Iowa State’s tuition increase may rise higher than eight percent next year, due to a fiscal blow caused by state spending cuts.

Gov. Tom Vilsack ordered a 2.5 percent immediate cut in state spending Friday, including a reduction in promised aid to colleges, as the result of a $62 million budget shortfall resulting from Iowa’s weak economy.

The 2.5 percent cut, which takes effect immediately, amounts to about $83 million. Higher education’s share of the reduction is nearly $16 million.

“This wasn’t particularly good news for the state schools,” said Barbara Boose, spokeswoman for the Iowa Board of Regents. “When the board office heard the news on Friday, we knew the hard work began to determine how to continue providing high quality university education in the face of the budget cuts.”

The new cuts may cause the Board of Regents to raise the three public universities’ higher than the recommended eight percent announced Thursday.

“I would imagine this cut in state spending will be among their discussion on their board meeting,” Boose said. “The Board of Regents will be assessing every aspect of the current tuition recommendation and we will conduct extensive analysis, and it’s for the nine regents to decide Thursday what we’ll decide to do in regards to the current tuition recommendation.”

The state budget shortfall materialized after a state revenue forecasting panel decided Friday to sharply reduce its estimate of revenue growth for the current fiscal year. The state collected $142 million dollars less than it expected in the budget year that started July 1.

No special session is foreseen this year. The 2004 legislative session starts Jan. 12.

Government of the Student Body President Mike Banasiak said he was content with the cur-rent recommendation of an eight percent tuition increase, but a higher percentage would be unfair to students.

“I understand the state’s current predicament with its budget shortage,” he said. “Any budget hardships will negatively affect the university and the quality it’s able to provide to its students. However, I don’t think students should have to fit the bill for the state’s monetary problems.”

Banasiak said he would oppose any further increases to Iowa State’s tuition for the next year.

“I feel the current tuition increase of eight percent was reasonable and keeps the university afloat,” he said. “At the same time, after three years of incredibly high tuition increases, students will no longer tolerate the lack of concern for higher education in this state.”

— The Associated Press contributed to this article.