I agree with this South Bend Tribune editorial, praising Rep. Jeff Espich, State Budget Committe chairman, for setting a public hearing to review the recent tuition increases adopted by Indiana's public universities and to hear the schools defend those indcreases:
Earlier this year, the CHE recommended tuition increases ranging from 2.5 to 3.5 percent for all state schools. IU Bloomington, Purdue and Ball State universities, when factoring in new fees, all have exceeded their caps.
Espich called today's hearing because, he said, "each year, our economy requires more college-educated citizens. Yet each year, tuition becomes less affordable."
On average, in-state undergraduate tuition rates at Indiana's public colleges and universities have increased by 122 percent since 2000, far outpacing the rate of inflation. And that doesn't count tacked-on fees that have swelled bills even higher. Is there any wonder why student loan debt is growing?
There is a growing discussion today about the "education bubble," which will burst when the number of graduates with lifelong student-loan debts for educations that haven't prepared them for anything reaches critical mass. Keeping education costs as reasonable as possible is one way to aid the cause of Hoosier competitivenss.
