Trustees to consider tuition hike Tuesday

IU's board of trustees will likely approve the University's largest tuition increase in five years Tuesday. It could mean at least a $200 increase in tuition for in-state students and a $650 increase for out-of-state students.\nUniversity officials would not say how much of a tuition increase they will recommend to the board of trustees but admitted they have a target number.\nThe trustees will meet at 9 a.m. Tuesday at IU-Purdue University at Indianapolis to discuss and approve tuition rates. The meeting is open to the public.\nEven before the state approved a modest increase in IU funding during a tough budget year, IU officials had conceded that a higher-than-usual tuition increase would be needed to support existing programs and improve faculty retention.\nBut officials have refused to float any numbers or say whether IU's tuition hike will match or exceed those at other Indiana universities.\nPurdue University approved a 7.5 percent tuition hike, and Ball State University has approved a 5.5 percent rise in tuition.\nTrustee Stephen Backer said he would be "very surprised" if IU's tuition hike exceeded the range of those schools' increases. He also said he expected tuition next year to increase more than it has each of the past five years, when it went up between 3.5 and 5 percent.\nThis year, tuition would have to rise by at least 3.4 percent to keep up with inflation, ignoring rising energy and health care costs, Trustee Ray Richardson said.\nIf the hike does fall within the range of 5 to 8 percent, it wouldn't be far outside IU's 20-year average yearly tuition increase of 6.6 percent. \nIU's highest-ever tuition increase was in 1982-83, when tuition rose 15 percent. Its lowest hike was 3.5 percent in 1999-00.\nTrustee Ray Richardson said the trustees have not yet received a precise figure from the administration but have looked at several tuition scenarios.\n"This year, for the first time in my experience, there have been a wide range of tuition figures the board is studying," Richardson said. "I couldn't guess within 2 percent where we're going to end up."\nBacker said he expects "wholesome discussion" and debate at Tuesday's meeting. He said the trustees want to make sure there is good reason to raise tuition.\n"If we do raise tuition, it will not be just to raise tuition," Backer said. "There will be a purpose and money will be earmarked for certain things not covered by the legislature."\nAmong the items not covered are increasing faculty salaries, attracting top-notch faculty and retaining students at regional campuses.\nBacker said it frustrates him when people get hung up on the percentage aspect of tuition increases.\n"Purdue raised tuition $250 -- that's not a whole lot of money in the scheme of things," Backer said. "Once you walk out the door (of college), in theory, you ought to be able to make up that amount a hundred fold."\nThe trustees will look at whether in-state and out-of-state tuition should rise by the same percentage.\nIn-state undergraduate students now pay $3,902.40 a year for tuition, while out-of-state students pay $12,958.10 a year.\nTrustees are also seriously considering a higher tuition increase for the Bloomington campus.\n"(IU) Bloomington is special," Backer said. "It is the crown jewel of the system, and it has needs some of the regional campuses don't have."\nIU Spokeswoman Susan Dillman said the University has taken several factors into consideration in trying to balance accessibility with quality.\n"The University is very aware when it sets tuition that students must pay it," Dillman said. "There is a lot of thought that goes into this."\nDuring the trustees meeting, IU President Myles Brand will outline his goals for the University, including the amount of tuition increase he deems necessary, Dillman said. The trustees will debate the issues, decide on a number and are expected to vote by noon Tuesday.