Gov. Tom Vilsack told ISU students Monday that the nearly double-digit tuition hike for next year is a result of allocating state funds to other areas of the state’s education system.

Vilsack spoke to about 60 students, faculty, staff and area representatives at a student open forum in the Campanile Room of the Memorial Union.

Earlier this month, the Iowa Board of Regents approved a 9.9 increase in tuition and fees for Iowa State, the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa. The increase, which will cost in-state students $300 more next year and out-of-state students $900 more, is a result of legislative budget cuts last spring.

Vilsack said Iowa is one of the top five states in the country in terms of state money spent on higher education. He said the state pays, on average, about $11,000 per student each year at the three state universities in comparison to $2,500 per community college student and $3,500 for every K-12 student.

However, he said the tuition increase came because the state needs to spend more money on K-12 education and K-12 teacher salaries.

“We have to have a balanced approach,” Vilsack said. “We cannot put all of our eggs in the universities’ basket; we have to put them in other baskets, too.”

Vilsack said the decision to cut the budget for the state universities wasn’t easy, but he said expanded student loan programs and tax cuts for higher education have “made tuition increases easier to handle.”

He said the $300 increase for in-state students still makes Iowa universities a competitive place for students to get their higher education.

“I can spend that $300 on your tuition,” Vilsack said. “Or I can increase [K-12] teacher salaries and make the state a better place to raise a family. We need to shore up the K-12 education system.”

Vilsack also talked about how to keep college graduates in the state. He said he wants to enhance the state-funded Venture Capital program, which provides financial assistance to start-up businesses.

“We need to encourage bright young people in this room to stay [in Iowa],” Vilsack said. “We need to remind them that this state has the highest quality of life of any state in this country.”

He said he wants to increase the number of businesses in the life science, advanced manufacturing and software development fields to “open Iowa to the rest of the world.”

“If you’ve left, we want you to come back home,” he said.

Although the governor said the state is moving in the right direction in getting more high-tech industries to come to the state, he said there is still a long way to go.

Vilsack has held similar forums at the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa earlier this school year.

“[The Government of the Student Body] feels it is very important for students to have an open dialogue with elected officials,” said Andy Tofilon, co-director of inter-governmental affairs for GSB.

Tony Luken, who attended the forum, said it is important for state executives to take students into account.

“[Vilsack] sounded very intelligent,” said Luken, sophomore in philosophy. “He knew his numbers. It’s important for students at the regent universities for [the governor] to listen to our problems.”