04/04/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 04/04/2024 14:37
PLATTEVILLE, Wis. - The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents voted today to approve a 3.75 percent increase in tuition for resident undergraduates during the 2024-25 academic year, a rate similar to recent inflation.
The new tuition rates increase tuition for the second straight year after 10 years of a tuition freeze.
The total proposed average cost of attendance for resident undergraduates will increase approximately 3.8 percent when room and board costs are considered.
The approved proposal also provides for increases to graduate tuition and nonresident undergraduate tuition. These rate increases vary by university, but in every instance, the dollar amount of these increases charged to nonresidents is equal to or greater than the amount assessed to Wisconsin resident students.
UWs President Jay Rothman announced last week that he has asked for an updated affordability review that will be available this fall. The 2022 review found that compared to peers, Wisconsin's public universities were the most affordable in the Midwest.
"Our universities are facing challenging economic realities, and students and parents should know that we plan to be good financial stewards," Rothman said. "Maintaining our affordability advantage, especially compared to our peers, is a priority because we want more students to get access to the unlimited opportunities our universities provide."
Segregated fees will increase on average $74 per year. Seven universities are proposing an increase on top of the 3.75 percent to fund specific needs such as academic advising, financial aid, and faculty hiring in high-demand programs.
In addition to the base tuition adjustment, most of the universities propose an increase to program-specific tuition in one or more fields of study. This revenue helps to offset the expenses of certain high-cost programs, maintain their high quality, and expand their capacity to graduate more students into these high-demand fields to help meet Wisconsin's workforce needs.
Rothman said the tuition and fees are being announced now so that students and parents have adequate time to plan. He also encouraged students to file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form to see if they are eligible for financial aid.
Regent Ashok Rai, chair of the Business & Finance Committee that recommended approval of the proposed new tuition and fees rates earlier in the day, reported that the committee believes this is a reasonable and responsible proposal.
"It is important to all of us that a UW education continues to be affordable, and by no means does this proposal place the entire burden for any fiscal challenges on the backs of our students," Rai said. "As we all know, the universities have and will continue to aggressively control the expense side of their operations as they eliminate any structural deficits and position themselves for the long-term to be as strong and resilient financially as they always have been academically."
Rai said that the 3.8% average increase in cost of attendance for resident students is in line with recent levels of inflation, which continue to reduce purchasing power at the universities for goods and services necessary to meet the needs of students.
He further noted that in addition to those increased costs, the pay plan enacted in the state budget adds additional expenses to the universities. While these compensation adjustments are laudable and necessary to recruit and retain the high-quality faculty and staff who serve students, the state provides funding for only 70% of that cost, exerting additional financial pressure on campus budgets at a time when the institutions' tuition balances continue to decrease, as they will even with this additional revenue.
Regent Kyle Weatherly urged the Board to also consider additional costs that students face - such as campus technology charges - that are not under the purview of the Board but are part of the cost of attendance.
Host campus presentation: "Pioneers Forward Together"
Underscoring UW-Platteville's 150-plus year history as an educational leader in Southwest Wisconsin, Chancellor Tammy Evetovich reiterated the university's role in enriching the region, while providing a critical access point to education for generations of families.
What it means to be a regional comprehensive university in a rural area can be hard to define, she said. "We occupy a unique space in the middle. We are a teaching-focused, broad-access institution that places value on student support, very strong career outcomes, and a solid foundation in the liberal arts. Defining our identity, as a regional comprehensive university, can sometimes be challenging because we mean different things to different people. We adapt to our students' needs. We meet them where they are.
We pride ourselves on helping our students find their place."
To provide insight into the diverse experiences that shape the educational journey at UW-Platteville, Chancellor Evetovich invited several students and alumni to share their individual stories - from enrollment through graduation, and beyond - all highlighting how UW-Platteville's focus on access, support, and fostering of high-impact, meaningful opportunities for engagement, have led them to success.
Chancellor Evetovich reaffirmed the university's commitment to being responsive to new students' needs as they arise, adapting to the changing workforce needs, keeping costs low for students, and ensuring a high return on their investment into the future.
Regent President's Report
In her regular report to the Board, Regent President Karen Walsh told Regents the latest Regents Business Partnership Awards had been presented last month to UW-Stout and Phillips-Medisize.
Founded 60 years ago in Phillips, Wis., Phillips-Medisize has become a global leader in the design, engineering, and manufacturing of pharmaceutical drug delivery. It has partnered with UW-Stout across many disciplines and in many ways, from collaborating with faculty on curriculum development to being a member of Stout's Career Services Partnership Program.
Over the last decade, Phillips-Medisize has hired 66 Stout students as interns, and over the past 20 years has hired more than 120 Stout graduates as full-time employees.
Walsh then congratulated several UW athletics programs for their recent successes in national competitions. She noted that the UW-River Falls women's hockey team claimed its first-ever Division III national championship, as it closed its 25th anniversary season undefeated. She also congratulated the UW-Madison women's hockey team for finishing second overall, as it sought to defend its national title.
In other sports, the UW Oshkosh women's gymnastics team won the Division III national gymnastics title for the third straight year - with UW-Whitewater and UW-La Crosse taking second and third, and UW-Stout placing fifth. Finally, turning to indoor track & field, the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) completely ruled the day at the men's Division III national championships. UW-La Crosse claimed its second straight national title, followed by UW-Eau Claire, UW Oshkosh, and UW-Whitewater for a WIAC sweep.
Walsh closed by offering early congratulations to the approximately 23,000 students who will receive diplomas from the Universities of Wisconsin in coming weeks.
"It's a recognition of tremendous dedication and hard work, and our graduates - and their families - should be very proud," she said. "I know we are."
Universities of Wisconsin President's Report
President Rothman opened his report by telling Regents that the Universities of Wisconsin have just launched a new and more student-focused website at wisconsin.edu.
"This is one piece of our ongoing advocacy and awareness campaign - which you'll be seeing and hearing about more in the coming weeks and months - to highlight the Universities of Wisconsin, each with their unique and diverse programs and opportunities, but also united by shared values of excellence and service," he said. "We think this is brand equity we can and should be building in the state."
Turning to student enrollment initiatives, Rothman pointed to the Dual Enrollment Taskforce report earlier in the day and the Direct Admissions program scheduled to start this summer, as well as The Wisconsin Guarantee announced last month.
"All of these initiatives are consistent with our strategic plan goals of increasing enrollment and the participation rate in Wisconsin so that we are positioned to graduate the workforce needed by our state," Rothman said.
Under the umbrella of supporting student success, Rothman highlighted several initiatives. The Student Success Retention Plan will use data to identify the root causes of retention and graduation gaps for historically underserved students, and then use the data to work with universities to develop campus-specific action plans.
He also noted the new report on the Student Behavioral Health Initiative, which provides an overview of its first five years. "It is clear that universities need sustainable investment in the foundation campus services that students increasingly rely on," Rothman said.
Rothman told Regents that the UWs have recently signed an MOU with Lawyers for Learners to bring free legal help and services to students at all 13 UW universities. The service is supported by Ascendium Education Group, based in Madison, and a network of Wisconsin legal aid organizations.
"Legal issues can impede students' ability to attend or succeed at school or obtain employment," he said. "Offering this resource to our students has the potential to positively impact student success, retention, and completion."
In the context of serving students, Rothman said the recent decision to close the UW-Milwaukee at Waukesha branch campus "is not something we want to do, but rather it is something we must do." He told Regents that the changes being made - including working with Waukesha County Technical College to maintain access for students - are intended to ensure future students continue to have quality higher education opportunities in Wisconsin while also ensuring long-term success for UW-Milwaukee.
Finally, noting that a priority identified in the strategic plan is to ensure the Universities of Wisconsin remain competitive with their peers, Rothman said the UWs are seeking approval of pay plan adjustments for chancellors in alignment with the adjustments received earlier by faculty and staff.
Rothman said another area where the UWs can and should take significant action is to offer paid parental leave for all UW employees. "This is a positive step to ensure the UWs remain competitive because retaining talent is critical and much preferable to entering the market to attract new talent," he said.
Education Committee
The Education Committee voted to approved to continue the UWs' test-optional admissions process in Regent Policy 7-3, "UW System Freshman Admissions Policy."
Since initially implemented in 1989, the required use of test scores in admission had not been substantively modified until the COVID-19 crisis in early 2020. At that time, the Board approved suspending the ACT/SAT requirements on a temporary basis initially in response to the inability of applicants to take the ACT or SAT and submit scores during the crisis. The suspension was expanded to include UW-Madison in July of 2020, further extended to include 2022-23 applicants, and extended again through 2024-25 to allow time to research and understand the impact of the suspension for Universities of Wisconsin and within the national context.
With the benefit of this initial research, the Board now approved all UW universities, including UW-Madison, to continue to use test optional admissions through Summer 2027. Students will continue to be evaluated based on other required application materials submitted as required by Regent Policy 7-3.
In other business, the Education Committee:
Business & Finance Committee
The Chief Human Resource Officers for both UW Administration and UW-Madison presented draft policies on paid parental leave for UW employees, which under Regent policy are required to be reviewed by the Board prior to implementation.
The policies would provide six weeks of paid parental leave within a 12-month period for the birth or adoption of a child, which is a benefit similar to that provided by many peer institutions with whom UW campuses compete for employees. These policies will be released to governance groups for their comments and questions, with an anticipated implementation date of July 1, 2024.
In other business, the Business & Finance Committee:
Capital Planning and Budget Committee
Host campus UW-Platteville presented "Pioneer Blueprint: A Vision to Support Collaboration for the Pioneers of Today and Tomorrow." The presentation shared how its built environment is supporting current curricular and workforce needs while leveraging collaborative partnerships with neighboring Universities of Wisconsin institutions and industry partners. The presentation also highlighted how the campus' master plan will respond to workforce needs and support statewide centers of excellence to build a stronger Wisconsin and tri-state economy.
In other business, the Capital Planning & Budget Committee:
Audit Committee
Chief Audit Executive Lori Stortz offered Regents in the Audit Committee an overview of the Institute of Internal Auditors' (IIA) new Global Internal Audit Standards (Standards), and more specifically the enhanced role of the board in the new Standards.
Stortz said the Standards begin with the purpose of internal auditing: "Internal auditing strengthens the organization's ability to create, protect, and sustain value by providing the board and management with independent, risk-based, and objective assurance, advice, insight, and foresight."
The new Standards consist of five domains, and Domain III relates to governing the internal audit function. Some new essential conditions noted for the board in Domain III include: (1) "Champion the internal audit function to enable it to fulfill the Purpose of Internal Auditing and pursue its strategy and objectives;" (2) "Review the requirements necessary for the chief audit executive to manage the internal audit function; (3) "Approve the chief audit executive's roles and responsibilities and identify the necessary qualifications, experience, and competencies to carry out these roles and responsibilities;" and (4) "Engage with senior management to appoint a chief audit executive with the qualifications and competencies necessary to manage the internal audit function effectively and ensure the quality performance of internal audit services."
In other business, the Audit Committee:
The Board of Regents will resume its meeting at 8 a.m., April 5, 2024, at UW-Platteville.