BOT approves out-of-state tuition cut

The SIU Board of Trustees approved a reduction of out-of-state tuition rates Thursday, bringing the cost down by one third beginning next year.

The board passed the tuition drop, which will lower rates for out-of-state undergraduate students from triple to double the in-state rate. The decrease had been a topic for months after the University revealed that out-of-state tuition was higher than instructional cost.

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Another concern which prompted the decrease was the steady decline in international enrollment. Both SIU President Ted Sanders and SIUC Chancellor Don Beggs agreed that unless there was a decrease in tuition for non-resident students, SIU could forfeit its standing as a global University.

Sanders said that without the reduction SIU could not maintain its commitment to international students.

Today, we no longer are competitive in the international marketplace, he said.

The tuition decrease means students transferring from the SIUC campus in Nakajo, Japan, will reap the benefits of lower tuition beginning fall 1998. All other students will pay lower tuition beginning fall 1999.

Beggs said the University is continuing to recruit aggressively in other countries, like Sweden and Finland, and is gaining ground in international enrollment.

Our total set of activities is making our presence known, he said.

The board also approved a $421,500 renovation to sections of Quigley Hall to build two computer laboratories and a CD-ROM work area. The Illinois Board of Higher Education is providing funding for the project, which organizers hope will be completed for the fall 1998 semester.

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