Among public universities in the Big Ten, Penn State has the second highest tuition rates for both in-state and out-of-state students for the 2000-2001 fiscal year, yet it typically ranks at or near the bottom of the conference in level of state appropriation per student.

Penn State also receives lower state funding per capita than two of the three other state-related institutions that rely on Harrisburg for a portion of their budgets, the University of Pittsburgh and Temple University.

Today and continuing on until tomorrow, Penn State President Graham Spanier will carry on the yearly process of lobbying state legislators for an increased state appropriation to prevent unnecessary tuition hikes.

These two principal sources of income for the university's educational programs are closely related, Spanier said in a Collegian interview last week.

"Ultimately, the level at which tuition is set is very heavily dependent on the level of the appropriation," he said.

"So, if the appropriation suffers, we have to make it up with tuition. And for many years now, tuition has been increasing faster than inflation because our appropriation has not kept up with inflation."

There was a time three decades ago when the tables were turned.

In 1970-71, the state appropriation supplied 62 percent of the general funds budget, while tuition covered about 32 percent.

This fiscal year, the appropriation contributed 33 percent, and tuition 60 percent, according to the university budget office.

These two sources contribute almost all of the income for the general funds budget, which excludes the College of Medicine and the Hershey Medical Center, Pennsylvania College of Technology, and Dickinson School of Law.

Average in-state tuition and required fees at Penn State for 2000-2001 is $6,852, based on the common data set released by the university.

Corresponding figures throughout the Big Ten range from $3,204 at the University of Iowa to $7,126 at the University of Michigan, according to U.S. News & World Report.

The effects ripple further between comparisons between Penn State and other Big Ten schools, such as with faculty salary increases. Penn State now ranks tenth in the Big Ten for faculty salary increases, compared to a seventh place ranking in 1996-1997, according to a report from the vice provost's office.

In September, the Penn State Board of Trustees put in a request of $361 million in state funding for the total operating budget, which would translate into a tuition increase of 6.75 percent — or an average of more than $220 per semester.

However, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge's budget released earlier this month listed a lower appropriation of about $334 million. Ridge's proposed appropriation, amounting to roughly $2 million, equates to an increase of less than 1 percent for next year.

If state lawmakers do not boost that figure closer to the trustees' request, students could end up paying part of the difference on their semester bills later this year. Come summer, students will get the final word on next year's tuition change after July's Board of Trustees meeting.