Tuition increase to result
in benefits
By Laura Pelner
Campus
Editor
Even with the tuition increase first-time students
at Purdue will pay next year, University officials aren't worried about
having problems attracting talented students.
According to the strategic plan, which the Board
of Trustees approved Friday, tuition for all first-time students will
be $1,000 more than it is now; and this does not include the additional
inflationary adjustments that may have to be made.
However, officials say the extra money coming in
will go to aspects of the University that directly help students —
such as hiring more professors and increasing financial aid.
"While it's an increase in the tuition, I believe
students understand and can see the value that it will add," said Doug
Christiansen, director of admissions. "I don't feel like we're going
to be in a situation where our enrollments will drop … I do believe
people understand excellence does have a price tag."
Under the new plan, in-state students will pay
$5,164 a year and out-of-state students will pay $14,872 a year, an
increase of $1,000 for each group. In total, the extra fees should equal
$38 million over a five-year period.
Because the tuition hike was announced this semester,
it gives prospective students time to decide if Purdue is the right
place for them. Trustee William Moreau said the timing allows high school
students to choose whether or not to come to Purdue. Student trustee
Anna Day agreed and said she's excited about the plan.
"The increase in fees only goes to new students,
so we're not backing anyone into a corner," said Day, a senior in the
School of Agriculture. "And the money from the tuition increase goes
right back to students at Purdue."
Student body president Brenda Shea also favors
the plan and said it's great the money will directly benefit students.
For the five-year period the strategic plan covers,
Purdue expects to get $38 million from student fees alone. The majority
of the money, $15 million, will go to increasing faculty numbers; of
the remaining funds, $10 million will go to financial aid, $6 million
will go to faculty and staff salaries, $5 million will go to information
technology and $1 million will go to experiential learning.
As the University hires more faculty members, officials
expect to decrease the reliance on graduate teaching assistants in the
classroom, something President Martin Jischke said will definitely help
students.
"In the last six years we've added 4,000 students
and lost about 52 faculty," Jischke said. "We compensated for it by
increasing graduate assistants. We concluded in the planning that we
need to stop that, reverse it."
Purdue plans to reduce the reliance on teaching
assistants to 15 percent; it's at 30 percent now. Jischke said increasing
the student/faculty ratio is of the utmost importance.
"If we can hire 300 absolutely first-rate faculty,
the future of this University is extraordinarily bright," Jischke said.
Christiansen added that even after the tuition
increase Purdue will be a "good bargain" within the Big Ten in terms
of the value of the degree and the cost of it.
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