Sunday, October 12th, 2008

Prof. salaries cause of proposed tuition increase

Sophomores will not be affected by the change, but others may experience a 6 percent increase

By Deepa Sampat

Thursday, June 5th, 2008

The Board of Regents will decide next week whether to approve a 6 percent increase in tuition at the University of Kansas.

The proposal, set forth by Chancellor Robert Hemenway and Provost Richard Lariviere, affects non-compact paying students: juniors, seniors, transfer students and graduate students. Freshmen and sophomores have a fixed tuition rate, or compact, for all four years. The proposal also includes a new tuition compact for incoming freshmen, and a 5.5 percent raise for medical students.

Lynn Bretz, director of University communications, said the increase in tuition would help fund faculty salaries, fringe benefits, utility costs and student program enhancements.

“Our number one concern is how to provide students with a high quality education,” Bretz said. “The most important resource we provide is faculty.”

Bretz said faulty salaries at the University were less than the national average. This makes the University vulnerable to institutions that offer better salaries to lure away experienced faculty.

“It can cost more to replace a person than it would have cost to offer a competitive salary to keep them from leaving,” she said.

Sophomores will not see an increase in tuition under their tuition compact, which was first implemented last year. They will maintain a rate of $213 per credit hour for three more years.

The regents must also decide whether to extend the tuition compact to incoming freshmen and raise it 8.7 percent, costing $231.45 per credit hour.

“We are looking at expenses for four years out,” Bretz said. “Think back four years. Did you know gas was going to cost $4 a gallon? The University takes a risk in that.”

However, Bretz noted that the compact has been favorably received by parents and students.

“We feel like we are fairly unique in the United States,” Bretz said. “Parents have told us what they appreciated was that they know what tuition will be for four years. If you are planning your budget, and juggling everything students who go to college juggle, such as housing costs, food costs, transportation costs, to not know what tuition will be until two months before school is really hard.”

Christine Downey-Schmidt, regents chair, said in making its decision, the board would consider how much money would be spent on faculty salaries, utility costs, transportation, technology and on other areas.

“On one hand we hate to have the burden on students and parents, on other hand we as a board are neglectful if we allow the quality of education to decrease,” she said. “That balance is part of the decision making.”

Downey-Schmidt said the lack of legislative support was especially problematic this year. She said the board told universities to make tuition proposals based on how much money the governor proposed to provide universities.

“All institutions had to tinker with their proposals because they were given $10 million less than expected,” Downey-Schmidt said. “What I need to hear is justification for their revised predictions.”

While Downey-Schmidt said she realized people were struggling financially because of a poor economy, she said that she supported the University’s request for raised tuition.

“I absolutely will not stand for talented students who do not have resources and who are being denied education,” she said.

She also said she supported extending the tuition compact to freshmen at an increased fixed rate.

“The University has to estimate what the cost will be for four years and ask [students] to begin paying that up front,” Downey-Schmidt said. “They are taking a big risk but they are doing it to support the interest of parents and students who said, ‘We want predictability in what we have to pay. We might be unhappy with the cost, but we want to know.’”

Ben Goreing, Topeka freshman, will be attending the University next year on scholarships. Because he has two sisters who also have to go through college, Goreing liked the predictability of a tuition compact.

“It makes sure you don’t have unexpected financial troubles in the future,” Goreing said. “You can get your finances in order up front if that is something that’s important to you.”

Even if the standard tuition increase was approved, Bretz said the extra funding wouldn’t cover all the University’s expenses. Instead, the University constantly searches for ways to run more efficiently.

“We’re facing a real gap when it comes to our ability to compete and our capability to meet Kansans’ expectations,” Lariviere said in a press release. “To be able to continue to deliver the benefits that Kansans expect, such as an educated workforce and direct services in their communities, Kansas will need to address that gap.”

The regents will make their final decision at the board meeting June 12.

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