Chancellors from UNC-Greensboro, Appalachian State, Fayetteville State, N.C. Agricultural and Technical State, N.C. Central and N.C. State universities reported to members of the committee and UNC-system President Molly Broad on tuition and fees at their campuses.
Although tuition increases have not been proposed at any of the six schools, all six chancellors expressed the need for more money, noting tuition as a possible source of additional funds.
Broad also informed attendees that a committee of students and representatives from all 16 campuses recently recommended a systemwide 4.8 percent tuition increase to offset rising operating costs. The increase is expected to generate $12.4 million. Broad said a large portion of the added revenue will fund financial aid.
Addison Bell, the committee's chairman, said the committee has both a short-term and a long-term responsibility in setting tuition. The short-term responsibility is to assess fees at campuses that are requesting campus-initiated tuition increases before making a decision about each proposed increase.
In the long term, Bell said the BOG is looking to define specific ways to deal with campus-initiated tuition increases.
Bell said he hopes the committee will be prepared to give recommendations on both campus and BOG-initiated tuition increases at January's BOG meeting.
Broad said it is important to remember that the N.C. Constitution mandates tuition remain as low as practicable. "We need to keep our eye on our tuition that it is in the lower one-third of our peer institutions," she said.
But most participating chancellors said their faculty are underpaid in comparison to faculty at peer institutions, and many said their staff also need pay increases.
Several chancellors also said students at their respective universities support tuition increases when they see tangible benefits. "I think our students will accept the increase if they associate it with better services," said N.C. A&T Chancellor James Renick.
