CMU doesn't have a reason to increase tuition next year
Funding for higher education in Michigan is drying up in the wake of a $1.7-billion state budget deficit.
Central Michigan University is possibly looking at a 2 percent tuition increase next year, which is small compared to previous years. But universities should not bow to the state by raising tuition rates to offset lower state appropriations — exactly what government officials consider appropriate in dire economic times.
A 2 percent increase in tuition is a failure on CMU’s part, especially when smaller schools such as Grand Valley State University and Eastern Michigan University are trying to freeze or reduce tuition. CMU isn’t Michigan State or the University of Michigan, and its tuition rates should reflect that.
EMU surprised students by announcing that tuition, room and board will stay level during the next academic year. EMU also had the lowest tuition increase during the 2008-09 academic year.
GVSU is taking similar steps in reducing tuition by promising to cut its rate by 5 percent if the state gives it $3,775 per student, the minimum level of state funding. CMU receives $4,285 per student — much more than GVSU and the state minimum.
Coupled by the fact that both universities have a comparable number of undergraduate students (17,851 students at CMU, 17,135 at GVSU), it is absurd CMU is even proposing to increase tuition.
So what’s stopping CMU from taking the same steps in not raising tuition? Yes, lower appropriations from the state make it difficult to continue operation but, if other universities are capable of continuing without increasing tuition, CMU should be able to do the same.
GVSU receives the lowest funding per student in the state and is proposing to cut tuition costs with lower per-student funding than CMU. EMU had the lowest increase in tuition last year and managed to keep the same rate.
Perhaps it’s the mentality that CMU is better than EMU and GVSU, and closer to the likes of MSU or U-M. But during struggling economic times, why increase tuition when your direct competition — which already is cheaper to attend — is not?
Someone should tell administrators that this university can’t compete on the same level as the bigger colleges in academics. CMU isn’t a giant research facility. The football team does not generate a profit. Enrollment numbers are nowhere near either of those universities. CMU isn’t recognized nationally to be as nearly as scholarly.
Why? Because the university chooses to spend money on big projects, such as the medical college, rather than on bolstering its existing academic programs. And now those programs are suffering.
CMU needs to freeze tuition if it wishes to be competitive within the state of Michigan. Show students that giving the best possible education at a feasible price is more important than earning a few extra dollars.
