REGENTS BACK OFF ON TUITION INCREASE; WHAT ABOUT THE FUTURE?

Last week, the Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents approved a scaled-back tuition increase for the 1995-96 academic year. Regents Don Dickerson and Pat Washington rightly expressed concern that perpetual tuition increases are pricing some students out of a college education.

The fact the increase was scaled back to $3 a credit hours from $4 wasn't much of a victory for in-state students. But it was certainly a step in the right direction. The out-of-state student tuition increase was scaled back to $6 a credit hours from $8.

At the same time, the regents approved about a 5 percent increase in room-and-board charges. Regent Washington again spoke up against this increase, saying she didn't want to saddle students with increases in both room and board and tuition during the same year. Her point is valid.

Southeast needs to increase its enrollment. Continued increases in tuition and room and board may accomplish just the opposite. Regent Dickerson encouraged school officials to think of the university as a business. He asked, "If gross sales are dropping, the question is, is it wise to raise your prices?"

It is easy to raise tuition and room and board to offset rising costs. It raises a lot of money without a lot of effort. But the university has yet to seriously address the issue of scaling back administration and staff costs to offset rising expenses. Enrollment has dropped considerably since the mid-1970s, but personnel numbers haven't. Why not?

Only Northeast Missouri State University and Missouri University's four campuses will have higher in-state tuition (based on the cost per credit hour) than Southeast this fall. Southeast's other fees are considerably lower, which puts the university's overall costs near the middle of the pack. But traditionally, the Bootheel has been one of the poorest regions in the state. Southeast's reputation as a low-cost institution is fast fading. That is unfortunate.

Dickerson and Washington initiated compelling, common sense discussion at last week's meeting, which should be followed up by university officials. Quality is important to potential students, but so is price. Southeast is the only four-year university in Southeast Missouri, and it must not forget its basic mission to serve the region at an affordable cost.