PORTLAND — The Portland State University Board of Trustees approved an 11 percent increase of undergraduate resident tuition Monday over howls of protest from students.
If approved by the state, the increase would be the fifth consecutive tuition hike at Portland State since 2015 and by far the largest. The increase would grow undergraduate tuition and fees from $9,105 to $10,050 for the fall term.
University officials said they had little choice but to raise tuition due to lagging financial assistance from the state and declining enrollment.
Students pointed out that vote to raise tuition comes just three days after PSU President Rahmat Shoureshi resigned under fire. The trustees approved paying Shoureshi a severance package worth $880,000 for voluntarily stepping down.
All of the state’s seven public colleges are considering higher tuitions. Southern Oregon University in Ashland is looking at a 13.5 increase while the University of Oregon is also seeking an 11 percent hike.
Any public college seeking a tuition hike of 5 percent or more must get approval from the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission.
Higher education leaders have found themselves out in the cold, even as the Legislature and Gov. Kate Brown have opted to dedicate enormous funding increases to K-12 education. Yet PSU leaders argue they receive less funding than other institutions, estimating that in 2020 the school will receive about $16,979 in state funding per degree – the lowest in Oregon.
Currently, the Legislative budget provides PSU about $1.3 million in additional dollars beyond the current year’s budget.
The need to raise tuition dismayed members of the board, several of whom argued that some students are already facing a grim choice between college costs and food.
“We’re in a terrible position,” said Margaret Kirkpatrick. “State support is not yet back up to pre-recession levels. Enrollment is down for a variety of reasons. Our allocation of funding from the state is the lowest in Oregon in the most expensive areas to operate. We are in just one hell of a pickle.”
Several trustees recommended approving the 11 percent tuition hike in hopes it would send a clear message to lawmakers about how dire their financial situation really is. They hope that toward the end of the session, Brown and legislative leaders will steer additional money to higher education.
The board of trustees voted 6-3 to approve the increase as student groups chanted their opposition. The board also approved cuts totaling about $10 million from the university’s academic and student support budgets.
The trustees also named Stephen Percy as acting president to replace Shoureshi, who will be on paid administrative leave until his resignation is effective on Dec. 14. Percy, dean of the college of urban and public affairs, will likely remain in that position for just weeks as the board searches for an interim president.
