Regents pass 5 percent tuition hike

The eyes of the students, faculty and staff of all of the institutions of higher education were on the Flathead Community College campus in Kalispell, where the Board of Regents was meeting this morning to talk about budget issues, particularly tuition.

The board, following a suggestion from Commissioner of Higher Education Sheila Stearns, were on the verge of passing a 5 percent raise in tuition each year in the biennium for all of the four-year institutions in the state, including Montana State University-Northern.

Since the end of the legislative session about a month ago, which cut seve...