Trustees discuss tuition change
The Board of Trustees met Friday to discuss the status quo of Utah State University and goals for the future.
Board members and other faculty and staff met in the Champ Conference Hall and via telephone conference including USU President Kermit L. Hall who was out of town. The largest discussion focused around the proposed tuition increase. The proposal would increase tuitionabout 12 percent a year over the next three years equaling a 43 percent increase at the end of those three years.
Hall said the board members are now looking at a plan for the three years after that and are still deciding what should be done with out-of-state and graduate tuition.
Hall said the principle reason for the increase is additional salary for faculty along with other elements such as fuel and power funding and constructions projects on campus.
Richard Shipley, a board member, asked if Hall expected USU to lose enrollment and growth because of the increase. Hall said he was confident USU would not lose students to other Utah schools because they are facing some of the same problems.
“Even with an increase of this amount we will likely still be below the national average and our peer west institutions,” Hall said.
“It’s really a discussion on the economy of the state of Utah. We will not be alone in this.” Board Chairman Gayle McKeachnie said.
According to the board they hope to let more people know about financial aid options because Utah historically is a low tuition and low financial aid state. However, Hall said that U.S. News and World Report listed Utah State as one of the schools where students graduate with the least amount of debt.
Ron Godfrey, vice president of business and finance, said soon USU should be saving money on construction projects. Godfrey said sales tax on construction material for higher education projects is to be exempt.
USU stands to save around $750,000 on its two current projects, the recital hall, parking and housing project. USU will likely receive a refund for the sales tax on these projects and in the future will simply not be billed for tax, he said.
Hall said enrollment is up a little in the USU system as a whole, including branch campuses, while it is down a little on the Logan campus itself.
“We provide the greatest number of technology delivered courses than any other institution in the state,” Hall said.
Hall said he is encouraged by last year’s retention rate of 75 percent and said he is optimistic that the same can be reached this year. He said he hopes to create a better balance between undergraduate and graduate students and to improve alumni donations which have been decreasing. Hall also said the Banner Project is moving forward and should be a great help to students and faculty at USU.
It was also announced the university has secured space on the second floor of the Wells Fargo Building in downtown Salt Lake City for USU offices. There will be a grand opening at the Salt Lake offices on Dec. 15. Also announced was December Commencement where an expected 1,000 students will graduate. The service will be held in the Spectrum.
-hilaryi@cc.usu.edu