent over five years.
In a July 8 letter to the board, Rendell urged a state review of management and productivity at each of the 14 campuses and the system itself.
"Clearly, it is imperative that all wasteful spending and operating inefficiencies are eliminated before any student's family is asked to spend more on tuition," he wrote. "I urge board members to vote against any tuition increases and any pay raises until full accounting is provided to justify any increases."
Despite the governor's intervention, some increase seems likely, said Pat Heilman, president of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties.
"I'd like it to be zero, but I'm not that optimistic that that's what it will be," she said.
Heilman's union, which represents more than 5,000 faculty members, is in the first year of a new contract that raises salaries from 2.5 percent to 5 percent. She said most faculty members would get 2.5 percent increases.
Gluck said the system is caught between rising costs and state funding that is modest, at best.
The state gave the system $433.4 million for the next fiscal year. That's an increase of 3.9 percent over last year.
"It's our first increase in four years, but still less than we got from the state five years ago," Gluck said.
One of the tuition drivers is a $19.3 million increase in health insurance. Most employees will begin paying part of their premiums on Jan. 1.
"The increase in our state appropriation won't even pay for our increased costs for health insurance," Gluck said.
The biggest factor in rising tuition, Heilman said, is the declining role of the state. Thirty years ago, she said, the state picked up 70 percent of the cost of educating students. Now, it's only 30 percent.
"It's a complete flip-flop," she said.
