Grand Valley president says tuition cut could come with state funding fairness

At a time when good economic news is needed, Grand Valley State University's president has promised to cut tuition if state lawmakers keep their minimum funding commitment.
 
President Thomas J. Haas said the university would be able to decrease tuition by 4 percent if it were funded at the level lawmakers decided should be the minimum for any public university in the state. Haas made his promise at a hearing before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education March 9 on Grand Valley's Pew Grand Rapids Campus.
 
Haas told lawmakers that if the state were to fund Grand Valley at a level of $3,778 per student, as is the statutory minimum recommended funding level, then Grand Valley would cut tuition by 4 percent. Grand Valley receives $3,088 per student, putting it at the bottom when it comes to state appropriation per student.
 
The testimony comes on the heels of Gov. Jennifer Granholm's request that state universities freeze tuition, while facing a possible 3 percent cut in state funding.
 
Haas also told lawmakers, "We need the state to be a reliable partner in support of higher education," said Haas. "A highly educated workforce benefits all in a community. Higher education is a public good, deserving of investment and your enthusiastic support."
 
Haas went on to say that a state budget must be strategic and fund what is valued, especially in hard economic times. He recalled the wisdom gained in his many years in the U.S. Coast Guard: "As a good Coastie or Laker knows … never cut your engines with storms around."
 
This academic year, Grand Valley has an enrollment of almost 24,000 students and charges tuition of $8,196 per year.