The UH Board of Regents approved an increase in student tuition and fees on Tuesday for the UH System, which will be effective for fiscal year 2008.
Tuition and fees for Fall 2007 will rise 6.9 percent to $3144 from $2942 for undergraduate students taking 12 hours, an increase of $202 from fiscal year 2007.
"One of the items on the legislative agenda is to retain the authority to set tuition rates," UH Associate Vice President of Administration and Finance Jim McShan said. "This continues to be a very contentious issue with the legislature."
The decision was made on a pre-determined sliding scale, meaning that tuition and fees at UH were not to rise above a 12.4 percent ceiling, allowing a maximum tuition hike of $365.
Tuition at UH-Victoria will increase 5.9 percent, UH-Clear Lake will witness a 6.2 percent rise and UH-Downtown will experience a 9.9 percent increase.
The Board also appointed McShan as interim Vice President of UH and Vice Chancellor of the UH System, a position that John Rudley held before becoming interim UH President and UH System Chancellor. The search continues to replace former president and chancellor Jay Gogue, who will become president of his alma mater, Auburn University, on July 16.
"I’m very happy and honored that Dr. Rudley and the Board of Regents have the confidence in me to appoint me in this important role," McShan said. "Hopefully my experience in working with Dr. Rudley and the University community will allow me to fill in effectively for Dr. Rudley."
The Board also approved an amendment to grant a lease for UH-Sugar Land so that the campus can expand and accommodate future construction, which will include a recreational center, among other facilities.
Regent Lynden B. Rose also said that falling enrollment at UH was a situation that needed closer monitoring to ensure that students have a quality education at an affordable price.
"We’ve got to watch this really carefully and pay attention to it and look at it because this may (become) more serious," Rose said.
The Board said that it hopes to keep the University competitive with other institutions, such as Texas Tech University and the University of Texas, which recruit Houston-area high school students. The Board also said that marketing the UH brand to prospective students both in and out of the city of Houston would help raise enrollment numbers.
Rose said that communication with students is important in order to inform the student population as to how the funds are used. Student fee forums were held in March, but had poor attendance.
"Anything that has to apply to this campus… usually has a way of reaching students via e-mail," Rose said.
UH Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost Donald Foss said that although marketing has helped attract more students, the focus of Academic Affairs has been to retain students rather than recruit, and that the University has gained many transfer students from the Houston Community College System.
The funds collected from tuition and fees will go to parking, student housing and scientific research, as well as hiring new faculty and staff.
The Texas Legislature approved an increase of funding to the education budget, giving an additional $92.5 million in statewide funds. At the national level, the Pell Grant will also receive additional funding to a maximum of $5,200 from $4,310 by 2013 to help students with the rising costs of higher education.
