During Wednesday’s Board of Regents meeting at Illinois State Univeristy in Normal, Regents hope to combat the increasing cost of higher education with a tuition freeze at their universities.

BOR Channcellor Roderick Groves said the Illinois Board of Higher Education recommendations for fiscal year 1991 represent the second year of a three year budget strategy designed because of the losses experienced by higher education over the past decade.

“In light of what the state has done to the system over the past ten years, these recommendations are not nearly as inappropriate as the media has made them seem,” Groves said.

NIU President John La Tourette said during the last half of the decade, public universities were confronted with the necessity of imposing double digit percentage increases in tuition.

The increases were initiated to maintain the quality of existing academic programs and services. “If the state comes through on it’s commitment to higher education, we can enter the nineties without any more tuition increases,” he said.

Groves said he is pleased with the IBHE recommendations and that the increase in appropriations to the Regency system reflects the real need and improved standing of Regency universities.

The recommendations also reflect the campus-based planning and budgeting processes that have improved notoriety at Regency campuses, he said.

Illinois Gov. James Thompson will announce the final state budget March 7.

The Board of Regents governs NIU, Illinois State University in Normal and Sangamon State University in Springfield.