BANGOR, Maine — University of Maine System Trustees have voted to freeze in-state tuition at current levels for the next academic year, the first time that has happened in a quarter century.
Trustees voted Monday to accept a motion by Trustee Karl Turner to keep in-state tuition and fees at their current levels for the first time since 1987. Last year’s budget included an average tuition increase of 4.3 percent.
Turner said freezing tuition and fees for in-state students “is a big step forward in the right direction.” Tuition for out-of-state residents will be set in the spring.
Trustees also approved goals aimed at increasing business partnerships and aligning programs to meet the needs of adults and the state’s work force.
If they had frozen it in 1987, I might have actually found a way to attend by now.
Students do not need increases in tuition when the job market does not keep up with their loans.
Good thing as there seems to be a freeze on jobs in this state too -whether you have a degree or not.
Regardless of the price of a quailty education, it’s not enough to be a college graduate. You have to be trained for a specific job opportunity where a need exists. We have too many “educated” people sitting on Mom and Dad’s couch with high quality liberal arts degrees that don’t pave the way for making some money.
Maybe, just maybe, UMS should go back to 1987 levels adjusted for inflation. Cost increases above this base level should be assessed and justified in terms of documented improvements to the quality of education; otherwise, these programs / projects should be terminated or revised to respond to actual needs. I assume that most of the above inflation increase has been due to expanded staff, increased benefits, empire building in certain departments (e.g., athletics), and superfluous spending beyond the basic objectives of an educational system. A study to determine the impact of adjusting to 1987 levels should be conducted to determine why the cost of education is so high and why programs have not been devised to meet the demand for graduates.