MnSCU to Ask Legislature for More Money

ST. PAUL (AP) -- The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system plans to ask legislators for more money over the next two years.

In return, MnSCU leaders are pledging to bump up enrollment, cut administration by $44 million and cap tuition increases at 3 percent.

The public system's Board of Trustees unanimously approved the $1.2 billion budget request Wednesday. That's an increase of $97 million over two years, or nearly 9 percent.

Officials say the request makes unprecedented promises to match state funding using private sources. For example, MnSCU pledges to match $21 million in state funding for equipment and technology with equal funding from businesses.

The MnSCU system includes 24 two-year colleges and seven state universities and enrolls more than 420,000 students.