No UT Tuition Deregulation

Previously, I mentioned how some legislators were pushing to free some aspects of the University of Texas's tutition system in order to allow each university to set their own rates. Unfortunately, the idea gathered a bit of steam but has now been announced "dead" (links rot after a day):

Although a House sponsor is holding out slim hope that it can be resuscitated, the ambitious plan to deregulate undergraduate tuition and let Texas universities set their own rates appeared dead Tuesday.

"It's gone," said Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee. "There's no semblance of deregulation left."

The Senate panel passed House Bill 3015, allowing limited tuition deregulation for graduate programs but none for undergraduates. Even though the House had already diluted the measure, supporting deregulation for only one year, the Senate panel watered it down more, rejecting any tuition-setting freedom.

Dammit, that sucks. No one other than the people who run the colleges know best what the costs are per student and how much should be paid for each hour/class.

Instead of deregulating tuition, lawmakers have decided to study the issue. They also are poised to allow universities to increase tuition by as little as $8 and as much as $23 a credit-hour. The exact increase was left pending until the Legislature completes the state budget.

[...]

Larry Faulkner, president of the University of Texas, said he was not surprised by deregulation's demise.

"In the end, it would be better for the state to head in that (deregulation) direction," he said.

Politics gets in the way, as usual.

Early in the legislative session, unshackling universities and letting them set their tuition looked like a viable option to offset cuts of as much as $1 billion in the two-year budget.

Craddick was among the state's leaders who supported the move. But lawmakers quickly developed cold feet about turning over their power to set tuition to boards of regents.

Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, chairman of the Senate Higher Education subcommittee, said he wanted universities to prove they were meeting state goals of increasing enrollment by 500,000 by 2015 and were educating a growing number of minorities before giving them a freer rein.

[...]

Students, largely from UT, testified at several legislative hearings, begging lawmakers to keep their tuition-setting prerogative.

They said regents were appointed and thus were not accountable to voters.

Posted by Drizzten at May 21, 2003 11:11 PM