UA President Robert Shelton released his tuition and fees proposal for the 2008-2009 school year yesterday, after months of meeting with student leaders and budget officers and consulting online surveys.

The proposal recommends a $450 (9 percent) increase in in-state tuition over last year’s rate.

For out-of-state undergraduates, Shelton proposes a $2,350 (15 percent) increase.

The proposal recommends an increase of $250 (9 percent) in resident graduate tuition, $2,350 (14 percent) for nonresident graduate students.

The proposal recommends a $300 (7 percent) tuition increase for in-state undergraduates at the Sierra Vista campus.

In December, the Arizona Board of Regents approved a 6 percent increase for in-state undergraduate tuition and a 9 percent increase in out-of-state undergraduate tuition.

Shelton also recommends a student services fee that would be phased in over two years. Next year, students would pay $40 and $80 the following year. The fee would go toward funding student-support programs such as campus safety and health services.

More than

5,100 students responded to two online tuition surveys given out this semester. Results indicated that students did not support a tuition increase but were willing to pay fees and come to a consensus on which programs are important to fund.

Shelton attributed student support of fees to knowing where their money is going, as opposed to the vagueness associated with a tuition increase.

“”I think students understand better where fees are going to – they see a direct benefit to them – and so we need to do more, not just with the leaders but with the entire student body, to explain why tuition is important,”” Shelton said. “”We have a responsibility to try and clarify to more folks on tuition.””

The UA plans to hold meetings with student leaders in the spring to design information packets for students about where tuition goes, Shelton said.

Balancing the state’s appropriations to higher education and the student’s need for an affordable education is a delicate procedure that requires a multitude of funding sources, he added.

Arizona’s shortfall in income this year, among other factors, has affected the amount the state can give the university, Shelton said.

“”For the last decade or so we’ve shifted that quite a bit onto the burden of the students and their families,”” Shelton said. “”We’ve tried to soften it by providing more financial aid.””

The usual 15 percent of all tuition and fees will be set aside for financial aid.

There has been a shift both in Arizona and nationally over the past eight or nine years to have students pay more in tuition while the states pay less, Shelton said.

“”I’m hopeful that somehow in the years ahead it will shift a little more to where the society is picking up more of the tab, but right now, certainly in Arizona, I don’t see that happening,”” he said.

ABOR will be holding a public forum on tuition where students can discuss their opinions on Nov. 29 from 5-7 p.m. at four UA locations: Room 211 in the Harvill building on the UA main campus, Room B153 at the Sierra Vista campus, Room 226 at the Douglas campus and Room 2219 at the UA Science and Technology Park.

The regents

are not obligated to comply with tuition recommendations but take them into consideration when deciding on tuition rates.

ABOR will vote on tuition for all three Arizona universities at a Dec. 8-9 meeting in Tempe.

What follows is a listing of the proposal’s other recommendations, which involve colleges and departments across the university.

Differential tuition proposals

The College of Pharmacy has proposed $300 in annual differential tuition for students, both newly enrolled and existing, in the Doctor of Pharmacy Program, starting next fall.

The James E. Rogers College of Law is proposing $1,250 per year in differential tuition for all incoming students admitted to the college after the spring 2008 semester.

Professional programs fees

The Department of Journalism is proposing a $500 annual fee for juniors and seniors effective next fall. Students who have achieved senior status by fall 2008 would be exempt from the fee. Students would not pay special course fees following the enactment of this fee. The fee would be used to update technology and technical staffing for students.

A proposed fee for graduate students enrolled in the distance learning programs of the College of Optical Sciences is $450 per unit, effective next fall.

The Eller College of Management’s Evening MBA program is proposing a comprehensive program fee of $38,500 – up from $30,000 – effective next fall. The increase would apply only to students who enter the program after the spring 2008 semester.

Proposed course fees over $50

The Department of Animal Sciences is proposing the establishment of a $200 course fee for Animal Sciences 372, Intermediate Horsemanship and Technique, starting next fall.

The School of Art is requesting an increase of $49 in course fees for Art 456, Advanced Printmaking, bringing the total course fee to $99. The fee would be effective next fall. The School of Art is also requesting a course fee of $95 for Art 556, Graduate Printmaking, effective fall 2008.

The Department of Geosciences is requesting an increase in course fees of $500 for Geosciences 414, Geology Field Camp, effective this summer. According to the proposal, the class has a field trip component that is not sufficiently covered by the existing $1,020 course fee, enacted in 1995.

Special enrollment deposits

Eller College is seeking to increase enrollment deposits on the Executive MBA and Evening MBA programs. The Executive MBA program’s deposit would be increased to $2,000 from $500, effective this spring. The Evening MBA program’s deposit would be increased from to $500 from $250. The redesigned curricula in both programs necessitate financial commitments before tuition is collected, according to the proposal.