C-J said CPE was "utterly useless in terms of setting priorities for state spending on public colleges and universities, because the General Assembly ignores its recommendations whenever it chooses." They called for Governor Steve Beshear to "re-invent the council by executive order."
If the governor wanted to preserve CPE's authority over both the universities and the legislature it could be easily done, and at no cost to the public. The way to make CPE respectable is to give them control over the distribution of athletic tickets to legislators. Instantly, legislators would be in a position to listen.
As it is CPE will soon have an opportunity to test its own relevance without any such motivators.
Will CPE hold the line on the 3 to 7 percent tuition increases it previously outlined? Or will it bend to popular opinion (at least among students and parents) that tuition increases must be held down? On the heels of C-J's skewering it is reasonable to suspect that a few CPE members may have their hackles up.
The failure of the legislature to adequately support education, has created a no-win situation.
State universities who take their missions seriously (and follow the requirements of higher education reform as outlined by HB 1) cannot sit idly by while their goals fade to nothing. Absent state support, the only option for staying on track is to raise tuition. But faithful adherence to a mission that is in the best interest of Kentucky students may also price some students out of the market - at a time when Kentucky needs to double the number of college graduates.
EKU President Doug Whitlock told the Herald-Leader that he understands the council's "legitimate" concern over higher tuition, but said a "balance has to be struck" between affordability and the "ability to offer classes and help students be successful."
Meanwhile, Beshear holds little hope for improved state funding for elementary and secondary education in the near future.
This from the Herald-Leader:
Tuition plans to get hard scrutiny
HIGHER ED PANEL TO REVIEW STATE SCHOOLS' PROPOSALSAs two state universities approved proposed higher tuition rates Tuesday, a key state official said those requests and others will face tough scrutiny before gaining final approval.
Brad Cowgill, the embattled president of the state Council on Postsecondary Education, said the group has arrived at a consensus that tuition should generally go up 3 to 7 percent, with room for exceptions if schools successfully make their case at the council's tuition hearings April 30 and May 1.
On Tuesday, the University of Kentucky's Board of Trustees approved a 9 percent rise in tuition and Eastern Kentucky University's Board of Regents approved an 8 percent increase -- both for in-state students.
Officials at both schools said they regretted the increases but found them unavoidable after two rounds of budget cuts reduced their state funding by 6 percent.
Meanwhile, Cowgill called the Kentucky Community and Technical College System's proposal for a 13 percent tuition increase "clearly excessive," noting that its tuition has increased 151 percent over the last 10 years and is now 26 percent higher than the national average for community colleges...
For those keeping score, here are the tuition rate increases
KCTCS - 13 percent
Western Kentucky University - 9 percent increase
University of Kentucky - 9 percent increase
University of Louisville - 9 percent increase
Eastern Kentucky University - 8 percent increase
Morehead State University - tuition increase will be based on number of credit hours
Mark Hebert has a statement from CPE head Brad Cowgill:
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