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.

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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.