University says increases needed to maintain quality

At its October meeting, the SIU Board of Trustees will decide the fate of a plan to increase tuition for some students by as much as 12.6 percent, a hike the University said is necessary to continue providing a quality education and one the board chairman said is likely to pass.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if it passes because I don’t think the board wants to let down on the quality of the University,” said Glenn Poshard, chairman of the board. “Unless there are some very good arguments put forth to me, I would say I tend to support it.”

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The plan, which was proposed by Chancellor Walter Wendler at the board’s meeting last week, calls for students who were enrolled at the University prior to this semester to pay a 7.9 percent increase bringing their tuition to $4,920, making their tuition equal to the locked-in rate of students who began their first semester this fall.

Students who enroll for the first time in the fall of 2005 will enter with a four-year locked in rate of $5,310, an increase of 7.9 percent over the current locked-in rate.

If passed, graduate students will pay $5,184 for the 2005-2006 academic year, a 12.5 percent increase over the current rates and law students will pay a 7.9 percent increase, bringing their tuition to $8,190.

Poshard said the administration has made a good argument for the increases and said universities around the country are being forced to raise tuition.

“When the administration comes to us and says we have a need for this to keep quality programs alive, to recruit faculty, to keep our current faculty here and to not let the quality of programs go down, the board listens to that and respects that on face value.”

Sue Davis, University spokeswoman, said the tuition increase is needed to offset the rising costs of doing business. She also said the money will help fund the renovation project going on at Morris Library, provide scholarships and assistantships, increases in minimum wage and graduate assistantships.

“Tuition increases let us look at expanding those programs and adding others that benefit students and are necessary,” Davis said.

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Universities are funded by state appropriations, grants and contracts, private support and tuition and fees, Davis said, which help keep tuition lower than the actual cost involved with educating a student.

Poshard said the University has been hit hard by funding cuts in recent years and has had to make spending cuts across the board, while at the same time raising tuition.

“The whole University feels this is a time of tightening our belts and maintaining quality without getting too far up there in terms of tuition,” Poshard said. “Compared to other institutions in the state and our peer institutions, SIU is still a very good bargain for higher education.”

Larry Dietz, vice chancellor for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, said the extra money that comes into the University through tuition increases is often used for student service enhancement, capital improvement and salary enhancements, among other things.

“Those decisions are made as a result of a lot of discussion,” Dietz said. “We are all trying to achieve the overall goals of ‘Southern at 150’.”

While the board will only be voting on whether to increase tuition for the 2005-2006 academic year, the projected tuition rates for fiscal year 2007 and 2008 continue to raise for continuing, graduate and law students.

In fact, the annual rate for students whose tuition is not capped under the truth-in-tuition law is projected to increase 8.5 percent in 2007 and16.9 percent in 2008, bringing tuition during that year to a projected $6,240.

“It is higher and it is going to get higher in the future,” Poshard said. “But for the quality of education, it is still a bargain for our students.”