96-05-03 Trustees: Trustees Set Tuition Rates COLUMBUS -- The Ohio State University Board of Trustees on Friday (5/3) raised undergraduate tuition 6 percent for next year, established budget guidelines, and adopted a compensation plan for faculty, staff, and students. The move was made to maintain a competitive position financially with other universities, according to Richard Sisson, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, and William J. Shkurti, vice president for finance. Overall, spending in the 1996-97 Current Funds Budget will rise 3.7 percent, according to Shkurti. Undergraduate instructional and general fees will increase 6 percent or $195 a year for Ohio residents attending the Columbus campus. A full-time student will pay $1,156 a quarter or $3,468 a year, up from $1,091 and $3,273, respectively. The bill for resident graduate students will be $1,647 a quarter or $4,941 a year, up 5 percent from the current $1,569 and $4,707, respectively. Non-resident undergraduates will pay $3,445 a quarter, up $174 from the current rate, while out-of-state graduate students will pay $4,277, up $203 from the current level. Both are increases of about 5 percent. Students in optometry and pharmacy will pay 5 percent more while students in law, medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine will pay somewhat higher amounts. The increases range from 5.6 percent for non-resident veterinary medicine students to 9.3 percent for Ohio resident law students. The amount above 5 percent will be used to improve services to students in their respective colleges. (See the attached tables.) Half of the 6 percent increase in undergraduate tuition and fees is due to the cost of inflation, according to Shkurti. Increments of 1 percent each will go toward increasing student financial aid above inflation and toward improving services to students. The remaining 1 percent incorporates the student share of unfunded governmental mandates and some funds to improve course offerings. Shkurti noted that Ohio State continues to be a best buy for students by providing an excellent academic reputation and below average cost. He said students will receive continued investment in strong academic programs and selected improvements in key student services, particularly in academic advising and career counseling. Other things students will receive are increases in scholarships to offset tuition and other cost increases, pay increases for student workers, improved course offerings, opportunities involving research in strategic areas, and an investment in a safer campus. In addition, Shkurti said, Ohio State will work to retain and recruit outstanding faculty, provide support for a more diverse student body, and commit to reducing the time required to graduation. The faculty and staff compensation package will be merit based and market driven, with a 4 percent base increase in the pool of funds to be awarded and another 1 percent to be made available for exceptional merit awards or for market or equity considerations. The raises don't apply to employees who have their wages determined under collective bargaining agreements. In addition, students and certain part-time employees on "specials" budgets will receive 5 percent increases in pay. The 1.5 percent automatic increase for classified staff has been eliminated. The benefits package will be restructured. Board hears recommendations for 1 percent tuition set aside Trustees heard a report from the Student Affairs Committee on preliminary recommendations for the 1 percent tuition set-aside for improvements to student services. The recommendations were developed based on input from student representatives of the President's Council, Undergraduate Student Government, the Board of Trustees, and the university's academic planning process. Several uses were recommended for the $1 million to be generated from the 1 percent set-aside. The proposals currently total from $800,000 to $1.2 million. They include: -- $500,000 to $600,000 to continue efforts to improve student access to academic computing. -- $200,000 to $400,000 to implement proposals from the Committee on the Undergraduate Experience. Under consideration are three proposals directed toward improving retention of students. Those proposals and funding recommendations are: $165,000 to enhance career services in the Office of Student Affairs; $180,000 to boost academic advising in the Colleges of the Arts and Sciences; and $310,000 for an academic learning center in the Office of Student Affairs and the College of Education. -- $50,000 to $100,000 for credit hour reduction. The money would be used to offset the possible loss of tuition and state subsidy income from reducing the number of credit hours students are required to earn for graduation. The reduction has been proposed by the provost to give students a better opportunity to graduate within four years. -- $50,000 to $100,000 for student organizations and recreational equipment. According to university officials, students and administrators will continue to discuss the options prior to final budget adoption in July. At the June 3 meeting of the board, trustees will discuss the 1 percent set aside and the budgets and charges for earnings units, and will consider adoption of a continuing budget resolution. At the July 12 meeting, Sisson and Shkurti will present the complete university budget for a vote, review strategic issues, and discuss the third phase of the Administrative Resource Management System, a project being implemented to improve efficiency in the human resources and financial management processing systems on campus. # Contact: Richard Sisson, (614) 292-5881, William J. Shkurti, (614) 292-9232; or David Williams, vice president for student affairs, (614) 292-9334. Written by Tom Spring and Tracy Turner. [Submitted by: Von Reid-Vargas (ereid@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu) Fri, 3 May 1996 16:46:06 -0400] All documents are the responsibility of their originator.