Costs

American colleges and universities spend billions of dollars a year from state, federal, and private sources. The following articles identify ways to cut costs and ensure that public investment in higher education provides value to students, taxpayers, and society.

Why Does College Cost So Much?

Aug 25, 2005 ·

As college students begin a new academic year, many parents are reeling from tuition fees. This fall’s probable average 8% increase at public universities, added onto double-digit hikes in the two previous years, means tuition at a typical state university is up 36% over 2002 – at a time when consumer prices in general rose less than 9%. In inflation-adjusted terms, tuition today is roughly triple what it was when parents of today’s college students attended school in the ’70s. Tuition charges are rising faster than family incomes, an unsustainable trend in the long run. This holds true even when scholarships and financial aid are considered. One consequence of rising costs is that college enrollments are no longer increasing as much as before. Price-sensitive groups like low-income students and minorities are missing out. A smaller proportion of Hispanics between 18 and 24 attend college today than in 1976. The U.S. is beginning to fall below some other industrial nations in population-adjusted college attendance.

BOG discuss UNC, president search

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RALEIGH – Three members of the UNC Board of Governors participated in a town hall-type of meeting with members of the Capital Area Republican Club Tuesday night. Although a wide variety of topics were covered, most of the discussion centered on the search for a new UNC president.

Brent Barringer, Frank Grainger, and Peter Hans discussed the candidate search in general as well as the candidacy of Erskine Bowles in particular during their presentations. All three said that the board would consider all candidates, but with the media and politicians getting behind Bowles it was making it hard to conduct a search. Those same sentiments were expressed by Board of Governors Chair Brad Wilson during the board’s regular meeting earlier this month.

When is a Student from Ohio Really a North Carolinian?

Aug 18, 2005 ·

In one of the strangest state budget provisions in years, if a student from Ohio (or any other state or even a foreign country) is awarded a full scholarship to attend one of the campuses of the UNC system, then that student can be officially counted as being a North Carolina resident. What is going on? Why say that a kid with a New Jersey driver’s license is a North Carolinian?

The answer is that this bit of definitional legerdemain is designed to evade the long-standing cap on out-of-state residents who may enroll in the state university system. Under state law, UNC campuses cannot enroll more than 18 percent of their students from non-residents. Since the taxpayers of the state put up most of the money to operate the UNC system, the argument goes, most of the places for students ought to be reserved for students whose parents pay taxes into the state treasury.

BOG Insists President Search Far From Over

Aug 15, 2005 ·

CHAPEL HILL – UNC Board of Governors Chair Brad Wilson Friday debunked the notion that board members have decided on a replacement for President Molly Broad before the search process has even interviewed a single candidate.

Wilson, who spoke during Friday’s full Board of Governors meeting, said the Presidential Search Committee intends to review all possible candidates and proceed with integrity. The comments came as speculation continues to grow that former Clinton Administration Chief of Staff and two-time Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Erskine Bowles is the front-runner for the position. Bowles, who has received the support from legislators from both parties, has made it known that he would like to serve as the system’s next president.

Budget Increases UNC Spending by 11 Percent

Aug 11, 2005 ·

RALEIGH – Two months into the 2006 fiscal year, lawmakers finally reached a consensus and approved a budget plan that will increase spending within the UNC system by 11 percent.

UNC’s appropriation for the 2005-06 fiscal year is $2.086 billion, representing 12.1 percent of the $17.2 billion budget, which was approved by the state House on Wednesday. Senate members are expected to give final approval today. A stopgap spending plan to keep state government running during the negotiations expires later today.

The budget for the 2006-07 fiscal year further increases UNC spending to $2.12 billion.

UNC President Search is California Dreamin’

Jul 28, 2005 ·

There’s an old North Carolina joke about bad ideas in California taking 10 years to arrive here. But one seems to be making record time. Exponential salary growth for public-university executives has the UNC president search committee California dreamin’.

Readers will recall that last year Marye Anne Fox, then chancellor of North Carolina State University, left Raleigh to take the same position at the University of California at San Diego. The West Coast school had offered Fox $102,000 a year more than N.C. State paid her. Fox was making $248,000 a year here; she picked up $350,000 in San Diego.

Controversy Surrounds UNC Board of Governors Selections

Jul 21, 2005 ·

Every two years, members of the General Assembly are responsible for choosing half of the 32-member University of North Carolina Board of Governors (BOG). The BOG members make important decisions on issues such as tuition, and later this year they’ll select a new president for the system.

This year’s action by the General Assembly has, however, led to controversy, with some members asking whether legislative leaders followed the law.

Elections to the BOG are governed by General Statute 116-6. It outlines two requirements for the election procedure, one covering nominees and balloting, and the other specifying when the vote must occur. According to the statute, nomination ballots should include “at least twice the number of candidates for the total seats open” and that “each house shall hold their elections within 30 legislative days after appointments to their education committees are complete.”

Grove City College Shows What Can Happen Without Title IX

Jul 14, 2005 ·

In the sports world, Title IX brings about various sets of emotions. There are those who believe the 1972 legislation – which bars discrimination based on sex at institutions receiving federal funding – has greatly increased the number of opportunities for female athletes. Others say the regulation has mostly decreased the number of opportunities for males, because schools have often dropped men’s sports to achieve equality.

It is instructive to look at the experience of one college that doesn’t have to abide by Title IX’s mandates. Grove City College, a private college in northwest Pennsylvania, does not accept federal funding therefore is exempt from federal regulations. Nevertheless, the school provides ample opportunities for men and women to compete in NCAA Division III level sports.

The story begins with the decision of Grove City’s administration to challenge the applicability of Title IX and its burdensome reporting requirements in the early 1980s. When the school failed to supply the documents demanded by the Department of Education, the DOE filed suit to stop Grove City students from receiving federal financial aid (Basic Education Opportunity Grants).

Learn the ins & outs of pursuing “culturally correct” funding

Jul 8, 2005 ·

A rising senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, recently won a scholarship worth up to $20,000 to study Tajik and Russian languages in the Asian nation of Tajikistan. Since that scholarship obliges him to work in national security upon graduation, UNC-CH’s Prof. Charles Kurzman is worried about what kind of “dirty deeds” he might be up to.