Correction appended
Penn State announced Thursday that it has plans to enact the lower of two proposed tuition rates, pending a decision today from the Executive Committee of the Penn State Board of Trustees.
Penn State spokesperson Geoff Rushton said the university intends to implement the lower tuition increase, 3.7 percent for in-state students and 4.5 percent for out-of-staters, instead of the nearly 10 percent in-state tuition hike previously proposed.
"It's a risk, but we are hopeful we'll have the stable appropriation from the Commonwealth," Rushton said. "We felt that this was the right move to make based on the information we have."
The executive committee will meet in a conference call today at 1:30 p.m. to make a final decision on Penn State's fall tuition rates.
Rushton said he can't speak for the executive committee of the Board, but he expects them to concur with the university's plan.
Penn State spokesperson Lisa Powers wrote in an e-mail Thursday that the "overwhelming support" from state legislators and members of Congress influenced Penn State's decision to carry out the lower tuition scenario.
U.S. Representatives Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., and Tim Holden, D-Pa., sent a letter signed by 14 of 19 members of the Pennsylvania Congressional Delegation last Friday to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, asking the department to reconsider Pennsylvania's application for federal stimulus funds.
The department declared Tuesday that the four state-related universities, including Penn State, must be included in Gov. Ed Rendell's application for federal stimulus money.
State Sen. Jake Corman, R-Centre, said the state budget is still being debated, but he is confident Penn State will receive a "comfortable level of funding."
"[Penn State] is in a tough spot," Corman said. "I don't think the university will have any indication on the state budget by [today]."
Today is the deadline for Penn State to set fall tuition for the 2009-10 academic year, which the university will have to do without a finalized state budget.
Corman said the house is still debating amendments on the state budget.
Rendell's spokesperson Chuck Ardo said the budget is currently being debated in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and the governor is urging universities to plan conservatively as they await the state budget.
"We have been urging all higher education institutions to consider the economic climate their students and families are facing," Ardo said. "We would certainly ask Penn State trustees to view their tuition increases through that lens."
Correction: This article incorrectly states the percentages by which tuition will increase. The correct numbers are 4.5 percent for in-state students, and 3.7 for out-of-state students.
