| |
Journal of Student Financial Aid
|
| |
Tuition Cuts: The Political Dynamics of Higher Education Finance
Vol. 36, No. 2, 2006 p. 33
by Michael N. Bastedo
Increasingly, states are restricting tuition growth through political
pressure and statewide governing and coordinating boards.
During the 1990s, California, Virginia, and New York all cut or
restrained tuition, and recently Michigan, Florida, Illinois, and
New Jersey have restricted tuition growth either through legislation
or intense gubernatorial pressure. This case study examines
the most extensive use of tuition cuts nationally, in the state of
Massachusetts from 1995 to 2001. This case reveals the causes
and effects of tuition cuts as a policy measure, and also the political
dynamics underlying public higher education finance in increasingly
politicized environments.