Updated at 1 p.m. CDT May 5, 2005

CEDAR RAPIDS — The Board of Regents threatened Thursday morning to enact a supplemental 3 percent tuition increase for spring 2006 if the state Legislature does not provide enough funding for the state universities.

Regents officials were quick to stress that the 3 percent figure is an indication, not a decision.

For ISU students, if that increase were adopted uniformly for Iowa residents and non-residents, tuition would increase $73 that semester for residents and $225 for non-residents.

That would mean residents would pay $5,707 for a year of tuition and fees, up from $5,634, and non-residents would pay $15,949, up from $15,724.

Regents President Michael Gartner pleaded for changes to the bill being debated at the Capitol in Des Moines that would give the universities $22 million in additional funding instead of a requested $40 million.

“We appeal to the Legislature, on behalf of the institutions and Iowa’s students and their parents, to reconsider this appropriation,” he said. “We will dig into our own resources, but we also now are forced to turn to Iowa’s parents and students for further help.”

He said a tuition increase would be an appropriate and necessary step to increase revenue.

“We regret that this must be done, but providing quality education, spurring economic growth and conducting important research cannot be delayed,” Gartner said.

The House has adjourned until Monday, meaning the legislative session — and a decision on appropriations — will stretch at least a second week beyond the planned length of the session.

Gartner said a 10-cent increase in the tax on cigarette packs, if the revenue were completely committed to higher education, would fill the $18 million gap between the current bill and $40 million request.

“The cigarette tax would solve the problem,” he said. “It is with great dismay that we, the presidents and the board leadership have had to come to this conclusion of considering a tuition increase.”

Legislators have deadlocked on the cigarette tax issue for weeks. The current 36-cent tax is one of the lowest in the Midwest, and lawmakers have suggested keeping it there or increasing by up to as much as $1.

House Speaker Christopher Rants, R-Sioux City, told The Associated Press it would not be possible to pass that tax increase for the regents.

“There aren’t 51 votes to fund a cigarette tax to fund the regents,” Rants said. “There might be 51 votes to freeze tuition.”

University officials and board members, along with many legislators and Gov. Tom Vilsack, have asked for the $40 million funding increase to counteract several years of funding cuts that have resulted in a myriad of problems for Iowa State, the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa.

Those difficulties include larger classes, fewer course and program offerings, frozen salaries for faculty and staff that have made Iowa State’s compensation less competitive with peer institutions, and a 73 percent increase in undergraduate resident tuition and fees since 2000-01.

The board approved a 4 percent tuition increase for 2005-06 last fall to account for inflation.

Gartner and Regent Robert Downer of Iowa City both said an increase in the cigarette tax would be justified because it would preserve higher education priorities and deter youth from starting a harmful habit that costs the state millions of dollars of medical costs.

Greg Nichols, executive director of the Board of Regents, said an additional board meeting will take place in July if necessary. University presidents would have to make recommendations for tuition changes before the June meeting so they could be voted on in July.

Gary Steinke, the regents’ liaison to the Legislature, spoke at Thursday’s meeting by phone from Des Moines and said there was still a possibility the regents will receive an extra $40 million from the state.

Several senators, including Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, introduced an amendment to the appropriations bill to give the universities $40 million.

“It remains to be seen if there is going to be any movement upward from that $22 million level,” Steinke said. “We’ll be working as long as they’re in session to increase that number.”

Steinke also said an e-mail campaign by students and parents of students mostly from the University of Iowa was making an impact on legislators who received the messages asking for increased state support.

Gartner said the board would still carry out other provisions of its Plan for Transformation and Excellence even if the state does not provide its part.

“We renew our own commitment to provide $20 million through internal efficiencies and reallocations, even though our own commitment was made on the expectation the Iowa Legislature would provide $40 million,” he said.