Gov. Mark Sanford, in recasting his argument for tuition caps, said Wednesday that state colleges must coordinate services and lower costs.

The Republican governor also named a task force headed by former University of South Carolina chief operating officer Lyles Glenn to study ways to reduce duplication and expansion.

�We have made a very consistent argument against mission creep,� Sanford said. �We need to define what we do narrowly and do it well.�

Sanford campaigned in 2002 on bringing state colleges under a state board of regents, to curb duplications and cut costs. But the universities have so far defeated such a plan � and have increased their independence from the state Commission on Higher Education, which regulates state colleges.

On Wednesday, Sanford described the commission as �toothless� in controlling higher education costs.

But university leaders say they have been hurt by cuts in state funding.

Clemson president James Barker argues that the research universities are delivering a high-quality education at a lower cost than peer institutions in other states.

�We have met (with the governor) several times. I basically told him we think tuition caps were caps on quality, a form of price controls,� Barker said. �We think the board has worked to look carefully at those issues.�

Katy Bayless, Clemson�s student government president, said tuition caps are �an easy out� for politicians.

�The truth is there needs to be more base funding for higher education in general in South Carolina,� she said.

USC student Taurean Robinson, 21, of Newberry, said his family would welcome a slowing of the double-digit percentage increases.

�It�s a good idea. The universities should work with the governor,� Robinson said.

House Education Committee chairman Ronny Townsend, R-Anderson, said the individual university boards should decide tuition prices.

Rep. Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, said caps are a good idea.

�I want them to be the finest public universities, but they need to remember the word �public,�� Smith said. �They need to be affordable.�

Staff writer Aaron Gould Sheinin contributed to this report.