University's governing board approves tuition rate, budget request
ANCHORAGE---The University of Alaska Board of Regents approved an FY15
budget request to forward to Gov. Sean Parnell for consideration as well as
the second-lowest tuition increase in 10 years, continuing a trend started
in 2007 to moderate financial impacts to the UA System's 33,000 students
statewide.
The governing board for UA's 16 campuses met at the University of Alaska
Anchorage campus Wednesday.
By an 8-2 vote the board approved a $6 per credit increase for resident
undergraduate (100-400 level) courses beginning in fall 2014. Resident
graduate courses (500-600 level) will increase $12 per credit hour. The
non-resident rate for both graduate and undergraduate will increase $12 per
credit hour. Even with the increase, the university's tuition is among the
lowest of public institutions in the 15 Western states.
Jarmyn Kramlich, a junior at the University of Alaska Southeast and
president of the UAS student government, thanked the administration for
keeping tuition as low as possible. "We recognize that tuition has to go
up; it can't be zero when other costs are going up," Kramlich said.
UA President Pat Gamble noted the three university chancellors and system
administration have worked very hard to reduce costs internally. "Tuition
should be the last place we go when trying to balance the budget," Gamble
said.
The board also approved operating and capital budget requests for the
fiscal year beginning July 1, 2014. The operating request totals $388
million in state general funds, with the university generating an
additional $547 million through competitive federal research grants,
tuition and fees, self-supporting auxiliary services, private donations and
other sources.
Regents also endorsed the capital budget, at $319 million in state general
funds plus an additional $84 million in university generated revenue.
Deferred maintenance of existing facilities; finishing the two engineering
buildings at UAA and UAF; a major upgrade of the UAF combined heat and
power plant; and research specific to Alaska—including a digital mapping
project and other initiatives--round out the capital request.
UA press release