UVM president to seek 6 percent tuition hike
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University of Vermont President Daniel Fogel says expenses make a tuition increase necessary. File Photo |
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By SUSAN ALLEN
TIMES ARGUS STAFF - Published: October 8, 2009
MONTPELIER – University of Vermont President Daniel Fogel said Wednesday he will propose a 6 percent tuition hike at the school for the next academic year, a proposal that would require the approval of the school's board of directors in May 2010.
Meeting with the Times Argus and Rutland Herald Editorial Board, the president said tuition has climbed a similar percentage annually in recent years, an amount he acknowledged might feel like a financial pinch in this economic downturn, but is needed to help the school meet its expenses.
UVM's expenditures total about $570 million, he said, which breaks down to roughly $57,000 per student for the 10,000-student campus. The state's General Fund provides about 8 percent of UVM's budget, low compared to California, which provides 30 percent to its state universities, Fogel said.
At this time, with state lawmakers slashing spending, Fogel said it's been a "blessing" not to rely on state funding to keep the school on track. Still, the challenge of maintaining quality programs remains.
"Even full-pay students are only paying a part of what it costs to cover the full costs of running the institution," Fogel said, referring to the students who receive no financial aid. Tuition and fees for Vermont students are currently $21,378 a year; tuition and fees for out-of-state students are $38,216; books and supplies are an additional $1,050 per year.
Fogel said that financial aid to students has significantly increased — more than 20 percent, to $52 million last year for undergraduates, with another increase expected in the coming year — and one-third of all Vermont students at UVM pay no tuition, thanks to grants.
"More than 70 percent of Vermont (students) have financial aid," Fogel said. "Those with real need pay very little."
Fogel said about 5,300 Vermont students currently attend UVM, up from the low point in 2001 when 4,454 Vermonters were enrolled.
Another point of pride, he said, is the fact that 20.6 percent of the Honors College is composed of students of color, an increase in diversity at the school.
The president noted that U.S. News and World Report magazine recently ranked UVM eighth (tied with University of Denver and University of Southern California) among its "Top Up-and-Coming Schools," and Sierra magazine ranked the school fourth for environmental programs.
"A kid in Illinois is going to see that" and seek out UVM for higher education, he said.
Fogel said Vermont students graduate with an average debt of about $16,000; out-of-state graduates have an average debt of about $20,000. Fogel said the average earnings of UVM graduates is about $25,000 higher than workers who graduate from high school but do not go on to higher education.
Fogel said it's unclear how many UVM graduates remain in Vermont. He said about 60 percent have addresses in the state three years after graduation, but there is no way of knowing whether they actually live at those addresses.
Still, he noted, the university produces 38 percent of the doctors working in the state and a high percentage of engineers, teachers and other professionals.
"This is really critical to the well-being of the state," he said.
Fogel said that, compared with many other colleges and universities around the country, UVM is on fairly firm financial footing. He said he spoke to the chief financial officer at Harvard recently and learned that school has laid off 800 people and plans to let another 800 go. In contrast, Fogel said, UVM has lost 7 full-time equivalent positions (initially laying off 16, but hiring some back).
Fogel said the school has focused in recent years on building enrollment. Now, he said, that goal has been met.
In a letter to faculty and staff, Fogel said, he outlined the new direction for UVM, which is to build "spires" of excellence that attract top students in this competitive higher education environment. He has asked all faculty to propose programs worth investing in, such as bio-engineering and environmental policy.
He said some classes or sections with low enrollment will be dropped, but added, "We will not excise whole programs. I don't see that as driven in a brutal way by a budget meltdown."
The best way to attract top students and faculty, he said, is "to be really, really good." That will mean focusing spending on the best, highest-quality, in-demand programs.
Fogel said the school's commitment to agriculture programs would "intensify." He said UVM will continue to help farmers develop value-added products (the school is working with several ag-related businesses in Hardwick and artisan cheese makers), business plans, succession planning and more.
Asked how long he hoped to remain as president of the school, the 61-year-old Fogel replied, "I would sure like to be here for the rest of my career."
But that, he noted, is a decision that rests with the board.
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