Tuition rates will increase for students entering the UI during the summer and fall semesters 2007, but some members of the UI Board of Trustees said the increases will not be adequate to maintain the quality of education expected at the university.
The increase was approved during the trustees’ May 17 meeting in Chicago.
Under the Guaranteed Tuition Program, base tuition for incoming in-state students in general undergraduate degree programs will increase by $366 (to $4,220) per semester at Urbana; by $322 (to $3,712) per semester at the Chicago campus; and by $26 (to $212) per credit hour at Springfield. Differential charges for students in selected academic programs – including engineering, fine and applied arts, business, animal sciences and food science – will increase as well.
Room and board rates will increase $225 per semester at Urbana, $180 at UIC, and $375 at UIS. Fees will increase $268 at Urbana, including a new $200 library information technology fee; $77 at UIC; and $115 at UIS.
Incoming freshmen at Illinois’ nine public universities are guaranteed the same tuition rates for eight semesters under the Truth-in-Tuition Law that went into effect with the 2004-2005 Academic Year.
Full-time undergraduate students not covered by the Guaranteed Tuition Program also will pay higher tuition next year: $249 and $218 more per semester at Urbana and UIC, respectively, as well as $24 per credit hour more at UIS.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, Elliot Kaufman, director of the Office of Diversity for Graduate Programs at the Chicago campus, said the Guaranteed Tuition Program is constraining the university, and revenues are not providing the funding needed to retain faculty members.
“Too many of our best and brightest are recruited by other universities,” Kaufman said. Although salaries for faculty and staff members are among the university’s biggest expenditures, faculty members are concerned that the salary increases each year tend to be low, usually about 2 percent.
The trustees also got a look at the UI’s preliminary budget for FY2008, which planned for a $13.3 million increase in state funding. The $3.9 billion budget represented an increase of 5.1 percent over FY2007, and included a 2.5 percent salary increase for faculty and staff members as well as a $4.5 million increase in financial aid.
Income from tuition, fees and operations was projected to be $598.6 million, about 15.5 percent of the budget. Support from the state, including employee benefits paid by the state, is expected to be $1.18 billion, about 30 percent of the budget. Federally funded research and royalties add about $770 million to the budget, and $150 million will be derived from earnings on the university endowment.
Trustee Robert Sperling said he was concerned that the budget relied too much on state support, which has been minimal during the past few years. In FY2007, the UI received a $12.8 million increase in its state appropriations, the first increase following several years of budgetary rescissions and no increases.
“I can’t help but think we are making a serious mistake,” Sperling said. “The budget is dependent upon state funds that are very questionable. Believing we are going to get those funds is an institutional mistake.”
Sperling argued for a larger tuition increase to offset any lack of state funding.
“The time has come for us to strike a balance,” Sperling said. “A slight increase (in tuition) will mean a lot. We must deal with reality.”
Sperling said that if the university did increase tuition rates significantly, it would have to provide more financial aid for needy students as well, and he would not propose increasing tuition more “unless we have exhausted every avenue.”
Trustee Frances Carroll said she would prefer that the university be more “innovative and creative” with the funding it does receive.
President B. Joseph White agreed that predicating a budget on state appropriations is a risk, but seemed confident that the UI would receive some state funding.
Trustee James Montgomery pointed out that the Illinois Legislature has an obligation to support public education.
Board Chair Lawrence Eppley said the funding structure for the university is complicated and the board “owes it to the taxpayers to understand where the tuition dollars are going.”
White said he was worried that the quality of education at the UI will diminish if revenue sources are not adequate. “I think we face a risk of slow deterioration,” he said.
The trustees also approved extending financial aid offered through the Monetary Award Program from nine to 10 semesters. UIC Chancellor Sylvia Manning said some students, mainly at UIC, need the extra semester because they work up to 30 hours a week to help pay for their education, and often can only take 12 credit hours per semester. They need the extra semester to finish their degrees, Manning said. If students don’t receive the extra semester of MAP funding, they likely will increase their work hours, and “if they increase their work hours, their grades will suffer,” Manning said. “I don’t want to see us abandoning those students.”
Other business
- The trustees approved a refundable student fee that will be used to support environmentally friendly projects at the Urbana campus. In a referendum held March 6-7, Urbana students overwhelmingly voted to institute a $5-per-semester Sustainable Campus Environment Fee. The fee, which will begin in FY2008, will be used to finance initiatives such as “green” buildings, engagement of the university community, recycling, energy efficiency and environmentally responsible purchasing.
- The trustees approved the acquisition of the Ashton Woods Apartments, located at the northwest corner of Windsor Road and South First Street in Champaign, at a price of $8.6 million. The property was about to be placed on the market, and “if we do not gain ownership (now), we might not be able to afford it (later),” White said. The property, which comprises 156 apartment units in 13 buildings and covers approximately 5 1/2 acres, will continue to be leased for income until the site is needed for alternate uses according to the South Campus Master Plan. The Housing Division will have management oversight responsibilities for the property following a transition period of approximately 12 months to honor existing lease obligations.
- The trustees approved the appointment of Sally Jackson as chief information officer and Steven Sonka as interim vice chancellor for public engagement at Urbana.
- Student trustees for academic year 2007-08 were installed following recent elections at each campus. Chime Asonye, a junior in philosophy and pre-law, will represent Urbana; Faizan Shakeel, a sophomore in bioengineering, will represent UIC; and Sarah Doyle, a graduate student in public administration at UIS, was re-elected to a second one-year term.