JONESBORO, Ark. – A-State will be raising tuition 3.4 percent at the main campus while the two-year campuses will go up slightly less for the 2019-2020 school year.
Setting budgets, tuition rates, and signing the chancellors and president to new contracts were also items of business decided by the ASU Board of Trustees on Thursday.
A $284.8 million budget was set for the coming year, representing a 1 percent increase compared to a year prior. Tuition rates will increase at the main Jonesboro campus with an increase in academic excellence fees for faculty salaries, going from $8.25 per credit hour to $10.
The overall impact on in-state tuition and fees at A-State for next year will be $292.50 annually or a 3.4 percent increase to $8,900, which will rank as the sixth-lowest rate among public universities statewide.
“You’ll recall we had no tuition increases last year,” ASU System President Chuck Welch said. “I wish we could do this every year, but we have to remain competitive in multiple areas and address critical needs. Operating costs continue to rise, and we receive very little state funding for capital projects. Our campuses continue to be as efficient and effective as possible while reallocating resources where they can. We are already seeing some very good financial results from changes resulting from our efficiency study last year.”
Changes and rates for the two-year campuses include:
- ASU-Beebe – A 1.7 percent increase in annual tuition with no change in fees. The campus plans to increase support of institutional technology.
- ASU-Mountain Home – A $2 per credit hour increase in tuition only, resulting in a 1.7 percent increase in annual tuition and fees. Resources are being allocated to enhanced campus security, facilities maintenance and institutional scholarships.
- ASU-Newport – No tuition increase for a second straight year, but a new $3 per credit hour infrastructure fee will be implemented, resulting in a 2.6 percent increase in annual tuition and fees. The campus eliminated three financial aid positions but will add a director of emergency medical services and an additional student services position. The budget allows for $150,000 in deferred maintenance needs.
- ASU Mid-South – A $3 per credit hour increase in tuition only, resulting in a 2.3 percent increase in annual tuition and fees. The campus has reduced personnel expenses through attrition and reduction of unfilled budgeted positions to reflect enrollment declines.
In other business, the board:
- Approved A-State’s plan to name a specified area on the seventh floor of the Dean B. Ellis Library as the Eugene W. Smith Reading Room;
- Approved ASU-Mountain Home to offer an Associate of Science degree in liberal arts and sciences and a Technical Certificate and Certificate of Proficiency in construction trade;
- Approved ASU-Newport to offer a Technical Certificate and a Certificate of Proficiency in early childhood development, as well as a Certificate of Proficiency in welding;
- Approved ASU Mid-South to offer associate degrees in emergency medical services and health studies, as well as a Technical Certificate in health studies;
- Approved plans by A-State and ASU-Mountain Home to apply for federal grand funding from the Transportation Alternatives Program and Recreational Trails Program; and
- Extended Welch’s five-year contract to 2024 and all campus chancellors’ three-year contracts to 2022.
haha! A “degree” from ASU is one step above toilet paper. Out in the real world, you see it “oh, were did you go to school?…ASU…Where?, is that an accredited school??” More fees to pay for those important golf memberships, housing for faculty and their “staff and personal assistants” on and on it goes.