Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1978 [PAGE 187]

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176

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

[January 19

Mr. Neal announced that the meeting had been called to provide an opportunity for extended discussion of possible tuition increases and that President Corbally had indicated that he would be presenting recommendations for such increases at the February 1977 meeting of the Board. At President Corbally's suggestion, Dr. Brady presented factual data with regard to the tuition question. (The presentation was based upon a compilation, "Some Questions and Answers Concerning Tuition and Financial Aid," sent to the Trustees a week before the meeting. A copy of the document is filed with the Secretary of the Board for the record.) The exposition and statistical information presented concerned historical trends in tuition charges at the University of Illinois and in charges for housing and fees and comparisons of these data with those from the public universities within the Big Ten group of midwest institutions. The document also provided an analysis of tuition and charges governed by alternative policies and detail concerning student financial aid available through the University and other funds, including federal support and the Illinois State Scholarship Commission. In the course of the discussion, the Trustees sought to inform themselves on the significance of the data presented, with particular reference to the role of the Illinois State Scholarship Commission and other financial assistance in meeting any gap between increased charges and student need. President Corbally said that, although the administrative officers had not decided upon a specific recommendation at this point, it would be his expectation that the recommendations to be presented to the Board in February would not differ significantly from those approved by the Board of Higher Education at its January meeting. He stated, however, that differential tuition schedules for graduate/professional students (as recommended by the Board of Higher Education) were under review; he did not know at this point what the administrative recommendation would be on that matter. Moreover, he anticipated that, by the February meeting, the Governor would make clear his view of the Board of Higher Education recommendations on the operating budgets for 1978. Mr. Lenz raised the question of the desirability of establishing a "floating" tuition policy; i.e., a long-range policy by which tuition would be linked with the cost of living, the level of state appropriations to the University, or some other changing economic factor. He noted that such a formula approach might avoid the problems of accumulated "deficits" in tuition income, the present situation. Moreover, such policy might eliminate the need to deal with the tuition question sporadically and in emergency situations, ensuring that increases in tuition would be known, at least predicted, in advance. President Corbally expressed support for this general procedure, and it was agreed that, in addition to the specific recommendations for 1978 to be presented in February, long-range policy