University of Wisconsin students could be shelling out $700 more per semester for a College of Engineering degree if a differential tuition plan proposed Sunday night is approved.
If passed by the UW Board of Regents in April, the tuition hike would be phased in over three years, according to Steve Cramer, associate dean of academic affairs for the College of Engineering.
The plan would raise tuition for the College of Engineering by $300 per semester this fall, followed by an additional $200 per semester increase in fall 2008 and another additional $200 per semester increase in fall 2009.
According to a PowerPoint presentation that College of Engineering Dean Paul Peercy showed engineering student leaders Sunday night and later released to The Badger Herald, half of the funds raised by the tuition increase would be allocated to new faculty. Another 20 percent would be allocated to shop and undergraduate labs, 15 percent to student services and 15 percent to new programs and curricula innovations.
"There's really two events driving this — one is the continual decline in state support, which has become a steeper decline the past couple of years," Cramer said. "The other is making our engineering students globally competitive."
In his presentation, Peercy said state support has consistently decreased 1.5 percent per year over the past 30 years — from $430 million to $268 million.
Craig MacKenzie, chair of the College of Engineering tuition student committee, said the proposal is due to the increased competition among Big Ten universities.
"The programs with more money will be able to offer more resources. The University of Michigan tuition is more than double ours," MacKenzie said. "It really comes down to at least maintaining the value of the degree — we're already doing what we can, but we can't compete with the other schools for much longer."
However, Andy Severance, vice president of the Triangle Fraternity — a College of Engineering professional and social organization — said he is concerned the $700 increase will balloon with the rising costs of the overall university.
According to Severance, Peercy said at the meeting that the $700 increase could rise if general tuition at the university goes up.
"They point to the Big Ten schools, but this is UW-Madison — let's do what's right," Severance added.
MacKenzie said the face of an engineering degree has changed radically over the past 10 years, leaving professors unable to attempt new teaching methods since their funding restricts them.
Severance, on the other hand, said he has not witnessed a need for a tuition increase.
"I have not been convinced that it's necessary," Severance said. "The committee and the dean have said that there are things lacking in the College of Engineering — labs aren't open enough, decrease in faculty, we don't have the equipment — I haven't seen the problem. I haven't seen the shortfalls. I don't see a problem with the quality of my education."
Polygon, the College of Engineering student government body, will vote on the proposal at its general meeting April 11, which is open to the public.
However, according to MacKenzie, the final decision is in the hands of the regents.
Cramer said students would have an opportunity to learn more about the proposal at a listening session tonight. The session begins at 5 p.m. in Room 1025 of the Engineering Centers Building.
