Associated Press Writer

By DALE WETZEL

Tuition at North Dakota's 11 public colleges should increase from 8 percent to 9.9 percent this fall, a state Board of Higher Education subcommittee is recommending.

The panel, which includes three of the board's eight voting members, also voted Thursday to support 3 percent minimum pay increases for college employees, beginning July 1.

Panel members declined to advocate an increase an $81-per-semester student fee that is supporting ConnectND, a new computer administrative software system that has prompted complaints from some of North Dakota's larger universities.

Officials at the University of North Dakota and North Dakota State University say the new software does a poor job of tracking income from research grants and contracts.

The board's Budget and Finance subcommittee reviews requests for tuition increases and makes recommendations to the full board, which is meeting next week in Minot.

Pam Kostelecky, the board's president, and members Sue Andrews and John Q. Paulsen voted unanimously to endorse the tuition increases, which the colleges hope will raise $11.4 million in new revenue during the 2006-07 budget year.

A healthy chunk of the increase will go to cover higher campus utility expenses, said Laura Glatt, a vice chancellor of the state university system.

Colleges initially estimated that sharply higher prices for natural gas and other fuels would cause a $6.5 million overrun in the sum they budgeted for utility costs. A mild winter has knocked down the projected deficit to $5 million, Glatt said.

Williston State College and the North Dakota State College of Science at Wahpeton are seeking 8 percent increases, while the University of North Dakota and Lake Region State College in Devils Lake want to raise their tuition by 9 percent.

Bismarck State College, North Dakota State University, Dickinson State University, Mayville State University, Minot State University and Valley City State University are seeking 9.5 percent tuition rises. Minot State's Bottineau campus is requesting a 9.9 percent increase.

The North Dakota Student Association has asked the Board of Higher Education to cap the semester fees charged to students for the ConnectND project at the current $81 per semester.

The subcommittee declined to recommend a cap Thursday, but agreed to advocate keeping the fee at its current level.

"I would hope … it would show (students) that we are, in good faith, honoring what their concerns are," Kostelecky said.

Robert Potts, the university system's chancellor, said it is "pretty rare" among colleges for students to shoulder so much of the financial burden for technology improvements. College administrators want state lawmakers to devote more taxpayer support to the system, Potts said.

Students "have a legitimate concern about how this has gone from 40 bucks to 80 bucks over these years," Potts said. "We ought to make one of our thrusts to the governor and the Legislature to give us some help on this, so we don't have to increase this fee."