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Contact: Monty Jones, (512) 499-4363 Date: November 18, 2003 |
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UT System News Release |
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Consultation Process Helped Tuition Plans Gain Wide Support
AUSTIN - A thorough campus consultation process that engaged students in the University of Texas System in the consideration of tuition increases helped to produce tuition plans that garnered wide support, Chancellor Mark G. Yudof said Tuesday (November 18).
"No one wants tuition increases simply for the sake of increases, but I believe many students have concluded that carefully targeted increases will help provide the financial resources necessary for enhancing the quality of their education and the value of their degrees," Yudof said.
"The consultation process at each campus provided a forum for students, faculty, and administrators to share in a frank discussion of the needs of their institution and to seek a consensus on how to use tuition increases to help solve the problems," Yudof said.
The process in the U.T. System began almost as soon as the Legislature passed the new tuition deregulation law last spring. Yudof made a decision at that time not to seek tuition increases for the fall 2003 semester because most students would not be on their campuses during the summer. Postponing decisions until the fall semester made it possible for each campus to plan ways to involve students in the debate over tuition increases.
In August each of the 15 component institutions in the System submitted plans for consultations on tuition issues, and Yudof stated that he would not forward any proposals to the Board of Regents unless they had undergone an approved consultation process.
The campuses used panel discussions, town hall meetings, special committees that included students, website postings, and other means to ensure wide discussion and understanding of tuition proposals. Campus plans were developed through the give-and-take of discussions, including decisions by presidents to change the proposals in response to student input. The presidents forwarded their completed proposals to the System by early November, and all the plans were posted on the System's special tuition website.
The U.T. System also formed a System-wide Tuition Commission, including student membership, to review and analyze the campus proposals and make recommendations to the chancellor. Another group, a committee of faculty experts on tuition, is advising the chancellor on long-range strategies related to tuition policy.
The final stage of the process involved sending the proposals to members of the Board of Regents for their review and an extensive discussion of the proposals at a special meeting of the board on Tuesday.
Numerous students expressed support for the final proposals. At least two student newspapers - The Shorthorn at U.T. Arlington and The Daily Texan at U.T. Austin - editorialized in support of tuition increases on the grounds that they are necessary to protect and strengthen academic quality. Students who served on the consultation committees were strong supporters of the proposals. Opposition to the proposals has generally been muted. One student organization at U.T. Austin has spoken against the increases.
"This is the most inclusive and extensive consultation process ever developed for consideration of tuition rates in Texas, and it should stand as a national model for how to proceed on this issue in an open and fair manner," Yudof said. "I am grateful for the assistance of students in crafting the new tuition policies. Our universities have benefited enormously from the active participation of students. We are moving forward together with a sense of shared responsibility." |
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Background Materials |
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Related News Releases:
The webcast includes presentations from
Background Information: Motion from the Board approving tuition increases
>Details
of campus tuition proposals
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The University of Texas System Office of Public
Affairs || 210 West 6th Street, Suite 2.100
Austin, Texas 78701 || p: (512) 499-4363 || f: (512) 499-4358 || email: adebruyn@utsystem.edu |
