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News

Regents speak on fiscal future

Tuition, fees for FY 2007 looking up amid growing utility costs, stagnant enrollment

by KRISTEN YOUNG
The Daily Cougar

Student tuition and fees for fiscal year 2007 will increase by nearly 10 percent if the UH Board of Regents accepts the final recommendations made by the Tuition and Fees Committee on Wednesday during the first Student Fees Forum.

The Board of Regents will hear the recommendations at a meeting April 4.

"This session is an opportunity for us to go directly to the student population," Vice President of Administration and Finance John Rudley said. "We’re trying to show the public why tuition and fees are going up for colleges and universities across the country."

Only one student not affiliated with the recommendation process or The Daily Cougar attended the forum. 

A second forum will be held at 5:30 p.m. today in the University Center Dallas Room.

Rising utility costs and stagnant graduate-level enrollment rates are driving tuition and fees higher at the University, Rudley said. University officials expect a 30 to 40 percent overall increase in utility costs, he said.

Rudley also said efforts will be made to recruit more students to attend the University. UH enrollment rates are flat despite significant increases at other regional universities like University of Texas at Dallas and University of North Texas, he said.

"We’re paying the price for a tuition shortfall … We’ll try to do a better job of stabilizing our enrollment as well as increasing enrollment as we move forward," Rudley said.

Two recommendations were presented during the forum. The first shows a 13 percent increase in student tuition and fees. This increase includes the adoption of a new Utility Assessment fee of $8.50 per semester hour.

A 13 percent increase will cost an in-state resident taking 12 hours a semester about $3,010 per semester, up from $2,663 in FY 2006.

But student members of the Student Fees Advisory Committee, including Student Government Association Vice President Francisco Zelaya, said the increase was too much for students to bear. Committee members called for the tuition and fees increase to be less than 10 percent.

"We have to cut our budget more and more to get down to less than 10 percent," Rudley said.

The 9.9 percent increase also includes the new Utility Assessment fee, but because students will be paying less in tuition, the amount of money the University can set aside for financial aid is cut by more than $1 million. 

The Tuition and Fees Committee predicts students will pay about $2,926 for a 12-hour semester under this proposal.

Rudley said that tuition and fees at UH are still lower than national averages.

"We still have a quality product here at an affordable price," he said.

UH Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Donald Foss said the University will hire 30 new faculty members for FY 2007. UH will spend about $3 million on the new hires’ salaries and benefits packages.

Foss said that before making recommendations, he met with the deans of the 13 colleges on campus to discuss the needs of each college.

After compiling a list of priorities, Foss said the monetary requests made by the deans had to be cut significantly.

"We cut the requests of the deans by two-thirds," he said.

If the Board of Regents accepts the proposal, the University will spend $459,000 on reaffirmation in the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

"We’re going to have to hire Web developers to work on this exclusively," Foss said. "It’s a necessary process."

SACS sets accreditation standards for Southern universities and requires every faculty member to have an updated vitae accessible online. 

Each college must also post an up-to-date mission statement.

Foss also said the University will spend $515,625 to bring student academic advising services up to date.

"I think you would agree with me that the proposals were meritorious," Foss said.

Vice President for Student Affairs Elwin Lee said Student Fees Advisory Committee recommends the Student Service Fee increase 10 percent, to $176. 

The increase will offset any student enrollment and faculty and staff salary changes.

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