UW leader drops plan for higher tuition

University of Washington President Mark Emmert has dropped his controversial proposal to significantly increase tuition.

That's because he's banking on a big — and sustained — financial boost from the state.

For the past two years, Emmert has talked with students, lawmakers and educators about the possibility of raising in-state tuition by as much as 50 percent while increasing aid for poorer students. Emmert argued the increases might be needed for the UW to keep pace with its peers around the country. But some feared the proposal would have created a burden for middle-class families and threatened the financial stability of the state's popular prepaid tuition plan, known as the GET program.

Emmert's proposal would have first required the state to relinquish its tuition-setting powers to the UW and was based on the notion that the UW wouldn't get much financial help from the state.

But much has changed since then. Last month, Gov. Christine Gregoire proposed a two-year general-fund budget that included an extra $111 million for the UW — a boon that UW administrators describe as the best budget they've seen in more than a decade. Gregoire also has laid out a 10-year plan that would allow the UW to catch up and pass funding levels at peer colleges while keeping tuition increases relatively modest.

"We are just tickled to death," UW lobbyist Randy Hodgins said.

Emmert said that — barring an unexpected change of course by state lawmakers — he's not going to pursue tuition-setting powers this legislative session and hopes not to in the future.

"It was always our first choice to have greater state support," Emmert said. "Our interest has always been in competitive funding. We'd rather have the funding gap be closed with state support than to increase tuition dramatically."

Gregoire's budget would cap UW tuition increases at 7 percent annually.

Long-term, her plan aims to raise per-student funding at all state universities and community colleges so they're above average when compared with peer institutions.

Deb Merle, the governor's higher-education policy adviser, said Emmert decided to drop his proposal and get behind Gregoire's budget the moment the specifics became clear. Merle said the two always had the same goal in mind.

"He had one idea of how to do it and the governor had a different idea," Merle said. "The governor's proposal was acceptable to President Emmert, and he decided to support it."

Although Gregoire's proposed 2007-09 budget is only a starting point for legislators, who are due to come up with a final budget by April 22, the higher-education component has support from key legislative leaders. Most expect minor tinkering rather than any wholesale changes.

"Higher education has not been done very well in past budgets, especially when we've been short on revenues. I think this is one of the better proposals," said Rep. Helen Sommers, D-Seattle, who chairs the powerful House Appropriations Committee.

Hodgins said Gregoire's budget would allow the UW to increase faculty and staff wages by 5 percent this year and 5 percent next year, a key ingredient to remaining competitive. Other highlights of the governor's higher-ed budget include:

• Increasing overall higher-ed spending by $308 million to $3.27 billion. About $111 million of that increase would go to the UW. In the separate capital budget, there would also be extra money for construction — including an extra $56 million for the UW, most of which would be used for renovating the campus's core buildings.

• Adding 3,300 enrollment slots in high-demand fields at colleges and universities across the state, including more than 500 at the UW.

• Freezing tuition at community colleges, and increasing tuition a maximum of 5 percent annually at regional public universities and 7 percent annually at the state's two research universities — the UW and Washington State University.

This year, in-state tuition is $5,460 at UW Seattle; a 7 percent increase each year would bring base tuition to $7,157 in four years' time. Standard fees typically add about 10 percent to that cost.

• Expanding an existing state program that delivers grants based on financial need and adding several new grant and scholarship programs.

• Adding $6 million for global health research at the UW and $8 million for agriculture and alternative-fuels research at WSU.

Nick Perry: 206-515-5639 or nperry@seattletimes.com