Lawmakers gave the university quite the budget cut this year - $650 million. That led to an extra tuition increase. So in lobbying for next year's budget, Chancellor Charlie Reed is taking a "carrot-and-stick" approach. The stick comes this week, when trustees vote on a nine percent tuition increase for next fall. But Reed's also dangling that carrot:
Reed: "We won't have to increase tuition for the fall if the state provides adequate funding in next year's budget."
He's asking the state to "buy out" that increase by restoring $138 million.
Meantime, it looks like this year's budget could give the C-S-U another $100 million "trigger" cut because state revenues are coming in well below projections. If so, Reed says the university will pretty much empty its reserves to avoid raising fees mid-year.