Wayne State Provost Nancy Barrett presented to the Board of Governors Wednesday recommendations for the 2010 fiscal year, proposing that either a 4.8 percent or 5.9 percent tuition increase be adopted.
Later today, the Governors will vote on which increase to adopt for the upcoming school year.
Barrett, replacing Assistant Vice President of University Budgets Rob Kohrman, presented new tuition proposals in light of the state cutting 6.6 million from the university’s budget.
She said these proposals are merely recommendations and intended to show the magnitude of the decision the Governors face.
The 4.8 percent increase demands a required permanent budget cut of $5.8 million. As a result, students would be asked to pay $11.50 per credit hour.
This particular increase would also eliminate 35 administrative positions, 90 part-time faculty positions and four full-time faculty members.
Other supposed effects include the 24-hour study room in the Undergraduate Library limiting its hours on weekend and closing on Sundays. Also, programs, including two in nursing and one in engineering, would be eliminated.
The 5.9 percent raise, however, would use stimulus funds to cover most of the costs for students, resulting what would actually be a 4.8 percent tuition increase. There would be a budget cut of $3.7 million and a rate of $14 per credit hour for students.
Barrett said that the cut in funding has caused the university to institute a freeze on new hires as well as a freeze on executive salary increases. Faculty salaries are still going up this year by 2 percent, down from last year’s 3.5 percent.
She said the university has also doubled amount of financial aid for students and still has enough stimulus money left to use to buy down the tuition rate for students, provide additional financial aid and technological aids in classrooms.
Some Governors were concerned if it had already been decided if the university would even receive stimulus dollars. Governor Gary Pollard said these suggestions were dependent on “if” the state decides to give the money to higher education.
Harvey Hollins, vice-president of Governmental and Community Affairs, said that the legislature decides distribution of dollars. Next year, he said, the state could institute a waiver as to how to spend the money, but as it stands now, K-12 education takes priority.
However, Barrett said that the school has received “every indication” that the money is coming this year.
Unlike the other Michigan research universities, University of Michigan and Michigan State University, she said Wayne State is “not very well funded.” According to Barrett, U of M and MSU have already decided to increase their tuition by 5.6 percent and 6.5 percent.
“If you think about whether our tuition is excessive, fair, high enough to cover our costs, the students are getting a fair deal,” she said.
The Board of Governors meeting scheduled for Aug. 5 has been postponed to Aug. 26, in order to allow more consultation before a budget is decided.
