News Release February 4, 2005
Office of the Chancellor P.O. Box 751 Portland, OR 97207 PHONE (503) 725-5700 FAX (503) 725-5709 www.ous.edu |
Contact: Di Saunders; Cell:
503-807-5539; Office: 503-725-5714
Proposed OR
Opportunity Grant Changes Commended by Board of Higher Ed
Doubling of grant funds in Governor’s Recommended
Budget would increase college affordability
PORTLAND, February 4 – The State Board of Higher Education (the
“Board”) met today at Chemeketa Eola Northwest Viticulture Center
in Salem, addressing changes to the Oregon Opportunity Grant, summer term
tuition and fees, OUS admission requirements, a review of the Governor’s
Recommended Budget for OUS, and educational costs per student within the
System.
Changes in Opportunity Grant Board member and co-chair of the Access and Affordability
Working Group, Tim Nesbitt, reported on the accomplishment of the Group in
providing recommendations for changes in the Oregon Opportunity Grant (OOG)
that increase college affordability. Nesbitt noted the doubling of the OOG in
the Governor’s Recommended Budget, to $91.6 million, which will
significantly expand student access for Oregon’s low- and moderate-income
families. The recommendations were developed by a broad community of interest,
including public and private colleges, the Oregon Student Assistance
Commission, student organizations, and community groups. Nesbitt noted that
eligibility recommendations would extend grant funding to an additional 24,700
Oregon students, to a total of 66,200 students during 2005-2007; would return
eligibility to 55% of median family income for dependent students; would
provide per student grant levels to $1,500 at community colleges, $1,800 at OUS
institutions, and $3,600 at eligible private/independent institutions; would
extend grants to part-time students; and would recognize students meeting
Certificate of Initial Mastery (CIM) academic standards with an additional $500
challenge grant award. The Board congratulated the Working Group on their
collaborative work over the last year to improve affordability of college
within the state.
Summer 2005 Tuition and Fees Nancy Heiligman, assistant vice chancellor for budget
operations, reported on Summer 2005 tuition, fees, and housing rates, which are
separate from those established for the regular academic year. The Board
unanimously approved all recommended summer term rates.
|
2005 Summer Term Tuition, Fees, and Housing
Rates, based on 12 Credit Hours |
||||
|
Institution |
2005 Summer Tuition & Fees |
Increase
from Summer 2004 to 2005 |
2005 Summer Housing Rates |
Increase
from Summer 2004 to 2005 |
|
EOU |
$1,273 |
0% |
$95 per week |
12% |
|
OIT |
$1,152 |
1% |
$510 (for 8 weeks) |
0% |
|
OSU |
$1,126 |
8% |
$1,097 (for 8 weeks) |
-27% |
|
PSU |
$1,080 |
0% |
$260 to $630 (per month, depending on location) |
0% to 0.5%, varies by location |
|
SOU |
$1,135 |
2% |
$1,374 (for 8 weeks) |
5% |
|
UO |
$1,262 |
9% |
$1,624 (for 8 weeks) |
8% |
|
WOU |
$1,080 |
4% |
$1,100 (for 8 weeks) |
5% |
2006-07 Undergraduate Admission Policy The Board approved the OUS
Provosts’ Council recommended changes to OUS institutions’
admissions policies. In summary, these include: (1) require submission of
scores from a standardized writing examination from either ACT or SAT for
freshman admission consideration for students graduating spring 2006 or later;
(2) change alternative requirements for Home Schooled students and
nonaccredited high school graduates to reflect elimination of the SAT Subject
(formerly SAT II) Writing Exam; (3) eliminate the specification of the courses
required to meet the Social Science course pattern requirement for freshman admission;
and (4) approve changes to transfer admission requirements at OIT and SOU. A
recommended policy related to students admitted with second language admission
deficiencies was withdrawn.
Educational Costs Per Student Nancy Heiligman updated a previous report to the
Board on estimated costs per undergraduate student at OUS institutions. She
said that major cost drivers are the mix of programs and enrollments related to
the campus mission, and that costs are in part a function of the level of funding
available. Spending per student reflects constraints such as increasing
student-faculty ratios, greater reliance on part-time faculty, and relatively
low faculty compensation. Per student costs vary by campus and program, but
range from $8,435 to $11,811, with an average of $9,926. This includes direct
costs related to instruction, department administration, student services,
community costs, intercollegiate athletics and auxiliary services; and indirect
costs of overall administration, operations, maintenance and associated costs,
and student financial aid.
Review of Governor’s Recommended Budget Acting Chancellor of the OUS, George
Pernsteiner, reported on the 2005-2007 Governor’s Recommended Budget
(GRB) for higher education, which totals $685.4 million in General Fund for
operating, capital construction and debt service. While representing an
increase of 2.1% over the 2003-2005 budget, the GRB is 5% below the current
Essential Budget Level. Pernsteiner noted that the GRB maintains the current Systemwide
enrollment of more than 80,000 students; provides $545.5 million for
undergraduate and graduate instruction; and includes $1 million to support
recruiting and retaining top OUS faculty. The GRB will enable campuses to keep
tuition increases lower than in the last few years, at a level of 5-7% each
year on average across the System. Also included in the GRB is $2.2 million for
a data transfer process that supports student credit movement between Oregon
high schools and 2- and 4-year postsecondary institutions. Investments related
to economic development include $21.7 million to continue the state’s
goals of making engineering and technology education a strategic resource that
supports Oregon’s economy and largest industry sector. The GRB also
invests in the commercialization of the intellectual capital developed by the
campus research enterprises, facilitating creation of new companies, jobs and
market niches for the state.
A substantial investment of $300 million in campus deferred
maintenance and capital construction is included in the GRB, which begins to
address the $600 million backlog of campus deferred maintenance. The GRB
includes $17.2 million in General Fund, an increase of 50% over 2003-2005;
other funds come from self-supported projects by campuses and gift-funded
projects. Major projects include almost $71 million for capital repair and
deferred maintenance projects; a new OSU Power Plant ($55 million); and a
collaborative project between Southern Oregon University and Rogue Community
College to construct an educational building in Medford ($11.8 million).
Pernsteiner said that the capital construction projects are estimated to
generate more than 3,000 construction-related jobs across Oregon. The Board and
Presidents discussed the implications for students and campus programs if they
would need to take an additional 10% or higher cut to the GRB.
In
other action and discussion at yesterday’s and today’s meetings,
the Board:
n Accepted the 2004 OUS Annual Financial Report,
hearing a report from OUS Controller Michael Green, and from external auditors
from Moss Adams. OUS received a “Gold Star Certificate”
commendation for “Excellence in Financial Reporting” and
“Achieving Statewide Accounting Goals” from the State of Oregon
Controller’s Division.
n Approved temporary adoption of new rules related to
contract administration, specifically amendments to OAR 580-050-0001 through
580-050-0100, and 580-050-0350 and 580-050-360, related to OUS authority for
competitively procuring construction contracts and related services.
n Received a report on fund balance policies covering
Service Departments and Designated Operations.
n Received a report clarifying and updating the OUS
policy on inter-fund and interinstitutional loans.
n Adopted a bond resolution to achieve significant debt
savings of approximately $2.9 million, net of selling expenses, by refunding
certain outstanding series of bonds, and requiring the issuance of refunding
bonds.
n Authorized OUS to liquidate assets equal to the
current value of the Kenneth A. J. Mackenzie Memorial Fund and transfer those
assets from University of Oregon to Oregon Health and Science University.
n Heard reports from Gretchen Schuette, chair of the
Excellence in Delivery and Productivity Working Group, recognized the efforts
of faculty and other participants who worked hard to develop and approve the
Oregon Transfer Module. Kirby Dyess, chair of the Excellence in Delivery and
Productivity Working Group, reported on the work of the Group to further
identify and hone academic-economic development opportunity areas.
n Heard reports from the Provosts’ Council,
Interinstitutional Faculty Senate, and Oregon Student Association.