Too expensive
Penn State tuition must be lowered
Penn State President Graham Spanier is quick to blame the state for the recent tuition increase the university approved.
He is right to throw blame at the state. It was a tough state budget and disappointing in its overall cuts to both basic and higher education. One point made when PSU announced its 4.9 percent hike for in-state students is that it could have been worse. Given the original funding cut introduced by Gov. Tom Corbett back in March that is likely true.
Other state-related universities also say they are feeling the impact of the less-than-expected state funding. The University of Pittsburgh’s tuition for in-state students climbed 8.5 percent, and at Temple University students are looking at a 10 percent increase.
We can only hope next year’s state budget will be less harsh when it comes to education funding.
But with that said, tuition at Penn State is too high. It has gone up 104 percent in the last decade and its tuition rate is the highest for a four-year, public university in the nation — the University of Pittsburgh is No. 2 — according to the U.S. Department of Education.
Taking into account room and board plus books, the increase means it will cost more than $100,000 to get a four-year degree from Penn State. This from a school that has its humble beginnings as a land grant university. It has long been a place for a student who is the first in their family to go to college. That goal might be harder to achieve.
A lot of Penn State students receive some form of financial aid, including low-interest student loans. The university offers scholarships to needy students, and Pell Grants and Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency grants also are available.
Financial aid might be good for low-income families but it doesn’t help the middle class. They generally earn too much for assistance but not enough to cover the bank account-draining cost of tuition.
With the cost so high, Penn State should join the ranks of other universities, many of them private, that vow students will not graduate with debt above a certain amount.
As for the tuition price tag itself, Penn State — along with the other state-related universities — needs to take a paring knife to all its costs.
Spanier can be credited with talking about finding ways to cut costs and has taken steps at the university. But there are more ways to save money. Enough small cuts can eventually add up to big ones and significant savings.
For example, we talk about top state government officials “sharing the pain” as the new catch phrase goes, but what about top university managers? Are there ways, through salary and other expense cuts, that they can give back and show their support for struggling students?
Penn State educates many Pennsylvania students, especially because of its branch campuses around the state. It is a powerful influence and major employer, but to continue to meet the goal of its founding it must find ways to keep down tuition.
The (Harrisburg) Patriot-News