Breaking with governor, Rastetter backs Iowa tuition hike

University president, Eric Kaler, says the process for awarding the degree to Prince began before his April 21 death.

When the budget came before the board later in the meeting, Regent Michael Hsu proposed an amendment to the budget to reduce resident undergraduate tuition by $205, while increasing tuition for non-resident, non-reciprocity tuition.

On the Twin Cities campus, nonresident, nonreciprocity students will see the biggest sticker-price increase, 7.5 percent, as regents gradually step away from their sale-price strategy from 2008. As a result, about 10,000 students won’t be affected by the increase, according to the university.

MPR News says the protesters also demanded free tuition for American Indian students.

“Although I will support the tuition increase this year, I would strongly urge the state to make a concerted effort to continue to invest in higher education”, Flesch said.

Six students were arrested during a protest over proposed University of Minnesota tuition increases at a Friday Board of Regents meeting. The board did not take action on Thursday but will vote on the proposal at its July 18 meeting.

The plan comes weeks after lawmakers provided about $14 million less in funding than the universities requested for their general operating budgets.

He noted UNI’s almost 90 percent in-state enrollment, Iowa State’s growing in-state enrollment and the schools’ shared mission to retain faculty and focus on quality.

The regents are considering Kaler’s recommendation to raise undergraduate tuition for Minnesota residents by 2.5 percent. While he outlined the prudent nature of the increases, Rastetter understood there’s little appetite for them.

The governor said last week that he believed the increase was too much and called on his appointees on the nine-member board to carefully consider the impact it would have on students and families.

But Rastetter made clear he’d be supporting the proposed increase.

“I do agree with many of our students’ concerns and appreciate their energy and passion”.

“The next few weeks are going to be painful”, he said.