Staff editorial: A new take on tuition

Among the many ideas and proposals espoused by President Barack Obama during last week's State of the Union address, one issue — the ever-increasing cost of higher education — is particularly relevant to students. "Let me put colleges and universities on notice," Obama said. "If you can't stop tuition from going up, the funding you get from taxpayers will go down." The president spent only a few moments on the matter before moving on to immigration, but three days later, he elaborated on his proposal during a speech at the University of Michigan.

Under Obama's plan, funding for federal work study positions and aid programs such as Perkins loans would increase — but only for schools that keep tuition costs in check. Such performance-based funding will utilize similar methodology to the Race to the Top program, in which federal education funds are sent to states based on how well their proposals meet specific criteria set by the U.S. Department of Education.

Reaction to Obama's proposal from school officials has been mixed, with many questioning exactly how the federal government would set up criteria to award funding in an equitable manner. But analyzing the details of the plan is — at this point — an exercise in futility, because any bill would need to be passed by a divided Congress. Nonetheless, this editorial board finds the move encouraging. The federal government is actually in a position to force states and institutions of higher education to reign in tuition costs.

It remains to be seen whether Obama's plan is anything more than an election campaign tactic to court young voters and middle class families with the proposal, but recent comments by Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich also addressed the matter — albeit in a way only Gingrich would. The Washington Post reports that during a speech in Florida on Saturday, "Gingrich said that today's students are being coddled, with luxury dorms and lavish extras, such as lobster nights in their dining halls."

Gingrich's approach may be different, but the idea is the same: College tuition is too high, and the federal government can't afford to subsidize higher education on its current trajectory.

This editorial board agrees. Even this university — ranked by Kiplinger's as the eighth-best value among public schools in the country — can do more to reduce the cost of tuition, which is likely to increase another three percent next year if Gov. Martin O'Malley and the General Assembly pass such a measure. Considering that students nationally are borrowing twice as much as they were only 10 years ago, and education debt has reached $1 trillion — exceeding the country's combined credit card debt — it seems obvious students can no longer afford to attend institutions engaged in the amenities arms race.

There may even be a glimmer of hope that tuition here in Maryland will remain low; state Sen. Jim Rosapepe (D-Prince George's and Anne Arundel) plans to introduce legislation once again this year that would put a permanent cap on college tuition. Furthermore, he's proposing the state give students more options to earn credits through test-taking in lieu of enrollment in expensive classes.

The success of Rosapepe's proposal will have to play out during the legislative session. Nonetheless, Obama is wise to address the issue now because his plan will likely appeal to a large swath of voters, making it difficult for Republicans to oppose. Even if the proposal is nothing more than a shrewd political move, hopefully it gets the Republican candidates talking about an important issue that affects the future of this country. In other words, talking about something other than colonizing the moon.