NASHVILLE – He isn’t happy about it, but Gov. Bill Haslam says he likely will back double-digit tuition increases that University of Tennessee trustees are voting on today and Tennessee Board of Regents will consider Friday.
Haslam, who took office in January, said that over the past 30 years, costs of state-run health care programs have eaten into state appropriations for higher education.
“What’s happened is that as the health care cost has expanded, it’s squeezed out higher education,” said Haslam, who is board chairman of both the UT and Board of Regents systems. “I wish I had a silver bullet answer.”
Lacking such easy solutions, Haslam said colleges and universities must look to longer-term strategies such as controlling costs. The state needs to encourage more use of less-expensive community colleges over more costly four-year universities, and he offered up former Gov. Phil Bredesen’s prescription that universities must do a better job of fundraising.
But in terms of the fall semester, Haslam told reporters earlier this week, he is inclined to back the increases.