State Senate committee discusses rising tuition costs
Published Sept. 15, 2006
A Missouri State Senate committee on costs of higher education met Sept. 12 and heard from various authorities about tuition.
These authorities included the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority and the state treasurer.
The Senate Interim Committee on the Cost of a College Education was established to examine the cost of tuition at Missouri colleges and methods to lower it.
The committee was formed after the release of a report entitled "Tuition Continues to Rise Faster Than Inflation and Personal Income" by state auditor Claire McCaskill.
"Although institutions had taken a variety of actions to reduce costs, some institutions still may not be operating as efficiently as possible," McCaskill stated in the report. "Because comprehensive, ongoing efficiency evaluations were not performed, the Department of Higher Education had no formal centralized clearinghouse to identify, explore and implement the best practices."
The Missouri Department of Higher Education also released a statement on the matter.
"As a result of these growing costs for students, there is much national data that debt loads for graduating students are increasing at an arguably alarming rate," the department's news release stated.
A report card from the National Center on Public Policy and Higher Education gave Missouri a failing grade in affordability for the second year in a row last week.
On Sept. 11, the committee's chairman, Sen. Gary Nodler, R-Joplin, said he advocates a system in which all Missouri schools are equally funded.
If this happened, there would be more political support for funding in higher education.
"Number one, (the current system) has not led to affordability," Nodler said. "Number two, it is not equitable, and Number three, it really does not appear to be an appropriate model to use for the future."
Nodler and Sen. Chuck Graham D-Columbia, could not be reached for further comment on Thursday.