Chancellor Randy Woodson says the 19 percent increase in tuition students face Thursday is necessary to maintain academic quality.
The $750 increase is a response to a $70 million budget cut state lawmakers imposed on the UNC System June 30. As the UNC Systemís largest institution, the N.C. State must deal with $19.6 million in cuts. Even with one of the largest hikes in University history, the uptick in revenue will still come $3 million short, forcing University administrators to cut from non-teaching positions. The $750 increase also doesnít include a $150 hike approved in February by the UNC Board of Governors.
Woodson explained that the decision is not something he wants to do, but it is necessary for academic quality.
“The reality is we wouldn’t be doing this if we didn’t need the money to invest in the education of the students here,” Woodson said. “The fact that the budget cuts occurred this year, it’s necessary.”
The plan was approved solely by UNC System President Erskine Bowles, who assessed each UNC System schools’ tuition eligibility. When acknowledging the University’s size, he agreed to the University’s proposed 2010-2011 tuition increase. In total, students will see a $900 increase from the 2009-2010 year.
The tuition boost is a pain other universities are also bearing; UNC-Chapel Hill will face the same tuition aches in the 2010-2011 school year. At almost $4 million, UNC-CH is the only university in the UNC System with larger remaining flex cuts than NCSU.
Bowles maintained that even with the proposed tuition increases, all UNC System campuses are still in the lowest quarter with regard to tuition rates, in comparison to public peer institutions.
Twenty percent of the revenue earned by the tuition increase will go to financial aid.
“Financial aid packages will be recalculated,” Woodson said.
NCSU has elected to burden the tuition hike in its entirety for the upcoming year as opposed to splitting the amount between two years. UNC-CH will also take its entire increase this year, but other institutions like ECU, UNC-Asheville and UNC-Pembroke opted to have their hikes split between two school years.
“Weíre doing it this year because we’ve been asked to address the budget shortfall and the budget shortfall is this year,” Woodson said.
Woodson said the fact that tuition is being increased one day before fall semester billing begins but that it all has to do with timing.
“The fact that it was one day before the bills go out wasnít the University’s fault,” said Woodson. “It’s because we’re responding to a legislative request that was made Friday.”
Woodson also said students’ educations must remain at a high level.
“No one wants to do this. An inferior education is not a good education for any of our students,” Woodson said.
Woodson said that compared to the University’s peer institutions, NCSU remains an affordable university for students.
“I know this is hard for students to accept but we remain a very, very affordable university,” Woodson said. “When you look at the numbers for N.C. State compared to all of the peers that we compete with that have a land-grant university like us, they all have tuition that is $2,000, $3,000, $4,000 more than us.”
Woodson also said the tuition increase process differs considerably from the normal tuition hike process, but the increase was not a University initiative.
“It’s unfortunate that we didnít plan for this and we didnít have time to talk with students and parents, but this was put on us by the legislature. This wasn’t an initiative from N.C. State,” Woodson said.
According to Woodson, the budget situation poses a unique challenge: “How do we continue to compete in an environment where we want to be seen as the best university system in the country and have the best education for your students, but be the most affordable?”
