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UW-L’s growth and access plan — which would increase enrollment by 1,000 students during the next decade and set higher tuition than most other UW campuses — was part of the $4.315 billion 2007-09 biennial budget request the Board of Regents approved by a 15-2 vote.
Excluding UW-L, the regents have recommended a tuition increase of 3 percent in 2007-08 and 1.96 percent in 2008-09, although those rates will not be officially set until the summer before each academic year. The system also requested at least an additional $140 million in state dollars, on top of the nearly $2 billion it received this biennium.
While the budget request and UW-L’s plan still need approval from the Legislature and governor, proponents of the plan were pleased with Thursday’s vote.
“We’re not done yet,” Interim Chancellor Elizabeth Hitch said after the vote. “But we made an important first hurdle.“
UW-L’s growth plan was among the 17 growth plans recommended by regents as ways to increase access and affordability to UW schools. Unlike most of those plans, UW-L’s does not ask for additional state taxpayer dollars.
It does count on the money the state already provides —about $35 million in 2005-06 — and any continuing costs, as well as other systemwide initiatives included in the budget proposal.
If it gets all the needed approval, UW-L’s plan would be a pilot program for 10 years. It asks Regents to increase in-state student tuition by about $1,300 over three years — or $440 a year — under the plan. Nonresident tuition would decrease by about $3,000.
Full-time student enrollment would increase to about 9,600. About $15 million would be generated from the plan, with $4 million going for financial aid. The rest would be used to hire about 130 more faculty and staff.
A proposed motion would have increased the amount of money going toward financial aid to 50 percent, but it failed by a 5-12 vote.
Having flexibility as the program matures will be essential in making sure students thrive once on campus, Ron Lostetter, UW-L’s vice chancellor of administration and finance told 17 regents. And student success is dependent on having the faculty and staff needed to support them, he said.
“Just bringing students to campus is not a measure of success,” Lostetter added.
Regent Gerard Randall, of Milwaukee, voted against the budget as a whole because he objected to UW-L’s proposal. He thinks it will not attract the demographic of students UW-L is seeking.
“I find it a model that is not going to bear the fruit they think it is going to bear,” he said.
Hitch has said the program would allow the campus to increase the number of degrees awarded each year, provide a more diverse campus and increase financial aid for students from low-income families.
The other nay vote, student Regent Christopher M. Semenas from UW-Parkside, voted against the budget package because he opposed the tuition increases. At least 20 UW students attended Thursday’s meeting, holding up signs that asked for a tuition freeze.
Ryan VanLoo, president of the UW-L student association, said it was a tough call to support the proposal, as he would prefer the state fully-fund the UW System.
But he knows that is unlikely and with this idea, students know what their money is going toward.
“We want UW-L to go forward, not maintain the status quo,” he said. “We’re growing with this initiative.”
Kate Schott can be reached at kate.schott@lacrossetribune.com or (608) 791-8226.
