HIGHER ED FINANCES

As state financial support for higher education lags, public colleges and universities across the country have turned to student fees as a way to boost revenue – and to avoid the negative repercussions of raising tuition. The University of Maine System, where fees on some campuses have more than doubled in the last decade, is no exception. Rather than repeatedly turning to students for revenue, campuses need to do more to raise private funds and ensure that they use money, no matter its source, as efficiently as possible.

In the final days of this year’s legislative session, lawmakers approved an additional $5 million for the university system. The money, then-Chancellor Terry MacTaggart told legislators, would enable the system to reduce a forthcoming tuition increase to 9.8 percent from 12.6 percent.

While a smaller tuition increase was welcome news, students saw other increases in their bills for the school year. Every campus in the university system, except the University of Maine at Presque Isle, raised their mandatory student fees. Although the fees often make up only a small portion of a student’s bill, the growth in fees adds to the financial burden increasingly borne by students and their families, often through loans.

At the University of Maine, for example, mandatory fees for a full-time undergraduate student total nearly $1,800 for this school year, according to figures from the system office. In 1999, they were $681. The campus’ unified fee of $1,474 is defined as being “assessed on all students to cover fixed costs of providing overall educational services that are not directly associated with tuition charges. Examples of fixed costs are services from the library, Memorial Union, admissions, financial aid, and bursar.”

According to the College Board, fees rose faster than tuition and the rate of inflation in the 2005-06 school year, the last for which the organization had data. Some schools have added surcharges to cover the rising cost of electricity and to maintain buildings.

This points to the need for schools to boost private fundraising, partnerships with business and other practices that will bring additional resources to campuses. While donors often like to fund buildings that will bear their names, schools can make the case that money is needed simply to keep classes in session.

At the same time, schools must reassure lawmakers and the public that they are making efficient use of the money they do receive.

Chancellor Richard Pattenaude has pledged to focus on efficiency and has asked the seven system campuses to look for ways to reduce costs, with the savings remaining at each school to strengthen its academic mission. He also pledges to provide more information about how Maine’s universities compare with others across the country.

Focusing on efficiency is a necessary step to build confidence and encourage greater support for the university system.