Tuition costs to increase at Pittsburg State University

Last week, the Kansas Board of Regents approved a request by PSU officials to increase tuition for the upcoming fall semester. For undergraduate and graduate resident students, tuition will increase $116. Non-resident undergraduate and graduate students will pay an additional $251 per semester starting this year, a PSU statement said.

"Pittsburg State University works very hard to keep tuition as low as possible," PSU Vice President for Administration and Campus Life John Patterson said. "Recent major cuts in funding for higher education, however, made a tuition increase necessary in order for the university to avoid a serious negative impact on students and programs."

The tuition increase is just one part of a multi-faceted effort to deal with the dual blows of major cuts in state support and expected increases in operational costs, the PSU statement said.

Earlier this year, when the Kansas Legislature mandated cuts of about $3.8 million in the PSU budget, the university was already preparing for higher costs for utilities, group health insurance and an increase in the minimum wage for student employees. Together, the cuts from the state and the increased costs totaled more than $4.7 million.

PSU officials made deep cuts across campus, prying about $3 million out of operating costs and personnel.

"We sharply reduced travel, didn't fill a number of open positions and delayed the purchase of equipment," Patterson said. "Every office is doing its part."

But cuts alone will not fill the hole left by the combination of budget reductions and increased costs, Patterson said.

"We cut about $3 million through OOE and personnel," he said. "But the budget reductions and increased costs add up to about $4.7 million."

Because each 1 percent increase in tuition generates about $253,000 and enrollment at PSU is more than 7,000, the regents' approval to raise tuition at PSU allows the university to bridge the $1.7 million gap that still remains.

"These are difficult things to do," Patterson said. "Cutting budgets for academic departments, leaving positions unfilled and delaying the purchase of important equipment are serious decisions."