LSU presidential finalist on tuition hikes: ‘Not unless we have to’

Public universities nationwide are dealing with state funding cuts, meaning that schools are more dependent on tuition and other self-generated revenue. Louisiana is no exception, and higher education officials want more control over their tuition rates. Into this environment comes F. King Alexander, president of California State University Long Beach and likely the next LSU president. Access to public education for low- and moderate-income students is a priority for Alexander, but he says he doesn’t know enough yet about the finances of LSU’s campuses to say whether tuition hikes are needed. “I’ve always said: Not unless we have to,” he says. CSULB recently raised tuition and fees $1,800, he says. He notes the federal government is spending more on higher education as states are spending less. Under President Barack Obama, a tax credit program for tuition and related expenses has been increased from $1,000 to $2,500, and it’s being made available to families making as much as $180,000. Alexander spoke today at a forum for LSU faculty. The faculty senate has questioned Alexander’s qualifications, noting he’s never been a tenured full professor at a major research university and that graduation rates at his university are lower than those at LSU. “I’ve been involved in research many times,” he says. At the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, he ran a graduate program on higher education policy and was offered early tenure, he says. CSULB has received national attention since Alexander arrived for improving graduation rates. —David Jacobs