MSU needs more money, but it's going to have to make do with what it gets next year.

We're interested in seeing how MSU trustees will distribute funds.

Members of the MSU Board of Trustees realized the need for more funding at their meeting on Friday — after Gov. Jennifer Granholm released her budget for the next fiscal year.

Despite a 2-percent increase in funding for research universities in the proposed budget, many of the trustees said MSU needs more to thrive.

David Byelich, MSU's assistant vice president and director for planning and budgets, said the university will need an estimated $130 to $140 million in additional funds above inflation for the next 10 years to cover costs such as keeping faculty salaries competitive. MSU also wants to raise more money for financial aid.

Although Granholm is offering MSU more funds than last year, funding isn't rising with the inflation rate, and it's clear MSU just needs more.

One painful and common way the university does that is by raising tuition and telling students it's a necessary evil to keep MSU running.

According to one trustee, the board hasn't privately discussed raising tuition.

The board talked about funding as a discussion-only part of its meeting and hopefully will also keep any discussions about tuition open as well.

But any discussion must be preceded by lots of careful planning and budgeting.

The board needs to carefully evaluate the university's budget and make sure it is taking all available steps to avoid making college more expensive.

Like a college student on a tight budget, MSU needs to learn to live within its means.

Although it's nice to have new buildings and a new residential college, those improvements are meaningless if tuition is above the reach of many students.

If the state funding is less, then university officials need to see where they can spend less. Cutting the budget is an ugly process but also a necessary one. It might be easier to increase tuition, but it would be harmful in the long run.

They need to handle the money we pay in tuition, almost $400 million every year, wisely.

Higher education is critical to helping Michigan diversify its economy. Making a college education affordable, then, should be a top priority for everyone.

We will be paying attention to the board and MSU officials to see how well they budget and where priorities are set.

Getting an education at MSU must be affordable. It's a difficult task, but one we expect the board to accomplish.

We'll be watching.