Regents approve tuition increases at Southeast

The Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents, saying it was doing its best to hold down student costs, voted Thursday to increase tuition by $4 per credit hour for the next school year.

With the increase, the per-credit-hour fee will total $162.50 for in-state undergraduates, $282 for out-of-state undergraduates, $189.90 for in-state graduate students and $333.80 for out-of-state graduate students.

The regents promised to scale back the increase if the university receives more than the expected $41.5 million in state funding.

Since fiscal 2002, state budget cuts to Southeast have totaled $7.15 million, said Ivy Locke, vice president of business and finance.

Don Dickerson, board president, said Southeast students are paying an increasing share -- now nearly 44 percent -- of the cost of higher education.

Dickerson said the university has to hold the line on student costs or it will "price students out of the market."

Missouri's public colleges need more funding from the state. A decline in state funding would hurt public education, he said.

Regent Brad Bedell of Sikeston said he wished the board could have kept tuition at the current level. But he said the regents had to increase tuition for the 2004-2005 school year to meet expenses.

"I don't see any way around it," he said.

University officials said the fee increase would generate about $1.8 million in added money for the school, money needed to cover increased health insurance premiums and retirement program costs and salary increases.

Even with hefty tuition increases in recent years, the cost of fees to an in-state undergraduate at Southeast taking 12 credit hours of classes rose only $858 between fiscal 1995 and the current school year, Locke said.

Web course fees upThe regents also approved a 1 percent increase in room and board charges for campus housing.

Students, on average, will pay $5,107 to live on campus next school year, up from $5,025 this year, officials said.

The regents also approved a $3-per-credit-hour increase in Web course fees beginning in fall 2004 and an identical increase starting in fall 2005.

The two increases will boost the fee to $10 a credit hour by fall 2005. The fee will generate about $47,000 in the coming fiscal year and $95,000 in fiscal 2006 to support Web-based courses, school officials said.

The board approved plans to renovate parts of the University Center at a cost of $550,000 to $600,000. The work is scheduled to start this summer and be completed by summer 2005.

In other action, Edward Matthews III of Sikeston and India Jeffery of St. Louis were sworn in as new regents. Matthews replaces Doyle Privett of Kennett. Jeffery is a student regent. She replaces Laura Hockensmith. As student regent, Jeffery has no voting power.

The board also approved:

A 1 percent increase in rent for Southeast's Washington Street apartments. Transfer of a special $10 course fee from one nursing class to another.

An off-campus program to offer specialist in education administration and master's in elementary/secondary education administration degrees in the northern region of the university's service area. Master's in business administration options in financial management and industrial management.

A revised mission statement for the university Appointment of KPMG accounting firm to conduct annual audit.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123