MSU officials defend tuition hike; Gamble calls university a ‘Gem’

Montana State University officials gave an impassioned defense Tuesday of their proposal to hike students’ tuition by 24.5 percent in the next two years, saying it’s the only way to protect the quality of education.

By GAIL SCHONTZLER, Chronicle Staff Writer

MSU President Geoff Gamble called the tuition hike "appropriate" given the reality that the cash-strapped state cannot afford more for higher education.

He said raising tuition for MSU students by $40 next year and $438 the following year would be "modest" compared to tuition hikes of $1,000 or more next year in states like Arizona and New York.

Richard Roehm, chairman of the Board of Regents, said afterward there’s "no guarantee at all of the regents approving that high level of increase."

Gamble’s remarks came in an upbeat speech to about 150 people on the state of the university.

"We’re doing some incredible things," Gamble said. "This university is a little gem in a Rocky Mountain valley."

MSU Provost Dave Dooley, budget committee chairman, presented its $93.2 million spending plan for next year and defended the tuition hike.

In nine other Western states, Dooley said, legislatures provide an average of nearly $8,500 to educate each college student.

That’s more than twice the $4,102 that MSU and the University of Montana receive in state support, he said.

If the Bozeman campus had that much help from the state, it would receive more than $82 million a year, instead of $38 million, said Craig Roloff, MSU’s acting vice president for finance.

MSU’s and UM’s tuition of almost $4,000 a year is higher than the other Western states — Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming, Washington, and North and South Dakota, Dooley conceded.

Yet, he argued, MSU’s $4,000 is only slightly more than the nine states’ average tuition of $3,435, which is remarkable given how much less Montana campuses get in state support.

The regents will vote May 29 and 30 on MSU’s tuition request.

"I’m really apprehensive they won’t get it," Roehm said.

He added he’d like to see data on how much students can afford. "If we say 6 percent, what are (MSU officials) going to do? What will they cut?"

Gamble highlighted MSU’s achievements in the past year, from the prestigious Truman and Goldwater scholarships won by students, to national awards won professors in architecture, nursing, Indian education and accounting.

MSU has raised $10 million toward its $18 million goal for student scholarships, to make sure than even if tuition goes up, Montana students can afford to attend, Gamble said.

MSU is helping Montana, he said, by training nurses and teachers, developing farm products and bringing in a record $80 million in research grants.

Michael Ivie, associate entomology professor, said research money is the reason MSU professors can provide a high-quality education with less state funding.

He objected to news stories that question whether tuition subsidizes research. Without research money, Ivie said, he couldn’t buy reference books and materials he needs to teach his undergraduates.

http://bozemandailychronicle.com/articles/2003/05/07/news/gamblebzbigs.txt