Gov. Martin O’Malley’s budget increased tuition for the first time in his tenure, ending a four- year tuition freeze. Here are some facts about the freeze: Out-of-state tuition has been exempt. Non-Marylanders have seen their tuition increase each year. Tuition at public universities in Maryland was the sixth-highest in the nation at the beginning of the freeze. Now it is estimated to be 21st-highest.This fall, in-state tuition is expected to rise 3 percent — the first increase of Gov. Martin O’Malley’s tenure.
O’Malley introduced the hike as part of his 2011 state budget, which also closes a $2 billion deficit. The move basically guarantees a tuition increase after four years of being frozen, since the legislature is only allowed to cut from, not add to, the governor’s budget. The Board of Regents, a panel of gubernatorial appointees who oversee university system policy, has the final say on tuition, but it generally approves the governor’s actions.
“It’s extremely fair,” gubernatorial spokesman Shaun Adamec said of the increase. “It’s extremely moderate, especially if you take into consideration the past four years. The tuition freeze has brought Maryland to the middle of the pack. That was the objective, and we achieved it.”
Consensus had been building behind a hike since state funding for the university began falling last year, as repeated budget cuts deprived the university of needed funds, leading to employee furloughs, reductions in student services and fewer class offerings. Provost Nariman Farvardin was one of many administrators who said a tuition increase was necessary for fall 2010. The support for a hike represented a reverse in prevailing attitudes from when O’Malley took office in 2007. After former Gov. Robert Ehrlich’s administration had increased tuition 30 percent over four years, freezing tuition was a priority for the governor. Then, the university system had the sixth-highest tuition for public colleges nationwide. Now, tuition rates are estimated to be ranked 21st in the country.
Most higher education advocates support the hike, which they view as inevitable due to the recession.
Sen. Jim Rosapepe (D-Anne Arundel and Prince George’s), who represents College Park, praised O’Malley for his work in keeping higher education affordable for students and for making “progress in the right direction.”
“I think a lot of students are struggling to pay their tuition bills, and Gov. O’Malley has led the fight nationally to make college more affordable,” Rosapepe said.
Student Government Association President Steve Glickman said the increase will be scrutinized in the organization’s first meeting, but his initial reaction toward the proposal was favorable.
“It seems like it’s something that is necessary right now, especially in the budget climate that we’re in,” Glickman said. “My personal opinion is that the increase is not only necessary, but it’s also appropriate.”
But while Rosapepe said that the tuition increase was a reasonable compromise, he added that there is also a need for a long-term solution when it comes to tuition costs and anticipates there being much discussion about the issue in Annapolis in the near future. In 2008, a commission led by Del. John Bohanan (D-St. Mary’s) developed a plan which would increase funding for public universities by $700 million over the next decade. But in a national economic downturn and with declining state revenues, legislators have shown little appetite for more mandated funding.
O’Malley introduced his budget shortly after the General Assembly began the 2010 legislative session, which is expected to be dominated by economic concerns. O’Malley’s budget, which declined by $249 million from last year, also includes a $20 million job creation tax credit and $3.2 billion in funding for capital construction projects, including $40 million for a new physical sciences complex at the university.
rhodes@umdbk.com
