By Rose Krzton-Presson
Tennessee – Austin Peay State University may experience a nearly 9 percent tuition hike this fall. At a Finance Committee meeting last night, the Tennessee Board of Regents finalized the proposed budget for next year- which includes tuition increases for their schools around the state. Nashville Public Radio reports this comes in light of dwindling stimulus funds and includes a 9.5 percent raise for community colleges. The increases are intended to convert temporary faculty into permanent employees and to help recruit professors in the sciences. Within the past three years, the state has cut its higher education budget by 40 percent including an additional 2 percent this year.