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Tuition may rise $254 for UNCG students

Friday, November 20, 2009
(Updated 5:18 am)
By Jason Hardin
Staff Writer

GREENSBORO — UNCG undergraduates might not be thrilled about the prospect of paying an additional $254 in tuition and fees — but it could have been much worse, school officials suggested Thursday.

Administrators noted that, facing a dire budget situation, the University of California system is hitting students with a 32 percent tuition increase.

“Fortunately, we don’t have anything like 32 percent in mind,” said Alan Boyette, UNCG vice provost.

Instead, the UNCG increases would amount to 6.5 percent for tuition and 5.4 percent for fees, creating a total expense of $4,440 for in-state undergraduates.

Out-of-state undergraduates would see the same $254 increase.

Graduate students would see a slightly higher tuition increase, $198 instead of $168.

That’s not final. The General Assembly has already legislated a tuition increase of 8 percent or $200, whichever is less.

However, state education leaders have asked colleges to submit their own tuition requests of not more than 6.5 percent, as UNCG did Thursday. That increase amounts to $168, or $32 less than the General Assembly’s.

UNCG Chancellor Linda Brady said the Board of Governors of the UNC system will decide how to proceed early next year, and that it’s unclear what the General Assembly ultimately will do.

One key difference in the two proposals is that the university’s would involve keeping the money generated by the tuition increase, or about $3 million.

If students are bothered by the possible increases, they’ve been quiet.

“We did not receive any negative criticism,” Brady said, speaking about a recent student forum on the proposed increases.

Jesse Russo, a UNCG student and president of the Student Government Association, said students appreciate that the money would be used for financial aid and for faculty pay.

Officials noted that UNCG’s tuition and fees are among the lowest in the UNC system.

Eight schools have higher combined tuition and fees this year, with the total at UNC-CH more than $1,300 higher than UNCG’s $4,187.

That’s also lower than the national average for in-state tuition and fees, which is more than $7,000.

UNCG’s increases have not kept pace with other schools in the system.

In the 2001-2002 school year, the school’s combined tuition and fees was $2,589, third highest behind only UNC-CH and N.C. State.

 

Contact Jason Hardin at 373-7021 or at jason.hardin@news-record.com

Accompanying Photos

Staff photo (News & Record)

Photo Caption: The campus of UNCG.

Comments

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igliigli

November 20, 2009 - 6:44 am EST

UNCG, AT&T, UNC-CH and all the rest of the UNC schools waste hundreds of millions of dollars on sports teams.
Before raising tuition and fees, fire all the coaches and sports teams. Side benefits would be a major reduction in crime and openings for hundreds of real students to attend college.
College sports, the biggest taxpayer and student rip-off around.

DaveW

November 20, 2009 - 12:59 pm EST

Athletics benefit schools both DIRECTLY and indirectly. It varies from school to school as to how many teams and which sports are offered. Some HIGH QUALITY students that are also athletes choose a school in order to continue participating in a sport that was done in high school. My oldest child is a prime example. She got a chemistry degree with a very high GPA and now teaches high school chemistry. I am not the only parent that has had a child benefit from athletic scholarship money.She was hardly an academic risk or a criminal. I am very tired of the " dumb athlete " stereotype. Sports are part of most colleges and universities offerings. Why is this so? Because students desire them is the simple truth.

crenshaw

November 20, 2009 - 7:28 am EST

igliigli, you're a moron! How about doing a little research before making stupid comments. Many sports teams MAKE money for their school. The teams that cost the schools, in many cases, are a result of title IX and you can thank the liberal PC crowd for that.

Panacea

November 20, 2009 - 9:32 am EST

Actually, you are wrong about that. The Chronicle for Higher Education recently published an article on college sports. The cost of maintaining college sports teams has become unsustainable, and most university presidents know it. The problem is, they lack the power to do anything about it.

http://chronicle.com/article/Presidents-Favor-Reining-In/48939/

The University of New Orleans is dropping from NCAA I to NCAA III to save money.

The idea that college sports make money for their schools is a myth.

tledford

November 20, 2009 - 2:02 pm EST

No, Macs are liberal, PCs are conservative, don't you watch television?

Panacea

November 20, 2009 - 2:40 pm EST

Good one :)

newkid

November 21, 2009 - 10:01 am EST

crenshaw,

Calling someone a "moron" is uncalled for in this forum...it only make you, the writer, seem moronic.

whyus

November 20, 2009 - 8:34 am EST

I have no problem paying an extra 200 bucks if my daughter who goes to UNCG is GUARANTEED that she can get the classes she needs to graduate ON TIME. It is like a chess board trying to get classes. Her advisor told her to be prepared for 5 years vs. 4 without even braking for a breath.

truth

November 20, 2009 - 9:18 am EST

The idea of raising tuition for students whose families are already struggling to make ends meet in order to give faculty raises and more handouts to subsidized students is preposterous.

The economy is in the dumps and yet faculty still feel they deserve raises while at least 10% of our workforce is unemployed. Ivory towers, indeed.

And I've got a feeling this leader of the Student Government Association does not represent the average student. Sounds more like a brown-nosing wanna-be who has been brainwashed by the faculty.

Panacea

November 20, 2009 - 9:37 am EST

College faculty are not getting raises. We're not even getting cost of living increases. I took a pay CUT this year due to the budget.

Colleges and universities have been laying off faculty and staff. UNCG is no different; it was big news last Spring. They got hit hard by the recession and the state's budget crisis. The tuition increase is simply an attempt to maintain the status quo and not have to have any more cuts in staff, faculty, or service due to the economy.

I'm surprised they managed to keep it so low, quite frankly.

Even Guilford Tech had to raise tuition this year, in spite of sky rocketing enrollment. The state eviscerated college budgets across the board.

MR.SOFTBALL27

November 20, 2009 - 10:50 am EST

So panacea tell us what it is you do because it seems to change from day to day, one day you are a nurse the next you are a teacher and the next you work at a prision? I don't believe anything that comes out of your mouth! You are not happy about anything that is going on in the world, man what a rough life to live! What do you do just sit around on the computer all day and put your two cents in about stuff that don't go your way?

tuffi

November 20, 2009 - 11:42 am EST

UNCG did not get a raise this year. I guess nobody told you about the people who were laid off to make ends meet, because our budget was drastically cut.

Panacea

November 20, 2009 - 1:29 pm EST

Mr. Softballs: I'm a nursing instructor at a community college in the Triad area. I also continue to practice as an ER nurse. I've worked in a number of different specialties in my 25 year career, including medical-surgical, long term care, hospice, corrections, industrial health, pediatrics, and obstetrics. I read extensively on topics of all types, although I am most interested in health care related issues since they affect me professionally.

While there are plenty of people here who don't agree with my opinions, and even may find me offensive at times, I think you will find that most would agree that I make every effort to explain my positions intelligently rather than simply spew personal invective, as you seem to enjoy doing.

Post again when you are ready to actually discuss something. Until then, you are on ignore.

MR.SOFTBALL27

November 20, 2009 - 2:52 pm EST

Yes, is that all it takes to for you to ignore me. Nobody can discuss anything with you because all you have is a one track mind who listens to only what you want too and it is either your way or no way. Oh i loved that Mr.Softballs comment it made my day! :)

tledford

November 20, 2009 - 2:06 pm EST

"[...]one day you are a nurse the next you are a teacher and the next you work at a prision?"

Assuming that by "prision" you meant "prison," a boatload of nurses teach and prisons have nurses, too.

MR.SOFTBALL27

November 20, 2009 - 2:55 pm EST

you still knew what I meant to say..........................................................but thanks for the spelling

tledford

November 20, 2009 - 3:10 pm EST

Ehnee tahm, broh.

MR.SOFTBALL27

November 20, 2009 - 3:58 pm EST

Maybe you can understand this dumb@** shutup!!! Or should I talk like this" Eww Hee Haww" you might understand that a little better. What do you stand for anyway or do you even know???

kalanndra

November 20, 2009 - 10:44 pm EST

So, did you come here to contribute to the discussion, or just to insult people? That's all I've seen you do at this point, just saying.

So, while tuition hikes are unfortunate, they are necessary at times. UNCG is booming right now, and doing a very great job. Its doing way better than when I started my first degree at the school, from what I can tell. $284 dollars per person is not such a high cost, I think.

tledford

November 21, 2009 - 5:40 pm EST

"So, did you come here to contribute to the discussion, or just to insult people?"

I think you'd agree that the soft ball makes it pretty self-evident why she is here.

truth

November 20, 2009 - 4:11 pm EST

Do you have proof that UNCG faculty will not receive pay increases? How about proof that this additional tuition will not go to increase financial aid?

Most faculty cuts made at universities were done to empty positions. Truth is that UNCG and other universities have more money than they know what to do with . Interesting that in a time of economic disaster, UNCG is planning to renovate their dorm rooms (although cheaper to demolish and build brand new ones) and build a new dorm in order to house students they can't fit in their renovated dorms. Who will be available to maintain these new buildings and dorms? More staff, of course.

Panacea

November 20, 2009 - 7:38 pm EST

truth, all I can tell you is what I know as a state educator. The Governor issued an Executive Order freezing all salaries, and freezing hiring for all state employees--which includes faculty at UNCG and in the community college system. All state employees had to take 10 hours of unpaid furlough; we took a pay cut in June and July and had to pay back a percentage of our salary in a lump amount out of those paychecks. I did not get a raise this year, not even COL. If I didn't get one, I'm fairly sure the folks at UNCG didn't either. But I don't work in payroll at UNCG, so I can't say for absolute absolute absolute certain.

There are also no promotions being allowed. If a faculty or staff member takes on a leadership role in an interim capacity, they do so with no raise in pay until the Executive Order is rescinded (which it hasn't been).

Both the President of UNCG, and the President of Guilford Tech, as well as high level administrators in other UNC schools and community colleges are in the classroom teaching courses because so many adjunct faculty have been let go.

As for tuition going to increase financial aid . . . . it seems unlikely since most financial aid comes from Federal sources or private loans. Any scholarships at UNCG come from private endowments, so tuition would not go to that. Tuition goes into general operating funds, which includes payroll.

I do know that some scholarships were not given out this year because of a lack of donations due to the economy.

Hope that helps.

Andrew Brod

November 20, 2009 - 9:29 pm EST

Like Panacea, I took a pay cut this spring (at UNCG), and it was a permanent cut, not a one-time thing. I can't say that no one will get a pay raise this year at UNCG, but there is certainly no general pay raise in the offing.

And while the university did what it could to eliminate empty positions, there were plenty of actual people who lost their jobs. I'm sure they're happy to have had their faces spat in by Truth.

othertruth

November 20, 2009 - 10:35 pm EST

i guess i could show you my paychecks, otherwise you'll have to take me at my word that we did not get raises this year at uncg. in addition, we had a salary reduction ("furlough") taken out of two months of our paychecks. we also were forced to cut all adjunct faculty deemed as "non-essential". mind you, i'm not complaining, because i'm grateful for my job and the salary i am paid, but to say that the university(s) have "more money than they know what to do with" is a pretty big stretch. the cuts haven't ended, either. you are correct, however, that many of the faculty positions removed during the recent cuts were merely the closing of searches and the rescinding of those salary dollars, but with a similar percentage of reductions likely for next year we will probably see many tenure-track positions eliminated. you may think those jobs are not important or a waste of state funds, but they happen to be jobs held by real people with families, and there won't be any other schools anywhere in the country going on hiring binges anytime soon. also, many staff positions, filled ones, have been cut. it's not as simple as you want it to be.

tledford

November 21, 2009 - 5:45 pm EST

Truth, UNCG was going to have to build an additional dorm even if they had decided to level The Quad. Their enrollment is expected to exceed 20,000 in 2010. And you're right that the renovation of The Quad will cost more than tearing it down and building new dorms, but only marginally.

Disclosure: I'm a UNCG alumnus but have no dog in this particular fight. I do know for a fact from acquaintances on the faculty that nearly fifty *filled* faculty positions were eliminated at the end of the Spring semester this year, however. There were another fifty faculty and staff positions that were open that will not be filled.

The state budget crisis really has hit the public colleges and universities hard, this tuition increase is lower than the increase I thought they'd HAVE to make.

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