Board Of Higher Ed Approves Average 4.1% Tuition Hike

With a representative for the North Dakota Student Association arguing for the increases, as well as Sidney Hull the student member of the State Board of Higher Education, North Dakota’s students got hit with another heavy tuition increase.

The average across all the universities is about 4.1%. Chancellor Shirvani opposed the increases which were proposed by the university presidents. The only member of the SBHE to vote against the increases was Grant Shaft.

Here’s the breakdown by school.

BSC 3.81
LRSC 2.13
WSC 6.63
NDSCS 3.28
DCB 2.42
DSU 5.08
Mayville 3.57
Minot 5.09
VCSU 4.16
UND 4.90
NDSU 4.23

“As we have seen throughout this spring the NDSA and student member of the SBHE really do not have the students interests at heart,” an observer emailed to me shortly after the board approved the hikes.

Ain’t that the truth. If you never need proof that the student representatives are little more than rubber stamps for the university presidents, this is it.

The argument from the student representatives is that the tuition increases were justified because the universities need the money. Except, from 2006 to 2011 North Dakota lead the nation in increased spending on higher education. Growth in legislative appropriations have fast outpaced enrollment growth:

It’s hard to imagine how the universities need more funding given how generous the legislature has been. Raising tuition on students, at this point, is just plain greed.