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s finance chief told state legislators Monday that colleges have raised tuition in part because ... they can.

When a House higher-ed committee member Ryan Winkler (DFL-Golden Valley) asked Richard Pfutzenreuter why tuition everywhere was so high, the U official had this explanation:

At the U, he said, presidents wanted to invest in the university or raise employees' compensation.

Committee Chairman Gene Pelowski (DFL-Winona) called it the day's "most intriguing" statement.

Winkler says he found Pfutzenreuter's statement "stunningly honest."

But he said after the hearing that college officials need to think more about the financial burden that such investments have on students:

The U has been under fire since a Wall Street Journal article suggested last month it was too large and had too many administrators.

Education News

On Campus Blog

Alex Friedrich

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The University of Minnesota’s finance chief told state legislators Monday that colleges have raised tuition in part because … they can. When a House higher-ed committee member Ryan Winkler (DFL-Golden Valley) asked Richard Pfutzenreuter why tuition everywhere was so high, the U official had this explanation: “To be honest, it’s been there because higher ed…

What the U's finance chief told the House higher education commitee

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