Deans: Tuition hike could alleviate budget cuts

Deans at the University of Cincinnati are preparing for a possible 15 percent budget cut for the 2010-11academic year.

The university is using 15 percent — the worst case scenario — to prepare for the highest possible cut.

Deans will be meeting this month to discuss plans to increase revenue.

“If there is not a tuition increase, there will be a decrease in quality,” said Valerie Hardcastle, dean of McMicken College of Arts and Sciences. “Some programs will be
shut down.”

McMicken plans to increase enrollment in upper-division courses for Fall 2010, Hardcastle said. The college is creating 20 to 35 new scholarships in hopes of recruiting transfer students.

Frank Weinstock, interim dean of the College-Conservatory of Music is already feeling the pressure to accommodate a budget cut.

“Basically, if you fire a member of the faculty, you fire an adviser,” Weinstock said. “And since there is only one real member of such a major as oboe, firing them is shutting down an entire major.”

The college is near maximum enrollment, but Weinstock says it is possible to increase it by 2 to 4 percent.

Carlo Montemagno, dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, is also struggling with prioritizing programs to cut if next year’s budget cannot support them.

If the cut amounts to 15 percent, CEAS will face a loss of approximately $3.5 million, Montemagno said.

Montemagno says a tuition increase would be beneficial to the university and students.
“It’s not possible to make that kind of cut without eliminating projects and services,” Montemagno said.

Student Feel the Crunch

UC students might face a maximum 7 percent increase in tuition to ease
financial pressures on the university.

Aside from tuition and state appropriation, the university does not have many revenue sources. Most colleges are being forced to take the cut out of their current budget, said Jim Plummer, vice president of finance.

“In two to three weeks, we have to know what we’re taking to the board,” Plummer said.

Deans are exploring the tuition increase as an avenue to ensure that colleges can keep faculty and staff.

“Budgets are tight,” Weinstock said. “I’m hoping not to have to cut positions or any scholarships.”

Despite plans being drawn up in preparation for the cut, Weinstock said it is premature to act on numbers being reported.

CCM is taking preemptive measures to ease into the upcoming cut, which will force the college to make up a difference that could reach up to $1 million, according to a letter sent to electronic media students by Marjorie Fox, the department head of e-media.

Starting Spring quarter, students in the electronic media discipline will be required to pay an additional $150 per quarter.

“It seems like a tuition boost,” said Mike Heffron, a second-year electronic media student. “It’s just an unfortunate fee to pay.

Students might also experience increased class sizes to accommodate more students if colleges expand enrollment.

The Board of Trustees is scheduled to make the final decision Tuesday, March 16, when they meet to discuss the measures the university will take.