DES MOINES – Both gubernatorial candidates agreed Tuesday that Iowa’s higher education system needs more stable funding, but they differed on what form that funding should take.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate and Secretary of State Chet Culver and his Republican opponent, Rep. Jim Nussle of Iowa’s 1st Congressional District, participated in the first-ever Iowa Higher Education Summit, hosted by the Iowans for a Better Future Higher Education Task Force at the State Historical Building.

Nussle, who spoke via satellite from Washington, D.C., said he would create a “Learn and Earn” program that would allow the state to pay for 15 percent of a student’s debt for seven years after graduation if the student agrees to stay in the state during that time.

He also stressed the importance of planning the state’s higher education budget further in advance, so students would know how much tuition will cost them each year before they enroll at a college or university.

“The government has to plan ahead more than the six months they have for their budget window,” he said.

Culver also emphasized the importance of more predictable higher education funding and said he would commit $25 million on top of any other state appropriations to the Iowa Board of Regents to manage tuition and help recruit and retain faculty.

“We have a real problem when it comes to making college more affordable in this state,” he said.

Culver said he would allocate an additional $12.5 million to Iowa’s community college system.

He called for the creation of an “All Iowa Opportunity Scholarship” that could give up to $5,000 to any high school senior planning to attend an Iowa college or university to help pay for his or her first year’s tuition.

Jerry Kelley, executive director of Iowans for a Better Future, said the nonprofit, non-partisan organization has been working with all of Iowa’s higher education institutions for the last 18 months to formulate a strategy to recruit more students to go to school in Iowa.

Kelley said declining high school graduating class sizes will negatively impact Iowa’s economy.

“We have to recruit national and international students to meet the needs of our higher education institutions and the workforce,” he said.

Attracting students from beyond Iowa’s borders, he said, will benefit Iowa economically, culturally and intellectually.