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College estimates tuition hike of $750
By Andrea Yeutter
Collegian Reporter
Students and parents
who foot the bills for a Hillsdale College education may discover
that their pocketbooks are a little thinner than usual next
fall after a tuition increase of approximately $750.
Ken Cole, chief administrative officer and
treasurer of the college, said the tuition increase has not
yet been finalized, but he does not plan on changing his recommendation
to a May meeting of the board of trustees, at which the figures
for next year's budget will be finalized.
This year tuition costs amounted to $15,750,
and with the tuition hike, will reach $16,500 next fall-an increase
of 4.8 percent.
Director of Financial Aid Connie Bricker said
full-, half- and quarter-tuition scholarships will automatically
increase to reflect the rise in tuition costs. Need-based scholarships
may or may not increase, depending on the results of the "needs
analysis." Scholarships awarded solely on the basis of
academic excellence will not automatically increase.
Cole said the steady increase in tuition fees
over the years is a result of a steady increase of cost. Two
additional sources of revenue help offset college costs, and
are expected to increase this year.
Monetary gifts given to the college are expected
to increase by nine percent this year, helping to balance the
budget. Endowment revenues, which help offset tuition costs,
will increase by 27 percent due to the revival of the stock
market.
General fees, which entitle students to use
the student center, phone service, gain admittance to athletic
competitions, and receive college publications such as the Winona
and the Collegian, will remain the same.
"I've been here for 22 years now, and
we've grown every year in terms of expansion of facilities and
expansion of faculty and staff," Cole said.
When he first arrived in 1982, he was handed
an operating budget of only $10 million. By the next fall he
was working with $56 million.
Although Hillsdale's tuition increases may
seem exorbitant when it comes time to pay the bills, they are
comparatively less than increases at other Michigan liberal
arts colleges such as Adrian, Hope and Albion. On average over
the last five years, Hillsdale's tuition charges have increased
annually by 4.2 percent.
Built in to next year's operating budget are
salary increases for faculty and staff, an element missing from
this year's accounts due to the pay freeze agreed upon to help
defray costs during this year of sparse funding.
"[President Larry Arnn] did say at our
last meeting that by national standards our faculty is better-paid
than similar institutions like Adrian and Albion," said
Associate Professor of History Paul Moreno. "But we're
about 10 percent below our national peers-the best liberal arts
colleges that we want to compete with."
Junior Matt Gaetano said he does not mind
rising tuition costs so long as they go toward furthering the
mission statement of the college, which states that the college
exists "to furnish all persons who wish...a literary and
scientific education."
"I'm glad that there's going to be the
salary increases, because I think that that's where the school's
money should go," he said. "I see us always focusing
on improving our buildings and the infrastructure of the school,
and those kind of things are important, but I think the primary
parts of our education are bringing in good speakers, having
scholarships so we can bring in the best students, and expanding
the departments so we can have a greater variety of classes
and bring the class sizes down to the smallest number possible."
"I think students would be more accepting
of the rising costs if they knew exactly where the money was
going and how it would benefit them," freshman Laurel Schamp
said. "Hillsdale is a good school, and I think an education
here is worth a great deal, but I would appreciate a thorough
explanation of why they need more of our money."
Bricker advises students who wish to be considered
for additional financial aid or scholarship to submit a letter
listing academic achievement, campus involvement, and providing
proof of self-help in the form of loans or employment.
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