Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Vaccine Info
  • Money
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Vaccine Info
    Money
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism

Mixed reactions from Malloy, lawmakers on UConn tuition hike

  • Higher Education
  • by Jacqueline Rabe Thomas
  • December 1, 2015
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"

What a difference four years makes.

In 2011, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy during his budget address to the General Assembly called on the University of Connecticut not to increase tuition at a faster rate than inflation. He made the request even though state funding cuts to to the public university were inevitable as lawmakers grappled with closing a $3.67 billion deficit.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy (file photo)

CT MIRROR

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy (file photo)

With a looming $552 million deficit in the upcoming fiscal year — and UConn officials pitching a 6.7 percent tuition increase — the Democratic governor’s perspective has changed.

“In perfect conditions I would prefer they not be that high. We’re not in perfect conditions, and I think the trustees are struggling to do the best they can,” Malloy told reporters outside his office at the state Capitol.

“If it doesn’t come from tuition, then it has to come from additional contributions, or we’ve got to cut faculty positions or other things,” the governor said. “They believe they need additional funds to do the things they are required to do. No one wants to increase the amount of [state] money they are actually getting, so it’s a difficult situation.”

House Speaker J. Brendan Sharkey, D-Hamden, is reserving judgment on UConn’s tuition proposal, which would increase in-state tuition by 31.1 percent over the next four years.

“I think there needs to be a very clear sense of why that is necessary and what impact it’s going to have on its competitiveness as well as its availability to Connecticut students. I have not seen their explanation or justification for such a steep increase,” he said. “I want to understand better why they feel such a large increase is justified.”

The university says it faces a $40.2 million dshortfall for the fiscal year that begins July 1, a 3 percent gap in what it says is needed to continue offering existing programs and services and to provide a pay raise for staff of between 1 and 3 percent.

As UConn’s costs have soared, state spending has not kept pace. While state spending for UConn has increased by $110 million since 2006, the share of the university’s budget that state spending covers has dropped from 38 percent to 33 percent.

“Our support for UConn has been pretty steadfast,” said Sharkey.

But UConn Budget Chief Scott Jordan has said that support has not kept pace with all the mandates imposed on the university for things like pay raises. Personnel costs are often negotiated by the state administration rather than by the university.

Sen. John Kissel

Sen. John A. Kissel

Regardless, some Republican legislators have decried the escalating tuition. If the proposal announced Tuesday is adopted by the school’s governing board, tuition will have doubled since 2008.

“Year after year, UConn is becoming less and less affordable for Connecticut’s lower- and middle-income families,” Sen. John A. Kissel, R-Enfield, said. “I know that’s true for the families I represent in north-central Connecticut. The people I represent have seen flat incomes for the past several years. Their children are being priced out of their flagship university. How in the world is a 31 percent tuition hike over four years deemed ‘reasonable’?  To me, as a UConn alumnus, it’s outrageous. We are rapidly making higher education available only to the wealthy.”

Nonpartisan legislative researchers concluded in October 2013 that UConn’s cost was pricing out students from low- and middle-income families.

“Prices may appear out of reach for students from low-income families,” the legislature’s Program Review and Investigations office reported. “Income needed for UConn rose most for low-income students … Net price consumes a larger share of family resources as income declines.”

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jacqueline Rabe Thomas is CT Mirror’s Education and Housing Reporter and an original member of the CT Mirror staff. She has won first-place awards for investigative reporting from state, New England, and national organizations. Before joining CT Mirror in late 2009, Jacqueline was a reporter, online editor and website developer for The Washington Post Co.’s Maryland newspaper chains. She has also worked for Congressional Quarterly and the Toledo Free Press. Jacqueline received an undergraduate degree in journalism from Bowling Green State University and a master’s in public policy from Trinity College.

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
Bill would create sexual misconduct climate surveys for Connecticut’s colleges
by Adria Watson

The surveys would be conducted every two years.

CSCU students and faculty push back against contract proposals
by Adria Watson

Connecticut State Colleges and Universities faculty and students gathered outside of Central Connecticut State University Friday morning to protest the Board of Regents’ recent contract proposals, saying the changes could lead to larger class sizes and possibly losing accreditation. “The BOR must … understand their proposals are developed with union-busting in mind,” said Eastern Connecticut […]

State community college system deficit up nearly 38%
by Adria Watson

Much of the shortfall is due to a sharp decrease in enrollment.

Lamont keeps school funding on auto-pilot, despite calls to end ‘funding discrimination’
by Jacqueline Rabe Thomas and Adria Watson

The move is sure to displease groups that have been calling for a major increase in state education spending.

Lamont proposes legislation to improve college enrollment
by Adria Watson

The governor plans to establish a guaranteed admissions program to Connecticut State Universities and make advanced placement courses more accessible.

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion The Board of Regents’ changes must not shortchange its students or faculty
by Carrie Andreoletti, PhD

As a university professor and a lifespan developmental psychologist, I tend to approach my work from a developmental perspective. This means I aim to foster a lifelong love of learning and to help others find a sense of meaning and purpose, as well as confidence in their ability to reach their goals. My approach to higher education is shaped by my desire to provide the best possible education for my students. This is why the recent Board of Regents’ proposed changes at the four state universities have me worried.

Opinion How to close schooling opportunity gaps created by the pandemic
by Carol Gale

We ask school district leaders to trust your public servants whose daily work life involves assessing student needs and planning or modifying instruction to meet those needs. Listen to their voices, as we have, and allocate precious resources on interventions that will offer increased opportunities for Hartford students to succeed.

Opinion A new guide for schools: How to work with families this spring
by Michael Arrington and Erika Haynes

With months of remote and hybrid learning to go, families and educators continue to adapt and innovate to meet the moment. Since August, we’ve spoken with hundreds of parents, caregivers, family support groups, educators, and students across Connecticut and the country about things things that have worked --strategies, big and small, that have made this time more manageable and helped children learn and stay connected with peers.

Opinion Housing is a human right
by Tenaya Taylor

Nonprofit Accountability Group is a queer- and trans-led group based in Hartford that is dedicated to creating racial equity by directing resources to Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) and disabled children and families. NAG was founded in 2020 as an organization with a transformative approach to implementing nonprofit accountability by creating relationships within the community, nonprofits, and their funders.

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than numbers in a prison and much more than victims of societal dispositions. This piece depicts a melanated young man draped in a cape ascending high above multiple forms of oppression. […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s like to wake up in new skin?”

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is the catalyst to all my work, and plays a major influence in each piece of work.”

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture and Art masterpieces and applying the vintage 1960’s and 70’s classic figures (Fisher Price, little people) to the make an amusing pieces. Here is my homage to Fisher -Price, Yellow […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO