JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – Hank Bounds has been named Mississippi’s higher education commissioner.
The College Board unanimously chose the state Department of Education superintendent Wednesday after recently naming him its preferred candidate.
Bounds faces an immediate challenge as the board considers a tuition hike.
Tuition has been increased 12 of the last 13 years at Mississippi’s eight colleges and universities. Yet the average cost of tuition sits at $4,742, well below the national average of $6,585 for four-year colleges in 2008-09.
Bounds says he’s not ready to state his position on a tuition increase, but is committed to helping keep the cost of a degree affordable.
He will start his new job in late July.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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