Board discusses comprehensive tuition
Trustees review flat fees, UCR changes; to decide at March meeting

Skiff Staff

Members of the TCU Board of Trustees set no official policy nor made changes to existing policy but spent most of their Friday meeting making plans.

During their first meeting of the year, the board discussed implementing a comprehensive tuition, reviewed the restructuring of the core curriculum requirements and heard updates on the projects initiated by the Commission on the Future of TCU.

One of the major issues addressed by the board was whether the university should change the way students are charged for tuition. Most private universities pay a flat semester rate, said Chancellor Michael Ferrari. Presently, students are charged for each semester hour. The new rate would be based on the price of 15 credit hours a semester, he said.

“It is my hope that students at TCU will see a normal, full load as 15 credit hours per semester as this is usually interpreted and understood throughout American private higher education,” he said.

Approximately half of current students take less than 15 hours, Ferrari said. This is not in concurrence with private university standards and may lead to students taking five years to graduate.

“Those graduating in four years get more quickly into their professional pursuits or graduate school,” Ferrari said. “The opportunity costs of foregoing grad school or the first year of employment when it takes five years to get the degree exacerbates the situation.”

Ferrari said if the policy is implemented in the future, it would affect incoming students. Those already enrolled would continue paying by credit hour, but they would have the option of paying a flat rate.

In fall 2000, 942 undergraduates took more than 15 credit hours, Ferrari said, and 37 were enrolled in 19 or more credit hours.

Board members will take a more in-depth look at restructuring tuition at their meeting in March. The board’s Academic Affairs Committee met Thursday with the Faculty Senate and the TCU administration to evaluate possible changes for the core curriculum.

“We are examining a revision of the curriculum to answer two questions,” said Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs William Koehler. “What outcomes do we expect as a result of a student’s completion of the ‘core,’ and how will we assess the extent to which a student has achieved the desired outcome?”

The meeting served as a forum to better educate board members on the curricular renewal process, Ferrari said.

“It may be that the suggested changes call for expanding the core,” Ferrari said. “It may call for the same ‘size’ core, but some substitutability of courses. It maybe even calls for a reduced core. It’s hard to predict at this moment what the result will be.”

These changes will likely affect financial and budgetary concerns for the university, Ferrari said.

“If, for example, there is a requirement for a study abroad experience for every student, this would relate to tuition as well as financial aid,” Ferrari said.

Koehler said the next phase of revising the UCR is expected to be finished by the end of this academic year. The board will assess progress of the revision at its March meeting.In other business, the board heard a final report finished by the commission late last semester, which included plans to immediately begin a $30 million project to upgrade classrooms, studios and laboratories.

The board also heard progress reports from the commission about the William E. and Jean Jones Tucker Technology Center and a new recreation center. The final report presented to the board was a compilation of recommendations from around 500 people, said Larry Lauer, vice chancellor for marketing and communication and director for the commission.

“We’re starting with the classrooms, technology and the recreation center,” he said. “The suggestions did add up to what we wanted to do and the order we wanted to do it.”

Skiff Staff
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