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But students attending UW-La Crosse could see higher tuition increases during that time if a pilot program proposed by campus administrators is approved.
In a letter Tuesday, Doyle asked regents to hold down tuition increases for the 2007-08 and 2008-09 academic years to make the system’s 13 four-year universities and 13 two-year colleges more affordable, specifically for low-income families.
The United Council of University of Wisconsin Students, which lobbies for students, asked for a tuition freeze for the next budget biennium, noting tuition has risen by 76 percent at most four-year campuses over the last six years.
At a special regents meeting Wednesday in Madison, UW administrators said they are crafting a budget proposal that would increase tuition by 3 percent in 2007-08 and 1.75 percent in 2008-09. In June, regents increased tuition for the 2006-07 academic year by 6.8 percent.
Several regents said such a low increase would be welcome, but Regent Judith Crain noted if increases are kept low, the state must better support the system financially to provide a quality education. State funding to the UW System has been reduced by at least $300 million in the past three bienniums.
The tuition rates are part of the biennial budget request the regents will vote on when they meet Aug. 17 and 18. The governor and state lawmakers will consider the request during the next legislative session, and tuition rates will be set next year depending on the budget they approve.
At that same meeting, the regents also will consider UW-L’s proposal for a pilot program. UW-L’s plan would raise in-state student tuition by $1,200 to $1,300 over three years, lower nonresident tuition from its current $15,000 to attract more out-of-state students and increase enrollment by 1,000 students in the next decade.
Regent Jesus Salas asked what the money generated by the proposal would be used for, given the “sticker shock” a 25 percent to 30 percent tuition increase in three years could have. He also is concerned tuition dollars, traditionally used for teaching and learning, could be channeled for items normally paid by the state.
The UW-L pilot program would be a chance to see if campus control of tuition can work, Regent Danae Davis said. But she also wants to ensure recruiting nonresident students doesn’t push out eligible Wisconsin residents, specifically students of color.
The plan calls for doubling the number of students from the two lowest income brackets to about 500 students, said Ron Lostetter, UW-L’s vice chancellor of administration and finance. It also would increase students of color from the 451 who attended in 2004-05 to just shy of 1,000, he said. Administrators don’t anticipate more than 200 of the additional 1,000 students coming from out of state.
About $15 million would be raised annually once all the plan’s components are in place, with $4 million going for financial aid. The rest would be used to hire about 130 more faculty and staff, Lostetter said.
Kate Schott can be reached at Kate.Schott@lacrossetribune.com or (608) 791-8226.
