Still, in budget cutting years, holding the line is a big deal to higher education leaders.

"Several times we were either given less of a cut or held from future cuts," Foxley said, describing Leavitt as a higher education advocate. "When funding was available, he always realized higher education and its tie to the economy. . . . He'd refer to higher education as the economic engine."

But that engine sometimes mows over students, whose pocketbooks have been hit progressively harder since Leavitt took office.

In the 1993-94 school year, students paid, in the form of tuition, 26.9 percent of what it costs to educate them, Utah System of Higher Education data show. This school year, they're shouldering 34.8 percent of those costs.

Part of the problem resulted from the state's economic downturn two years ago. For instance, the "education in general" line item, was $483.7 million in 2001-2002. It dropped by about $6.5 million the following year, but recovered $4.8 million of that in the current year.

The biggest problem is state funds haven't kept pace with enrollment growth, said Buhler. Some 10,000 new students came to colleges and universities without state funds following them, and per-student funding has dropped $930 in the past five years.

Students have helped take up the slack.

Tuition increased an average 11 percent this school year. Last year's systemwide average hike was 9.8 percent; the year before, 7.2 percent.

By comparison, tuition went up an average 5.5 percent in the 1994-95 school year.

Over the past 10 years, tuition and fees have increased more than 50 percent at the University of Utah and Utah State University, and by 72.5 percent at the rapidly growing Utah Valley State College.

The increases concern Pamela Atkinson, an advocate for low-income residents and former member of the Utah Board of Regents.

"With this last round of tuition increases, I'm afraid people who can't get a decent paying job are not going to be able to finish what they started . . . and drop out of school," she said.

Leavitt says federal and state student aid has increased from $59 million in 1994 to more than $94 million in 2002.

But Atkinson says that in good budget times, college presidents and students unsuccessfully urged the state to boost even higher that investment.

SUU's Miller, for instance, believes Utah could have used money from the tobacco settlement funds as a one-time infusion to colleges and universities.

Now, state revenues are down, and competition for student aid and scholarships is up, Atkinson said.