Tuition increase at Iowa, Iowa State, UNI "last resort"

The president of the board that governs Iowa, Iowa State and UNI says he can’t predict whether the board will act to raise tuition for the second semester of the coming academic year. The presidents of the three universities have asked for a three percent increase in tuition, but Governor Tom Vilsack says it’s not necessary. Vilsack says he may be able to shift money from other parts of state government to bolster the university budgets. Board of Regents president Michael Gartner says every policymaker is “truly committed” to trying to find the extra money elsewhere. “I don’t think anybody really wants to raise tuition for the students of Iowa and their parents and the governor is looking in every pot and pail he has to try to help us,” Gartner says. “How it all comes out, I don’t know and we won’t know for several weeks.” Gartner and the rest of the Board of Regents will review the issue at its meeting next week but won’t vote on the proposal ’til their meeting July 14th in Ames. Gartner says the university presidents are also trying to find ways to shift money within the college budgets to pay professors more and to launch new, high-demand courses. “We’re still hoping to find a little bit here, a little bit there, to get us enough money so we don’t have to raise tuition on the parents and the kids,” Gartner says. But Gartner warns the universities have just two main sources of money — state taxpayers and tuition — and tuition may go up as a last resort. Gartner says they don’t have a lot of options because there’s no “wonderful, big, third source” of money like casino gambling or the lottery. “Everybody has the same goal, which is to provide a great education…for the students of Iowa and that’s what we’re trying to balance,” Gartner says. Gartner made his comments on “Iowa Press,” which airs tonight on Iowa Public Television.