Textbooks: Progress for some, others lagging

Textbook affordability has been a "hot-button" issue in the University System of Maryland, resulting from pending legislation in Annapolis and a Summit held by the USM Board of Regents.  Suffice it to say, faculty, bookstores, and publishers have been questioned and pressured to make the best textbook selections by considering the cost of books in the process.

One of the most basic, but significant changes, is the publication of the universal book identifier, ISBN number.  The ISBN allows students to identify the specific textbook through outside providers in order to shop competitively outside the university bookstore.  At the beginning of the Spring 2009 semester, where do USM institutions stand?

• University of Maryland, College Park, UMBC, and Towson all publish ISBN numbers on their public, bookstore webpages.
• At UMB and UB, the bookstore provides a detailed description, including title, edition, publisher, and author, on their webpage.  Of note, these two institutions do not provide ISBN numbers.
• At Bowie, UMES, and Salisbury, the bookstore simply provides the title of the textbook selection and the author.  No ISBN or edition number is provided.
• At Coppin, there is no online list of textbook selections.
• At UMUC and Frostburg, the bookstore can only be accessed through a student log-in, so I was unable to access the list.

Some progress has been made on "opening" the market of textbooks.  Students at UMCP, UMBC, Towson, UMB, and UB could fairly easily find textbooks outside of the university bookstore, while students at other campuses would struggle to do so.  UMCP, UMBC, and Towson should be commended for taking the progressive step of publishing ISBN numbers.

O'Malley's FY 2010 Budget Proposed, Tuition Freeze Included

The Governor presented his proposed FY2010 budget today.  Specific to higher education, the Governor has included a tuition freeze for in-state, undergraduate students for the fourth straight year.  As highlighted on The Sun's Maryland Politics Blog, this is the first time in 25 years that expenditures will shrink for the Maryland state budget (by 1.3%).  The Governor is making his pitch loud and clear that affordable higher education is a priority of his administration, increasing funding for colleges amidst major state cutbacks.  This trend in investment is unique, whereas most Governors view higher education as true discretionary cost that should be cut during hard fiscal times.  Such is the case across the United States today, and was the case in 2003 under the Ehrlich Administration.

The Forgotten Cost in Higher Education: Textbooks

That first trip to the bookstore during our freshman year took most of us for surprise.  Accustomed to textbooks being provided in high school, few of us had any idea how expensive textbooks could be.  On average, books cost about 10% of the cost of tuition, which is quite a burden for students struggling to pay for college.

The Maryland Legislature has considered legislation in the past that would help regulate the sale of textbooks.  Fundamentally, the textbook market is flawed because those who select the good (professors) do not purchase the good (students).  In other words, without the appropriate attention to the cost of textbooks, market forces do not drive down the cost.

Textbook publishers over the years have taken advantage of this arrangement through a number of strategies.  Some providers simply do not provide the cost of materials when advertising books to professors.  Others bundle books with unnecessary supplemental materials.  Publishers also update copies of textbooks as frequently as every 18 to 24 months, in order to make old editions obsolete.

Delegate Craig Rice and Senator Paul Pinsky are sponsoring legislation, House Bill 85 , regulating the sale of textbooks in Maryland.  Highlights of the bill include requiring institutions to publish textbook selections with ISBN numbers well before the beginning of the semester, requiring bundled and unbundled packages to be sold, requiring that publishers provide the cost of textbooks to professors during textbook selection, and requiring the development of a process to ensure professors recognize the cost of course materials.

I support the bill wholeheartedly, although there likely will have to be some minor revisions to ensure passage. What are your thoughts?  What have been your experiences buying textbooks?  What could be included in legislation to make the cost of textbooks more affordable for you?

Tuition Freeze says the Governor

The Maryland General Assembly opened session yesterday.  With the budget at the fore, higher education state support will be up for debate.  Currently, 22% of the discretionary budget is directed to the University System of Maryland.  The level of state support for higher education has two related impacts on students:  quality and affordability.  As in the past and at public universities across the country, tuition is raised to offset declining state investment.

Maryland is in a bit of a different scenario because the Governor has made it a priority of his administration to increase affordability in higher education through tuition freezes.  In-state, undergradautes attending 4-year colleges have enjoyed three straight years of tuition freezes.  The Governor has vowed to do it once again, but will be challenged by the legislature.  The Governor will likely ask for an increase of $25 to $30 million for higher education alone.  A tuition freeze alone costs approximately $16 million.

Senate President Mike Miller has already spoken out against the idea of a tuition freeze, in light of proposed state layoffs possibly extending to1000 employees.  Speaker of the House Mike Busch has floated the idea if differentiated tuition increases, particularly at UMCP.  

The Governor recognizes the great need to maintain the cost of college for Maryland residents--it's one of the drivers of our state's economy and its a short-term investment that helps us retain Maryland citizens who might relocate if they attend college elsewhere.  But, what cannot happen is that quality bottoms out at our institutions through decreased state revenue support not offset by any tuition increase at all.  In other words, higher education and Maryland future cannot get caught in the middle of politics.

For the national picture, check out this article.

Coming weeks and months will be telling.  What are your thoughts on a tuition freeze?  Increasing funding for higher education while laying off state workers?

USMstudents Returns & Legislative Session Begins

Hi all.  I regret not writing for the past month, but am excited to get back in communication with you all.  With the Fall 2008 semester over and a new year and Spring 2009 semester ahead of us, we all have a lot to look forward to.

As I write, I am headed out the door to Annapolis for the official opening of the 2009 Session of the Maryland General Assembly.  The Session lasts 90 days.  This year's session will inevitably be crowded by the looming budget revenue shortfalls that have already impacted every part of state government.

For higher education, two major priorities will shadow most lobbying efforts.  First, affordability will be at the forefront of discussions at the intersection of state budget support and tuition rates.  Should the legislature choose to cut higher education significantly from the budget, the likely response will be a hefty tuition increase to offset the lost support.

The other major issue will be textbook regulation legislation.  Senator Pinsky will likely propose legislation similar to last year's Senate Bill 657 .  Some changes will be made to ensure that this bill passes this session.  Also, expect other changes at the institution level from the Textbook Affordability Summit held last month.

Other issues are expected to arise during the session that will affect higher education, such as tuition for undocumented immigrants and funding for capital projects.  I look forward to keeping in touch with you through USMstudents during the 2009 Legislative Session.

Maryland Colleges Still Fail in Affordability

The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education released the Measuring Up 2008 report today.  Notably, the report highlights that higher education in the United States is still too expensive, showing that 49 states failed in affordability.

Here is a link to:
Full Report
Maryland highlight

Mandating Healthcare for College Students?

In absense of universal access to healthcare, policymakers are considering mandated health insurance for college students in Maryland. Lead advocate Delegate Pena-Melnyk (D-PG County) explains that the estimated increased cost of healthcare is not a "deal-breaker" for affordability of higher education. DelmarvaNow.com highlighted a forum on the issue in an article.

Initial estimates claim that healthcare for college students would add an additional $1000 to the cost of tuition. Those whose parents have healthcare could exempt from the plan. Right now, policies vary across different institutions. At UMBC and Salisbury, students can choose to purchase healthcare through the campus, but are not required to have healthcare to attend school or live on campus. At the University of Baltimore, students must have healthcare to attend school full-time. At UMES, students are all charged for a minimal fee for the health center that covers basic care (students can exempt out of this fee if they show proof of healthcare). Additionally, college athletes and international students must have health coverage.

While healthcare is important, even health advocates in higher education put student insurance low on the priority list, behind sex education and immunization, according to Andy Clark of the USM.

Personally, I believe that the requirement is unnecessarily prohibitive for college students to attend institutions of higher education. The only case in which the university should consider requiring health insurance is in the case in which order and safety on campus is significantly at risk in the absence of healthcare for students. College athletes and international students would fall into this classification. It might also be reasonably argued that on-campus students should have coverage, although I would not currently advocate this point.

With that said, should such a requirement be added to the cost of higher education, the cost should be included in the calculation of "cost of education" used for financial aid purposes.  Universities should also focus their collective efforts on providing more affordable optional health coverage for students.

With the expected rise in tuition rates, advocates concerned with accessibility in higher education should focus efforts on recruiting and retaining college students by mitigating college costs, not adding to them.

Salisbury Student Lend a Hand to Community

This past weekend, Salisbury students reached out to community members through a "We Love Salisbury" day.  Students worked together with community members to rake leaves, do yardwork, and cleanup lawns.  Afterwards, community members and students joined together on campus for a barbeque.

The event is part of an effort by the SU SGA to develop strong relations with the Salisbury community, one that has been strained in past years.

(Read the article highlighting the event DelmarvaNow.com newspaper)

USMSC Meeting, November 16

The USM Student Council met yesterday at Towson to discuss a number of issues. Here is a link to my report to the Council.

The Council discussed a number of issues including:

• the impact of decreased state budget revenues on operating budgets for institutions
• efforts to proactively address illegal filesharing on campuses in order to avoid over-regulation by the federal government and/or music industry
• advocacy/lobbying plan for the Spring session
• Annapolis 101- lobbying day for students with the state legislature

I also asked the Council to research and consider a number of issues:

• differential tuition by discipline
• differential tuition increases/decreases for each institution
• mid-year tuition increases
• mandatory healthcare
• in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants

The Council will meet next at UMBC on December 7 to consider candidates for student regent.

Higher Education Finances and What to Expect

Inside Higher Education highlights broad-based budget cuts across the nation. Salisbury President Janet Dudley-Eshbach warns of furloughs and mid-year tuition increases. The Chronicle of Higher Education highlights expert analysis of the tough consequences for higher education in the expected recession over the next two to three years.

The economy is in poor shape, and higher education will suffer. Fiscal pressures will come from a variety of areas:
- decreased state funding support for the operating and capital, due to declining state revenues
- decreased enrollments because of a lack of income and access to loans (both potential and current students); resulting in decreased tuition receipts

Undoubtedly, the more states cut their budgets, the more higher education will be cut. And so, to offset these lost revenues, higher education institutions will be pressured to either cut expenditures and services or significantly raise tuition. Each institution will likely work to balance the two budget-balancing strategies in the way to maintain prestige/quality and accessbility/affordability.

Next month, the Maryland Board of Revenue Estimates will examine the expected revenues for the next fiscal quarter for FY09. Possibly, the Board will identify the need to cut more from the budget. Do recall, the state experienced budget cuts amounting to around $350 million after the last revenue estimates were evaluated (higher education saw a $35 million cut, or 10%). Surely, with the further downturn in the economy over the past few months, we could expect more cuts.

A few things to consider:
- higher education occupies about 21% of the discretionary portion of the state budget (the portion of the budget that is not prescribed through legislative mandate)
- higher education saw 10% of the last round of budget cuts
- higher education is often seen as a non-essential expenditure

So, I presume that while Governor O'Malley has consistently provided significant financial support for higher education, he will be pressured more and more through fiscal realities to significantly cut higher education. In other words, the more money that is cut from the budget in Maryland, higher education will likely recieve an increasing percentage of the budget cut.

So then what happens? Tuition increases or service cuts. Take your pick. This can play out in a few ways:
- mid-year tuition increases
- larger class sizes
- decreased course offerings
- furloughs for staff
- hidden student fees and surcharges
- closed and limited student services (i.e. early closing hours for library)
- decreased and enveloped financial aid
- increased prices on campus sales (i.e. food, textbooks, t-shirts, etc.)
- fewer student job opportunities
- fewer research opportunities
- less research time for faculty


So, what are you willing to sacrifice? How do you suppose me and other policy makers balance affordability and quality?

MHEC Hearing in State Plan on Higher Education, Nov. 19

On November 19, a public hearing on the State Plan for Higher Education will be hosted by the Maryland Higher Education Commission.  The Maryland Higher Education Commission serves as the coordinating body of higher education in the State, guiding community colleges, private institutions, and public institutions.  Check out the MHEC website announcement and the draft document up for comment.

The State Plan is designed to coordinate each sector and set the priorities and mission for higher education in Maryland.  Take some time to at least review the plan and possible provide some public comment for MHEC.

Advocacy Best Practices: UMCP SGA's "Take Action" Site

UMCP SGA has developed a "Take Action" website designed to provide students with opportunities to advocate, information about current events and issues, and links to useful resources. The website is part of President Sachs' efforts to engage students in advocacy efforts across the university.

The website includes three white papers on The Purple Line, Textbooks, and Tuition Policy.  The papers provide great information in a succinct manner.

Kudos Jonathan and the rest of the SGA at UMCP!