As one school year closes, college administrators are preparing for the beginning of the next.The Ohio State University has decided to freeze its tuition and fees for next fall but other public colleges and universities are waiting to see what the state legislature does with its budget.Schools are feeling the pressure to cut costs.
Governor John Kasich created a task force earlier this year looking to reduce the cost of attending college in Ohio, but he told school officials they should find their own ways first. The Governor, the Senate, and the House are each working on their own versions of a state budget but most call for a tuition increase of no more than 2%.Senate President Keith Faber, who visited Cleveland State University last week, wants a 5% cut in the overall cost of attendance.CSU President Ronald Berkman says they’re already accomplishing that by reducing the required classroom hours to reach a degree.“The average number of credits a student was graduating with was about 144 credits. So the reduction of every program to 120, the way we estimate it, will save a student a year or a year and a half. So if you take the tuition dollars over a year or a year and a half it represents a very significant savings.”State universities in Ohio only receive state funds for students who graduate, not by how many credit hours they take.But CSU is also looking long term with a strategic plan for 2020 to be unveiled next month. As with other universities in Ohio, CSU may eliminate majors, departments, or colleges.“We can’t be all things to all people so along the line we’re going to have to make choices about the things we do best.”Berkman says everything is being examined and they’ll likely be expanding their market to students out of state and out of country.