Montana Governor Schweitzer hopes to freeze tuition – University of Washington is getting a big demotion – No cuts in Colorado

Gov. Brian Schweitzer still wants a cap on college tuition for the next two years and thinks there’s enough money in two funding bills making their way through the Legislature to make that happen.

The budget as it now stands in two major funding bills would increase funding for higher education by $6 million, or 6 percent, from the last biennium, Schweitzer said Monday during a visit to The Billings Gazette.

By MARY PICKETT
Of The Gazette Staff

Full Story: http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2009/04/14/news/state/35-schweitzer.txt

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Scarcely any state, even those with worse economies, is punishing higher education funding more than the Washington Legislature is about to do. So long, first tier!

With much of Rome burning, Washington state’s de-funding of higher education doesn’t even register on the national Doppler. It should. Washington’s 23-31 percent cuts are more than twice that of quasi-bankrupt California and ten times that of New Mexico.

And what of Michigan, with its anemic economy and Detroit’s Big Three on life support? Try 3 percent. Thankfully, there’s still one Western state that out flunks Washington (hint: What’s learned in Vegas stays in Vegas).

By Pete Jackson

Full Story: http://crosscut.com/2009/04/14/university-washington/18952/

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Colorado Gov. Ritter: No cuts to colleges

Gov. Bill Ritter said Monday that a potential $300 million cut to Colorado colleges is off the table, though he offered no guidance on how to solve the state’s shortfall as the Senate moved forward with a plan that taps money from a workers’ compensation insurer.

College officials greeted the news with cautious optimism but said they’re not safe until additional funds are found to balance the state’s $17.9 billion budget.

By Jessica Fender, The Denver Post

Full Story: http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2009/apr/14/ritter-no-cuts-colleges/