Presidents of the University of Arizona, Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University are releasing their tuition and fee recommendations tomorrow. Gov. Doug Ducey took a big, fat bite of about $99 million from their funding (while giving corporations more tax breaks and private prisons more money), so increases are inevitable.
The UA has to absorb nearly $28 million of the cuts.
For lack of state money, the UA has increased tuition and fees by nearly 188 percent in the past 10 years. The only ones exempt from the burden this time are freshmen who came to the UA last fall. The Arizona Board of Regents approved a tuition freeze last year for eight consecutive semesters. In exchange, these incoming freshmen had to pay 5.4 percent more than other students. Their tuition is about $10,900 a year.
Earlier this year, ABOR said they hoped consequences of the massive budget cuts wouldn’t end up on the shoulders of students and their families. While the tuition increase is understandable—this state doesn’t value the importance of education—there are other issues in the UA, such as where the money is spent and the lack of transparency from the administration, according to leaders of some student organizations such as the Graduate and Professional Student Council and the Social and Behavioral Sciences Organizing Committee.
The Service Employees International Union, a group that wants to help improve the quality of academic jobs, said that only about 25 percent of the UA’s budget expenditures go toward instruction. Tuition increase after tuition increase, students want to know exactly where their money is ending up. Undergraduate and graduate students want a say in all of this. After all, their pockets are the ones affected the most, not those of the people with the higher up administrative positions.
On April 20, ABOR is having an interactive hearing at eight university campuses throughout the state to hear students and the public speak their minds on these tuition proposals. The three universities will present their proposals to the regents in person on April 27.
ABOR is expected to set tuition and fees on May 4.
Stay tuned.
This article appears in Apr 9-15, 2015.
How about we educate more, imprison less. Just a thought.
500,000 salary for the Dean of U of Az.
500k for a qualified Dean is not out of line, indeed it is low. He is effectively the CEO of the U of A and responsible for running a huge organization. Individuals truly capable of leading a large university or company are few and thus the salary reflects the scarcity of qualified individuals. Good CEOs save their universities/companies far more than they earn. I work with CEOs that earn 10 to 100 times what the Dean of the U of A earns.
This is not to be taken as an approval of how the U of A is managed, as I don’t have a clue. I am an ASU (Arizona State Collage at the time) grad, so I pay much more attention to it. I must say, what I see in general at ASU is good, from a management perspective.
Over 800,000 for Crow at ASU. His wife even gets $125K as an “advisor”.
No Dean at a PUBLIC College should make more than the POTUS.
I assume you by “POTUS” mean the President of the Unites States. I must disagree with you inasmuch as the current occupant of the White House is incredibly overpaid for his skill set (0) (personal opinion). And too, lets not forget the many millions of $ in perks the tax payers bestow on the office or President, which you and I would be required to claim their fair value as taxable income. To be sure these are justified, but nonetheless they are essentially tax free for him, as well as those before and after.
High skill levels demand high compensation, as so easily in the sports and entertainment world. The market is the driving force. Those who bring true value deserve and receive a commensurate salary.
The same is true in the world of exceptional University Deans, highly qualified CEOs and successful fund managers. I have absolutely no problem with those who bring true vale to their institutions, companies or clients substantial sums – even millions per year. The market rules, as it should and real talent is rewarded. We are not all created equal and, in general our compensation reflects the value of our personal contribution, be it chosen of a matter of circumstances.
Yes, I am a part of the much misunderstood and unfairly maligned 1%, but it took many years, much sacrifice and untold hours of work to get here, though it was never a goal. Even yet at 80, a 40 hour week is indeed a rarity and decisions I make are very often very forward looking and tens of hours are spent in gaining and understanding of the ramifications for the company and equally important the employees welfare, the betterment of the country and society as a whole, before a decision is taken. Given I do most of my work abroad there are also a number of personal risk involved. I believe that most all of use earn based on ability in our current position, performance and capabilities; albeit there are exception in both directions.
How about we charge the President of the U of A for her overly expensive unnecessary remodel of her office? When they stop this idiocy and then demand tuition increases we have a problem from the top.
And any tuition increase should be clearly labeled as the Ducey Tax. Maybe more of them kids will vote in the next election.
I find it rather ironic UA tuition has increased 188 percent in the last ten years while article 11 section 6 of the Arizona State Constitution clearly states ” The university and all other state educational institutions shall be open to students of both sexes, and the instruction furnished shall be as nearly free as possible”.
$10,000.00 tuition and 188 percent increase over ten years isn’t exactly constitutional is it?