The board that governs the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa has approved tuition hikes for the fall semester, but not before one board member blasted the governor and legislators for failing to provide more taxpayer support of the schools.

That’s Board of Regents member Larry McKibben of Marshalltown, a Republican who served 12 years in the Iowa Senate.

For students who are residents of Iowa, fall semester tuition will be three-point-eight percent higher at Iowa and Iowa State. Tuition rates for U-N-I students who are Iowa residents will go up two-point-eight percent this fall. McKibben was the only member of the board to comment before the vote was taken.

The former legislator predicts state support of higher education will be a “major item” debated in the fall campaign.

And McKibben warns there will more significant tuition hikes in the future if the governor and legislators do not boost state support of the three universities.