Regents approve tuition, fee increase at Southeast for fall 2018

Southeast Missouri State University�s tuition and fees are going up for the 2018 fall semester, after action at Friday�s board of regents meeting.

Kathy Mangels, vice president for finance and administration, said at the meeting the budget review committee has worked hard to arrive at a workable solution for a difficult situation.

In 2017, Gov. Eric Greitens announced plans to slash state funding to universities in Missouri. At Southeast, that amounted to a budget shortfall of $6.3 million for fiscal year 2019, based on Greitens� proposed budget.

As it stands now, the Missouri House and Senate have passed a budget that would not cut university funding, provided the university doesn�t raise tuition by more than 1 percent.

�The hard part is trying to recommend a budget, since we don�t know what the state appropriations are,� Mangels said.

The governor has until June 30 to sign the budget � or not, Mangels said.

A 2007 Missouri law prohibits state universities from raising tuition and general fees more than the increase in the Consumer Price Index each year, which is 2.1 percent this year, Mangels said.

The regents unanimously approved the 2.1 percent increase, then waived all but 1 percent, allowing for compliance with the proposed budget, while also allowing for the possibility of needing to raise tuition if the budget doesn�t pass.

The current tuition rate is $206.10 per credit hour, with the general student fee of $33.40 bringing the cost to $239.50, according to university documents.

The fall 2018 Missouri resident undergraduate tuition and fee rate will be $247.25 per credit hour, an increase of $7.75, or $93 for a full-time student taking 12 credit hours.

Included in the new tuition and fee schedule is a Student Government-recommended three-year phased general fee increase of $7.40 per credit hour. The portion charged beginning in fall 2018 will be $5.40 per credit hour.

In a university news release, president Carlos Vargas-Aburto said, �We have worked very hard to keep tuition increases at a minimum, and we remain steadfast in our mission to offer access to quality academic programs and services at a reasonable cost. Despite our funding challenges, Southeast is committed to keeping costs affordable for students and serving them well.�

Ever since Greitens� announcement last year, university officials have worked to identify cost-reducing measures, including eliminating filled and non-filled positions, and restructuring departments and colleges to save administrative costs.

�We have identified $5.4 million in expense reductions across all [university] divisions,� Mangels said Friday.

Eliminating 67 positions will cut 6 percent of the university�s workforce, Mangels said.

The full budget will be brought before the regents at the June meeting, Mangels said.

Beginning in October 2017 with an open forum, Southeast provost Karl Kunkel spearheaded an initiative to invite ideas for cost-saving measures.

Kunkel provided several reorganization drafts and encouraged feedback over several months, and after receiving nearly 80 written statements and conducting about 100 meetings, Kunkel made recommendations to Vargas April 5.

Vargas then conducted additional open forums in April and also requested feedback, he said Friday.

Ultimately, the reorganization will establish five colleges at a cost savings of approximately $634,000:

• College of Education, Health and Human Studies
• College of Humanities and Social Sciences
• College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
• Harrison College of Business and Computing
• Holland College of Arts and Media

The reorganization will take effect Aug. 1.

Kunkel resigned as provost effective May 14, and will take a faculty position effective Aug. 1, according to previous reporting by the Southeast Missourian.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

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