| Governor Wise wants all state colleges and universities to find another way to meet their budgets other than by hiking midyear
tuition.
Wise this week ordered across-the-board reductions of three-point-four percent in state agency budgets.
That means the state's schools of higher education must cut a combined 12-point-eight million dollars for the fiscal year ending
in June.
Wise says the cuts must be made by restructuring. He says tuition increases in the middle of an academic year would penalize
students and their families.
Higher Education Chancellor J- Michael Mullen has already said he will advise the Higher Education Policy Commission to
reject any proposed midyear tuition changes.
Instead, the schools will likely freeze hiring, leave positions vacant, curtail travel and slash nonessential spending.
Further tuition increases for the 2003-2004 academic year are almost certain.
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