The Arizona Board of Regents approved a five-year strategic plan submitted by the University that would increase enrollment by more than 9,000 undergraduates and raise tuition over the next five years in a Thursday afternoon meeting.
The five-year proposal is designed to meet ABOR’s 2020 Vision plan, which intends to increase the number of college graduates in the state above the national average by the year 2020.
The plan states that a tuition increase will be necessary to meet the needs of the growing population. The University currently needs about $8,500 per full-time student in funding — the state provides $5,970 per student, and the rest is contributed temporarily by stimulus dollars and a tuition surcharge, according to the proposal.
The stimulus funding provided to the University will expire in 2012, leaving the ASU administration to search for ways to replace it.
“When these alternate sources of funding expire, and [without] increases in state funding, ASU will be forced to seek increases in tuition in order to maintain the level of academic investment needed to support enrollment,” the report said.
ABOR CFO Sandra Woodley said tuition increases at ASU, UA and NAU could be offset by the 2020 Vision plan to build lower-cost alternative institutions, including smaller, regional campuses. Building and encouraging growth on these new campuses will lower costs for the universities as well as the students, she said.
“It will be very important to make sure we’ll be able to lower our costs to be able to produce those numbers of degrees,” Woodley said.
The regents considered a motion to move the date to adjust tuition up to January from March, but it was voted down 3-6.
Regent Robert Bulla, who introduced the motion, said it will allow the board to be proactive in finding revenue and help pressure lawmakers out of making funding cuts to the universities.
“We can send a signal to the Legislature that … cutting our budget further would force us to have a round two [of tuition increases],” Bulla said. “Strategically, it is time to change our direction a little bit.”
Ultimately, the measure failed because most of the board, including student regent and ASU law student Ross Meyer, said any strategic advantage gained with the Legislature would be offset by the fact that it would upset student leaders — passing tuition adjustments in January gives students little time to provide their input to University officials.
“We’ve told the students [and] we’ve told the parents that this is going to be in March,” Meyer said. “Waiting an additional six weeks is important for this board in our ability to plan for the universities and give them what they need.”
During the discussions, regent Fred Boice said the board might have to resort to privatizing some parts of the universities in order to achieve the enrollment and graduation goals outlined in the 2020 plan.
“We’re not going to be able to do all of that by raising tuition,” Boice said. “I would suggest … the privatization of some or part of our universities.”
Christina Rocks, spokeswoman for the Arizona Students’ Association, said she agreed with the board’s decision but called regent Boice’s comments “unsettling,” saying privatizing any part of the universities may lead to higher costs of attendance.
“It’s much easier to push the costs onto the backs of students than it is to change the Legislature’s mind about how they’re funding public universities,” she said.
Reach the reporter at derek.quizon@asu.edu.
