Posted on 09/25/2012 2:14:04 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
AUSTIN — Gov. Rick Perry said college students in Texas should be able to lock in four-year tuition rates when they arrive on campus, and lawmakers could consider the idea when they return to the Capitol in January.
The proposal is Perry's latest push against rising higher education costs, which has sometimes caused friction between the governor and administrators and faculty at some of the state's largest campuses.
Perry also has championed $10,000 bachelor's degrees and called for greater efficiencies at state universities to improve graduation rates.
Speaking Friday at the Texas Tribune festival, a three-day public policy forum in Austin, Perry didn't give many specifics about "freezing" tuition but seemed intent on pursuing it during the next legislative session.
"If you get out of the University of Texas with a $50,000 debt, I don't know if we've served you well," Perry told an audience of about 500 state leaders, lawmakers, officials and lobbyists.
"We'll tell an incoming freshman, this is what the university will charge you for four years."
The Austin American-Statesman reported that initial reaction to Perry's idea appeared supportive.
Texas State University System Chancellor Brian McCall, a former member of the Texas House, said it was the first time he'd heard Perry call for a four-year freeze for incoming freshmen.
McCall said he hadn't considered a freeze before but added, "We are now."
(Excerpt) Read more at reporternews.com ...
Actually, I think this is a great idea. It’s not that I support price controls, or any government involvement in setting consumer prices. However, they are already doing this to other sectors of the economy (e.g. health care), and so why not do it to universities, and give the liberal faculty and administrators a sense of what the policies they support feel like when they are inflicted upon them.
/johnny
I got my latest degree through the University of Phoenix. The per class tuition remained the same as long as I did not take more than a single class sequence break. If you took a longer break, then you had to pay whatever the new rate was at the time you started up again.
How about freezing the state’s (huge) expenditures on the subsidized universities, including a freeze on the compensation of every one of the featherbedded vice presidents, associate deans, provosts, etc., etc.? The problem is spending, not revenue.
It would not be a bad idea provided the public colleges were able to estimate the costs for the entire 4 years factoring in inflation and charge the student a level tuition for the 4 years.The student would be paying a little more the first year or two to have the guarantee of level payments over the 4 years. I would not consider this a price freeze because projected inflationary cost increases are factored into the level plan. However if he is just talking about freezing tuition at current rates and having the taxpayer eat the increased costs in the future while tuition revenue is frozen, I would be against it.
His propensity to spout populist drivel is one reason I’ve never liked this guy very much.
It sounds like you are in favor of price controls.
I mean, it works so well in healthcare...
At least I think Perry is only talking about state schools, which is within the state’s range of responsibilities. (I’ll leave aside the question of whether state schools are necessary at this point.)
Of course, that 30M in Texas taxpayer dollars earmarked for illegals to tap into for college tuition remains Rick’s sacred cow not to be touched.
30M or $1, spending/giving taxpayer funded subsidies to ILLEGAL aliens is wrong. But, as we know, RINO Rick is all for it.
The man is a fraud.
Sweet, illegal aliens as well could lock their prices now for Texas in state tution. Plan ahead illegals, this might work.
My suggestion would be to freeze all instructors, all professors, and all university professionals at their current pay scale for three years as a minimum. After that three-year period, I’m limit all pay raises to a maximum of two percent every two years.
UT San Antonio - Tuition and fees (lots of fees)
2008 - ~$5000/year
2012 - Current price $4800 for one semester (6 months)
*Tuition has nearly doubled in 4 years. That is nuts.
“they are already doing this to other sectors of the economy”
That’s the same argument I posed to myself when I was a kid. “You’re already out past curfew; might as well stay out all night. Can’t get more in trouble, can you?”
Yes. You can.
And then if the college tuition bubble collapses and tuition goes down, new students will be “underwater” on their tuition and Obama can step in to lower their principal.
“It is a State University. Not really free-market”
So we should make it less free? Or, to put that a other way, so much of the cost is hidden from the consumer and pushed ofttimes other parties that it doesn’t matter whether we hide any more? Why, on earth?
Will we also “freeze” the pay and benefits and costs of the colleges? Or does he expect the soak the taxpayers for the difference??
And how do you freeze all of the operating costs, e.g., utilities, garbage collection, maintenance, etc. The University of Texas in Austin has about 40,000 students. Your are running what amounts to a small city.
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