News

Tuition increase for fall ‘08 proposed to district board

By Stephen Floyd

An increase in tuition at Mt. Hood Community College is likely, according to feedback from the MHCC District Board Wednesday night.

The proposed increase, presented to the board by Chief Operations Officer Mike Wolfe, would charge students $3 more per credit in fall 2008, $2 more in fall 2009 and $1 more in fall 2010, estimating a 1 percent increase in enrollment each year.

“If we continue as we have in the past, our expenditures will exceed our revenues,” said Wolfe, adding that the difference between the two has gone from $5 million in 2003 to an estimated $1.3 million for 2008. “There is an increased pressure to increase tuition.”

Much of the pressure, Wolfe said, is coming from deferred maintenance needs, such as upgrades to buildings on campus and improved access to technology in classrooms, saying MHCC would need to spend about $2 million just on equipment upgrades to bring the campus up to internal standards.

“We want to stay abreast of technology advances and that market moves very fast,” said Wolfe.

Board member Beverly Russell said that while she does not like increases in tuition, she is also in support of having a technologically up-to-date campus.

“If we have outdated equipment, no one is going to want to come here,” she said.

The reaction of board member Rod Monroe was quite different. “It’s unfortunate we’re even talking about it,” said Monroe, saying that community colleges are “the education of last resort,” and that affordability is a necessity to keep enrollment from dropping. “I’d like to ask our administration, ‘If tuition was not increased, what would it hurt?’ ”

Board member Dave Shields agreed that a tuition increase could negatively affect enrollment, citing a decrease last time tuition was raised.

“The assumption is there is going to be a growth,” said Shields. “It’s kind of a craps game.”

As an alternative to a sharp increase of $3 per credit, board member Bob Morris suggested a system of frozen tuition rates. The system he proposed would use gradual increases each year for new and part-time students, but the increases would not apply to the students who are full-time and performed well in classes.

Such a system is called a “tuition promise,” according to student senator Jonathan Farmer, who spoke to the board Wednesday night in support of the system, one he said has worked well at Western Oregon University.

“For (WOU) it’s been a really great tool,” said Farmer, saying the system has had a positive effect on enrollment. “The tuition promise is the best of both worlds.”

Board member Brian Freeman said any system that provided consistency for students should be favored, universally applicable or otherwise.

“There ought to be some predictability that students have,” said Freeman.

Board Chair Duke Shepard said members of the board should be ready to take action on the issue in their April meeting. Those with concerns and input are encouraged to channel feedback through Shepard at 503-408-1601 or at dukeshepard@hotmail.com.