CONWAY — University of Central Arkansas trustees voted Friday to raise tuition and fees and to increase salaries across the board for faculty members and nonclassified employees.
An undergraduate student taking 15 hours who now pays $3,349 in tuition and mandatory fees per semester will pay $3,454 per semester under the measures approved Friday.
The increase “wasn’t something we wanted to do. It’s basically something we have to do,” said Diane Newton, vice president for finance and administration.
Tuition will rise $1 per credit hour for all students, meaning a $15-per-semester increase for full-time students taking 15 hours. UCA estimates the increase will generate about $285,000 in annual revenue.
UCA President Allen C. Meadors said in a statement that the tuition and mandatory fee increases will amount to a 3.1 percent increase for undergraduate students and a 2.6 percent increase for graduate students.
“We realize that the increased tuition and fees may come at a bad time during this struggling economy. However, the university, like others throughout the state, has seen cuts in its budget,” Meadors said.
“While we do not like raising our tuition, we know the reduction of state appropriations and the rising cost of operation requires us todo so in order to maintain the quality academic programs to meet the diverse needs of our students.”
The board of trustees also unanimously approved a $3-per-credit-hour increase in athletic fees. The mandatory charge will rise to $17 per credit hour, meaning the total per-semester impact will go from $210 to $255 for a student taking 15 hours. It has been projected to raise about $800,000.
Faculty senate president John Parrack spoke in favor of that fee increase.
“The athletic fee will contribute most directly to the university’s academic mission by freeing up $400,000 of Academic Affairs budget currently dedicated to supporting athletics,” Parrack said.
UCA had come under criticism from the state’s Department of Higher Education, as well as some faculty and students, for relying too heavily on other departments to help finance the athletic department.
Newton said $200,000 more generated by the increased athletic fee will go to reduce the athletic department’s dependency on student housing revenue. And $90,000 will go for athletic-related salaries now paid by the HPER Center, the name for the students’ health, physical education and recreational center, she said.
Any additional revenue the increased fee generates will cover other costs related to scholarships and operations, Newton said.
Trustees also approved a new $3-per-credit-hour library fee, which UCA projects will raise about $800,000 annually, depending on enrollment. Newton noted that students initiated discussion of this fee as a way to improve library resources and services.
The board also extended Meadors’ three-year contract by one year. With the first year of the contract almost over, Meadors’ salary of $238,000 will rise 3 percent to $245,140, UCA spokesman Jeff Pitchford said.
The board voted to raise faculty and nonclassified employee salaries by 2.25 percent. Faculty members haven’t had a raise in about three years - something Meadors has said since he took the job that he wanted to happen.
Classified employees will get another step in a statemandated raise next year, as they did this year.
Trustees approved other fees that do not apply to all students. Among them is one fee for students enrolled in off-campus credit classes that will go from $22 to $30.50 per credit hour. Others include a $25 application fee for undergraduate students, which takes effect for students entering UCA for the first time in fall 2011.
Newton told trustees that she expects the school to have between $9 million and $10 million in cash reserves as of June 30. She said later that all but roughly $2 million of that amount is restricted, however.
UCA has not used a $6 million line of credit since December 2008 but decided to renew it as a safety precaution after Newton suggested the board do so.
“I’m confident we won’t need it ... but it’s always good to have contingencies,” she said.
Arkansas, Pages 11 on 05/08/2010