Page 40 March 2015 By Jessica Morrison Arizona State University President Michael M. Crow said there would be no tuition increases this year, during a presentation at the Arizona State Capitol on Thursday, January 29. “We didn’t raise tuition last year, and we won’t raise it this year,” said Crow. Arizona Board of Regents President Eileen Klein, University of Arizona President Ann Weaver Hart, and recently appointed Northern Arizona University President Rita Cheng also made presentations about their goals and priorities for their respective organizations. The presentations were made during an Arizona House of Representatives Committee on Rules hearing on government and higher education, which met to amend two House bills that require ABOR to submit to the Legislature an annual performance-based funding model along with the budget for each university. “Never has the landscape been more competitive, and never has there been this level of public debate around the value proposition of higher education,” said Klein. The state currently has 144,000 state university students between the three state universities, with an overall budget of $4.5 billion, said Klein. “It’s a very significant enterprise, and the responsibilities associated with it are likewise,” said Klein. Arizona universities promise not to raise tuition in 2015 Each university now has an individual business plan, so that they understand how they are going to achieve their goals and what resources they will need over time, Klein said. “We hold our universities to strict account against their peers,” said Klein. During his presentation, Crow proposed many strategies to running Arizona State University more cost-effectively, such as eliminating government-mandated defined benefit pension plans for employees. “You all are allowing us to be as innovative as we possibly can, but we are still prescribed and limited by older historical models,” said Crow, speaking directly to the legislators. “You all require us to have defined benefit retirement plans. We don’t want them. It’s too expensive.” During their presentations, Hart and Cheng did not rule out the possibility of tuition increases in the near future. University of Arizona currently guarantees students that over a four-year period, their tuition will not change, said Hart. However, should a student take longer than four years to graduate, they face the possibility of tuition increases. Hart said that students at U of A who complete their degree in four years ultimately pay 50 percent less in tuition fees, compared to those who graduate in six years, due to tuition increases over time. U of A has raised tuition every year since 2007, said Hart. At NAU, Cheng said that students currently pay a flat tuition rate of $5,000 per year for an unlimited amount of credits. Cheng said that due to budget cuts, that could change. In order to deal with budget issues, NAU has recently closed extended campus sites and changed the faculty composition from a higher percentage of tenured research professors to a higher percentage of non-tenured faculty focused solely on teaching, “which does pose challenges in attracting more external research dollars to the university and to the state,” said Cheng. “We are constantly changing and improving. We, as a university, are prepared to be measured by our performance,” said Cheng. Rep. Bob Robson, R-District 18, told students at ASU Monday that due to Arizona’s budget deficit, government funding would be cut significantly to state universities. HB 2364 requires each university to collaborate yearly with ABOR to adopt and periodically update the performance-based funding model to be used to prepare the universities’ yearly budgets. The performance-based funding model is to be based on the growth in degrees, completed student credit hours, and externally funded research and public service spending. HB 2206 intended to change the date that the full-time student enrollment is calculated, however that was struck down to remain at day 21 in the semester, rather than the proposed day 45. J V MORTGAGE ORIGINATOR AND U.S.M.C. VET Jimmy lives in, and serves the Arcadia Neighborhood. He’ll treat your family just like his own. As a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran, Jimmy was committed to serving our country. Now he is committed to serving You! NMLS #184169 www.JimmyVercellino.com www.VALoansForVets.com Offi ce: 602-908-5849 Email: jimmyv@fcbmtg.com First Choice Loan Services Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of First Choice Bank (First Choice Bank NMLS # 177877, First Choice Loan Services Inc. NMLS # 210764) located at One Tower Center, Floor #18, East Brunswick, NJ 08816. 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