Tuition hike low, avoids cutting education money
In a time when the economy is in shambles and the country seems at the brink of a full-blown depression, it’s nice to get a shimmer of hope sometimes.
This week’s shimmer came from the President’s Office.
On Wednesday, Franklin College President Jay Moseley sent out the figures for the 2009-2010 tuition bill. Based on the declining state of the economy, it seemed only natural to get a massive increase.
But that’s not what we got. Instead, we received a note saying tuition would only increase by 3.7 percent next year, which comes out to a difference of $830. The average increase over the past three years is 5 percent.
But the entire college will be making sacrifices to ensure the raise in tuition stays lower than previous years.
In a letter to students, faculty and parents, Moseley said the school would be “limiting administrative costs by reducing budgets in non-educational areas, renegotiating contracts with outside vendors such as the food service and bookstore, deferring salary decisions and increasing ‘green’ sustainability efforts to reduce energy costs.”
This comes as great news when schools like Northwestern University are taking more drastic measures. Northwestern is hiking up tuition only 3.6 percent, but they are also cutting operating expenses for every department by five percent. The university will also limit the number of raises given, delay major renovations projects and strictly review new hirings.
It’s nice to see that the college can keep its education standard at a high level without making students pay more money.
The Board of Trustees and the President’s Office deserve a standing ovation for finding a way to keep college costs low during a dreary financial period.
