UW accepts comment on program fees proposal

 

March 11, 2017



LARAMIE — The University of Wyoming is accepting public comment on a proposal to institute cost-based fees for academic programs.

The proposal, which is detailed online at www.uwyo.edu/president/budget_planning/rec/index.html, would directly help UW students through enhanced advising, career preparation, assurance of course availability and other student services. People who would like to comment on the plan may do so on that webpage; the deadline for comments is Monday, March 20.

Crafted by a subcommittee appointed by President Laurie Nichols, the proposal was discussed with UW students during a series of town-hall sessions on campus last fall, and student comments were solicited online this spring. Following the public comment period and potential revision, a program fees proposal is scheduled to be presented to the UW Board of Trustees for action at its March 22-24 meeting.

“These program fees would directly benefit our students, assuring that the university continues to provide an outstanding education even during a time of declining state resources,” UW Provost Kate Miller says. “Though the fees would be an additional cost for students, we believe they actually will improve the value students receive per dollar spent above the already excellent value UW students currently receive.”

The proposal was drafted in response to the revenue challenges the university faces and is meant to ensure the quality of programs at UW is maintained while expanding student services. Revenues from the program fees would stay with each academic unit to cover program requirements, and new revenues would ensure course availability and improve advising, career student services and instruction. Ultimately, the proposal aims to improve retention, career readiness and time to graduation for UW students, while keeping the university’s tuition and fees among the lowest of public universities across the country.

Under the proposal, student fees would be assessed above the standard tuition rate based upon the cost of individual academic programs — and the earnings those degrees provide for students upon graduation. The fees would range from $10 per credit-hour for students in the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, to $69 per credit-hour in the College of Engineering and Applied Science. Additional fees would be assessed for a limited number of specific high-cost programs.

On average, the cost of tuition and fees for in-state students would rise by $738 annually. Increases in the overall cost of a four-year degree would range from $1,422 for English majors to $6,297 for mechanical engineers.

“This proposal recognizes the different wages earned by our graduates, along with the varying costs of each academic program,” says Rob Godby, the UW Department of Economics professor who chaired the subcommittee that crafted the plan. “Program fees provide a mechanism to more closely tie the true cost of education to the students most likely to benefit from a course of study, and to hold our academic units accountable to students for the quality of their education.”

With revenues from the program fees staying with each academic unit, students would benefit directly from the fees they pay — particularly in the areas of advising and career placement. The revenues would not be used to supplement faculty research, salaries or other activities.

For example, the College of Engineering and Applied Science would use its program fee revenues to fund an internship/career placement professional; additional student advisers; communications instructors; professors of practice to support laboratory maintenance and senior design instruction; support of instructional laboratories; and other student-focused uses. Spending on a portion of the college’s revenues would be guided by a committee of students toward activities in support of the college’s undergraduate educational mission.

“We are excited about what these program fees will do to assist us in our efforts to deliver a Tier-1 educational experience to our students, including internship opportunities, and in preparing them for outstanding careers,” says Michael Pishko, dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science. “The additional expense will be more than worth it to our students, while keeping our cost of attendance extremely competitive with our peers.”

Other examples of how program fee revenues would be used:

— Additional advisers would be hired, and a central advising center would be created, for students in the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources — while all colleges would expand advising, career and placement services for students.

— All colleges would implement “seat guarantees,” ensuring that if high-demand class sections necessary for students’ programs of study are filled, new sections would be opened to avoid delays in students taking those classes.

— Student communications and math assistance centers would be created and maintained for all students across campus.

— The College of Business’s communications studio for students would reopen.

Currently, in addition to mandatory student fees for services such as the Wyoming Union and the Student Health Service, UW assesses a variety of academic course and program fees — 11 separate undergraduate fees, at least 86 course fees, and more than 40 fees for course or program activities and other charges. The proposed program fees would replace most of the existing academic fees with a simpler and comprehensive framework to allow students to better understand the costs of attending UW.

Godby notes that the vast majority of UW’s peer institutions assess program fees, most much higher than those proposed for UW. That’s in addition to tuition rates at those institutions, which also far exceed UW’s.

In fact, if the program fees are approved by the university’s Board of Trustees, UW’s tuition and fees would still be 51 percent lower than the average of UW’s 11 nearest-peer schools based on current tuition rates, and UW would remain the lowest-cost doctoral institution in the country.

“The university has been incredibly fortunate in receiving strong support from the state, which has allowed us to provide excellent educational opportunities at a very low cost to students,” Miller says. “Challenging times need not undermine the university’s commitment to quality, accessible and affordable higher education. That is what the program fee proposal would help us accomplish.”

 
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