Board of Regents pass tuition freeze

For the fourth consecutive year the University System of Maryland Board of Regents has frozen tuition for all state-funded institutions of higher education.

Despite coming under some scrutiny, the decision passed by a unanimous vote Monday morning at Towson University. Board members voiced minimal apprehension with regards to economic uncertainty in the coming years.  USM Chancellor William “Brit” Kirwan spoke of forward planning with the use of another year of stimulus state funding. Reliance on a national economic upturn is paramount. 

“We’re hopeful that with one more year of stimulus funds to stabilizing the state’s budget, the economy is going to start to grow again and we can get to a position where we can have predictable investments of general funds and moderate tuition increases. That’s where we’re headed,” Kirwan said. “The commitment here in the state of Maryland is just remarkable. I’m confident that higher education will fair very well in whatever economic we find ourselves.”

Maryland is the only state to accomplish a four-year tuition freeze. Just years ago, the state was the sixth most costly place to attend college. Today, Maryland is ranked 16th—a feat that was mentioned several times during both the Board of Regents meeting and the following sit-down with Gov. Martin O’Malley. Towson President Robert Caret introduced him as the “education governor.”

 “We know that our progress as a people depends on our ability to create, to innovate, and to build and strengthen and grow and upwardly mobile middle class in a global economy,” Gov. O’Malley said.
 

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