Student tuition up $1 per credit in fall

By Sarah George · The Mainstream
Published February 8, 2011

Tuition will definitely rise an additional $1 to $67 per credit next year in light of the Feb. 2 governor’s report showing a $3 million reduction in funds for colleges next school year.

 The governor’s report, although not as bad as some predicted, will create a reduction in funding from last year’s $413 million to the $410 million allocated to community colleges this year.

Beverly Brandt, UCC vice president of administration services, is hopeful about the drop to $410 million “[It’s] not too bad; it could have been worse.”

Two threats, however, are looking to endanger the UCC budget: one is the potential for student enrollment and resulting tuition revenue to decrease and the other is a possibility of having to make up around $300,000 out of next year’s budget, according to Brandt.

If enrollment decreases, the college will not meet the estimated budget projected for next year.

If that occurs, Brandt says she will look for places in the budget to make reductions that will not affect students; however, she says that they will be looking to raise tuition.

“I really think things are going to turn around. I can’t imagine them getting worse,” Brandt says. She is expecting more news in three weeks from the governor’s office.

Interim president Rita Cavin in the January board report, however, expressed concern that all three revenue streams for community colleges, “are in jeopardy.”

Both Brandt and Cavin claim that UCC as well as other community colleges are the answer to state economic problems.

Cavin’s board report expressed her desire that the state offer support to the college by, “fund[ing] capital improvements to put local companies to work on projects,” and “maintain general fund support to keep access to our programs as inexpensive and broad as possible.”