PA. College Students Gird Themselves for Increased Tuition (Phil. Inquirer article)

[JPZenger]

http://articles.philly.com/2011-07-03/news/29733324_1_state-related-universities-state-owned-colleges-tuition

After the GOP majorities in the legislature forced through cuts of 18 to 19 percent in state funding of state-owned and state-related universities, there are big tuition increases IN ADDITION TO layoffs and elimination of academic programs.

Excerpts:

"Temple announced it would raise tuition 9.9 percent for in-state students ...The four state-related universities - Temple, Penn State, Pittsburgh, and Lincoln - suffered 19 percent reductions in support, and the 14 state schools were cut 18 percent.

Both numbers are better than the 50 percent reduction that Corbett proposed to help close a $4 billion deficit. Yet both are historic reductions that have left students, parents, and administrators reeling.

"Cutting something as essential as education shows a fundamentally distorted priority list," said Temple senior Beth Cozzolino, 20, of Audubon, Montgomery County, who helped lead marches and lobby legislators to restore funding this school year. "It's still going to hurt a lot of people."