2:08 p.m.

The Arizona Board of Regents approved differential tuition and fees for students who are lower division (freshmen and sophomore) students.

Regents proposed that differential tuition only be applied to only one program and that it be a pilot program, which incited the provosts from the three universities. The provosts cited examples of how an increase in differential tuition and fees would harm the universities.

 ?””The national rankings of our programs will suffer,”” said UA Provost Meredith Hay. “”We are very efficient with our money. It would be a devastating move for our programs (to not have differential tuition and fees).””  

The increased fees would total $3.5 million that would go to the UA.   

The UA proposed 39 new or increased differential fees for students in engineering, architecture, health and honors students.

10:28 a.m.

As roll was being called before the vote on tuition, Regent Mark Killian said “”I wore my funeral suit today.””

He added that in order to maintain quality, the university has to raise tuition and fees.

The regents approved tuition increase and the numbers are the same as proposed by UA President Robert Shelton.  ?The resident undergraduate tuition will increase $1,050 for the 2010-11 academic year.

Nonresident undergraduate and graduate tuition will increase $2,000.

There will be a $500 increase for resident undergraduates at UA South. 

10:14 a.m.

Regent Mark Killian grilled UA President Robert Shelton about economic recovery surcharge and asked why the university raised salaries when most businesses are cutting back.

Killian suggested the economic recovery be a separate vote.

Regent Anne Mariucci said that the tuition for the three Arizona universities have been the best deal for the past 10 years, but now it can’t be in these tough economic times.

Arizona Board of Regents President Ernest Calderón suggested rolling the economic recovery surcharge into base tuition.

The surcharge is $766 for resident students and $966 for non-resident students. The board of regents approved it.

9:53 a.m.

“”We strove to reduce our total request for mandatory fees by half,”” UA President Robert Shelton said.

The sustainability fee, for example was cut from $24 to $12.

The sustainability fee will now be included in tuition upon request of Regent Dennis DeConcini, which he said would be more transparent.

Shelton said that debt for UA graduates has remained consistent over the past few years and that more than 50 percent of students graduate with zero debt.

Also discussed was Proposition 100.

Shelton said that if Proposition 100, the increase of sales tax by one-cent, doesn’t pass the UA could lose between $34 to $40 million which would mean 200 positions would be cut and financial aid would be reduced.

UA President Robert Shelton recently amended his tuition proposal for the fiscal year 2010-11. The new proposal reduces the resident undergraduate tuition increase from $1,450 to $1,050.

The new proposal maintains the $500 increase for resident undergraduates at UA South.

It also maintains the $2,000 increase for nonresident undergraduate and graduate tuition.

Shelton said he decided to reduce the tuition increase after tuition hearings.

“”These are challenging times that require difficult decisions,”” Shelton said about tuition increases.

He also said of the $100 million shortfall the university is facing, the tuition increases only recover a portion of the deficit.