Friday, December 10, 2010

The University of North Carolina Wilmington Board of Trustees today approved a 6.5 percent tuition increase for all UNCW students for the 2011-12 academic year. Combined with a 2.46 percent fee increase and other changes, total student costs would increase by 3.8 percent.

Tuition and fee requests from all the UNC system schools will not be final until approved by the UNC Board of Governors in February. UNCW’s final recommendations for increases meet the UNC Board of Governors’ “cap” of 6.5 percent for tuition, while keeping fee increases well below the 6.5 percent fee cap. With the added revenue, UNCW will be able to maintain 21 faculty positions, offer 128 additional course sections and mitigate the negative impact of likely state budget reductions.

The 6.5 percent tuition increase for the 2011-12 year amounts to:
• $196.85 for in-state undergraduate students
• $222.34 for in-state graduate students
• $918.29 for out-of-state undergraduate students
• $932.66 for out-of-state graduate students

As is done each year, tuition and fee requests from across the campus were analyzed by a Tuition and Fee Advisory Committee comprised of students, faculty and staff. The committee, with 50 percent student membership, identified needs and made recommendations to Chancellor Rosemary DePaolo and her Cabinet, for final approval by the Board of Trustees. The Cabinet approved all of the committee’s recommendations but added additional increases for faculty positions and financial aid.

“Given the financial information the advisory committee had at the time its recommendations were developed, it did a tremendous job identifying the most pressing needs for our campus,” said DePaolo. “However, the Cabinet has not only the authority but, more importantly, the responsibility to change those recommendations if it is in the best interest of the university, which was the case this year. The state’s fiscal situation clearly has become more serious.

“In order to continue to move forward during these challenging economic times and provide our students with the most powerful learning experience possible, we determined it necessary to request the full 6.5 percent tuition increase allowed by the Board of Governors.”

The Board of Trustees also approved a total of $58.80 in mandatory student fees:
• Student Activities $71.00
• Athletics $4.80
• Transportation $3.00
• Special Fees ($20.00)—Commencement fee moved from Special Fees to Student Activities

Specific uses for the $3.7 million in revenue generated by the proposed tuition increases are:

Financial Aid: Thirty percent of the funding will be used to help offset tuition increases for those students who currently demonstrate financial need but do not meet the criteria for the UNCW SOAR financial aid program established for the university’s most needy families. As the cost of attendance increases, the number of mid-income students with need also will rise accordingly.

Faculty Positions: The university continues to reduce its student-faculty ratio in order to meet its goal of a student-faculty ratio of 15 to 1. The new faculty positions will enhance and maintain opportunities for students to be in smaller classes with more direct faculty interaction.

Libraries: UNCW will create two new librarian positions, one to focus on continuous improvement of resources, services and space critical to student academic success, and another that will design and provide copyright education, assistance and outreach to students.

Technology Support: UNCW will purchase a Matlab site license to support student academic experiences, create one new position and permanently fund four positions that currently are designated as "time limited.” The site license will provide access for all students to Matlab, which enhances teaching and learning in a wide range of applications. Of the five positions, two will provide technical and security support and maintenance for UNCW systems, two will supervise student workers and provide additional staff coverage for the Technology Assistance Center “help desk,” and one will install and administer servers related to faculty research and teaching requirements.

UNCW's tuition and fee increases comply with the guidelines set forth to the UNC campuses by the Board of Governors:
• Combined tuition and fee rates for resident undergraduate students remain within the bottom quarter of UNCW’s public peer universities
• Combined tuition and fee rates for non-resident undergraduate students should be market driven.

Media contact:
Dana Fischetti, media relations manager, 910.962.7259 or fischettid@uncw.edu