Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon's public universities are asking to dip into tuition-backed reserves. They say that would help offset a pending cutback in state support.

Higher ed administrators plan to make their case to a legislative budget panel Tuesday. Salem Correspondent Chris Lehman reports.

Oregon's public universities are subject to the same across-the-board cuts that Governor Ted Kulongoski plans to order later this month. That's in response to a half-billion dollar budget shortfall.

But it comes during a time of surging enrollment. So tuition income is on the rise, too.

Normally higher-than-anticipated tuition revenue goes into a reserve fund. Now, schools like Oregon State and the University of Oregon are asking lawmakers to allow them to spend some of that extra cash.

Jay Kenton is Vice-Chancellor of the Oregon University System. He says the money would help cover the cost of having more students.

Jay Kenton: "We need to investing, keep people happy, make sure they are successful in their studies, make sure they get the classes they need, the services they need to graduate."

Kenton says about half of the extra tuition money would still go into a reserve fund under the proposal.

Meanwhile, Oregon public university students will pay about six percent more in tuition next year.