New UMass President Calls For More State Funding

The president of the University of Massachusetts system is again asking state lawmakers for funding to avoid having to raise fees and tuition.

UMass President Robert Caret says in his 40 years in higher education, he has never seen funding sources this dry, and says he understands why students and parents are upset by tuition and fee increases.

"They don’t recognize that the price is only going up because the other revenue streams that have been funding us for years are going down," Caret said. "It’s not because we’re just trying to increase costs."

Tuition, fees, and room and board now cost approximately $25,000 a year.

UMass is in the second year of a $2.5 billion capital improvement effort. For that, Caret is asking that the state cover 30 percent of its costs, up from 15 percent so far outlined.

Among the projects underway are a $150 million laboratory building at UMass-Amherst and $152 million science complex at UMass-Boston.

With additional reporting from The Associated Press