Painful increases in tuition are a sore subject for students and families. The Higher Education Omnibus Finance Bill, which Governor Tim Pawlenty signed last May, may provide some help.
The $3.16 billion bill provides a 14.9 percent funding increase for the University of Minnesota and a 12.7 increase for Minnesota State Colleges and Universities with the express purpose of holding down tuition, the cost of which has grown by 102 percent at the U of M since 2000 and 84 percent at MNSCU during the same period.
The $1.39 billion headed to the U of M for the two-year budget cycle will also be used to invest in technology infrastructure; increase the health, science, and engineering research capacity; and create competitive compensation for faculty. MNSCU’s $1.36 billion is intended to develop science, technology, engineering, health care, and mathematics programs; reach more students from underrepresented groups; and create a biosciences center.
Both MNSCU and the U of M can also earn bonuses through Gov. Pawlenty’s pay-for-performance program, which will make approximately $12 million available to each school for demonstrating they have achieved three of five strategic goals. For the U of M, that includes increasing grants and scholarships for low- and middle-income students among other things; and for MNSCU, it means increasing enrollment in science technology courses as one such goal.
