Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1974 [PAGE 407]

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1973]

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

397

(1) Discussions concerning tuition policies and tuition levels have reached a new afc of volume during the past year. This phenomenon is by no means only a local ppening, but ts a matter of national concern. Both the public press and professional journals contain an increasing number of tuition proposals, counter proposals, and rebuttals to both. There are only two tuition positions which are based on sound, understandable, philosophical positions. The first is that there should be no tuition charges levied in public higher education. The other is that students in public higher education should pay tuition equal to the full costs of their instruction. All in-between positions are compromises which are based_ upon practical and judgmental considerations rather than upon any real philosophical framework. Unfortunately, many tuition discussions today represent efforts to construct a philosophical base for compromise positions for which no such base exists. These discussions are interesting, but cloud the current basic issues which are practical, financial resource issues. For us, the time has come when tuition policy in general and specific tuition rates for 1974-75 must be determined. I had hoped that the position of the Illinois Board of Higher Education concerning tuition policy for public higher education in Illinois would have been determined by this time, but no such determination will be made until at least December 4, 1973. I believe that it is incumbent upon us to provide our students with information concerning changes in tuition as early as possible before changes are made. I also believe that to the extent possible our policy should reflect S H E suggestions. In an effort to meet the requirements of both of those beliefs, I am recommending that the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois adopt a provisional position on tuition for 1974-75 at the November 21 meeting with the understanding that this position will be reviewed and made final following action of the BHE in December on tuition policy. The adoption of a provisional position will provide our students with an understanding of probable tuition levels for 1974-75 while at the same time not foreclosing change if the provisional position should vary greatly from BHE suggestions.

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The current position of the BHE is that tuitionsin public universities in Illinois should approximate one-third of undergraduate instructional costs. As stated above, there is no real support in theory or inphilosophy for such a position. In my view, the theory and philosophy of public higher education support the concept that no tuition should be charged those who attend public universities. This concept, however, has eroded over the years under the pressures of financial needs and the inability and/or unwillingness of society to provide financial support to meet those needs. Tuition at public universities is, thus, a concept which has been bom of necessity rather than of theory. What we are discussing is a means of providing some portion of the financial support requirement of a public university through a price charged the students. At the present time, tuition charges at the University of Illinois are $495 per year for full-time students who are residents of the State of Illinois except for Students in Dentistry ($261 per quarter) or in Medicine ($294 per quarter). For nonresidents, these charges are $1,485 except in Dentistry ($591 per quarter) and in Medicine ($624 per quarter). These tuition levels equal something less than 30 per cent of undergraduate instructional costs. This tuition level was established for 1972-73 in an effort to achieve the BHE standard. However, at that time, the BHE cost data were for 1970-71 so that_ the tuition assessed did not actually achieve the standard in spite of this Board's intent to do so. » » * Two facts must be clear as we review the financial resources of the University. First, the resources available to the University are not keeping pace with the costs of inflation. Second, increases in State tax support of higher education will not, in and of themselves, keep pace with the increased need for resources. I will not review here the financial picture with which you are all familiar. We are losing ground in meeting the costs of quality. We can either revise downward our goals for the University of Illinois or find resources to permit us to meet those goals. I believe that we must choose the latter course. One financial resource is