The BOG gave the green light to tuition increases at Appalachian State University, N.C. Agricultural & Technical State University, N.C. Central University, UNC-Asheville, UNC-Greensboro and UNC-Pembroke.
The board also approved a request to increase tuition for various graduate and professional programs at UNC-Chapel Hill, specifically excluding currently enrolled medical and dental students from any increase.
Only a slight dispute arose among board members as to the necessity of the six campuswide increases. But most seemed to agree that the frequency with which the BOG has approved campus-initiated tuition requests proves that flaws exist in the board's tuition-setting policy, adopted in November 1998.
"It made sense conceptually, and now we see what happens practically," said UNC-system President Molly Broad. "I think (the board) cares very sincerely about reassessing the policy."
The BOG plans to begin its re-evaluation at an April workshop. Board members declined to speculate on what changes the BOG would consider.
The six increases, which will largely fund faculty salaries and financial aid aimed at offsetting the increased cost, raise the total number of UNC institutions that have been granted campus-initiated tuition increases in the past two years to 11.
In February 2000, the BOG approved campus-initiated tuition requests at five other system schools, including UNC-Chapel HIll.
The board's tuition-setting policy, besides providing a framework for handling systemwide inflationary tuition increases, states that campus-initiated tuition requests only be allowed under extraordinary circumstances.
Andrew Payne, the BOG's lone student representative, was one of three board members to speak out against the six increases prior to their nearly unanimous approval. Payne said during the meeting that BOG members were inappropriately allowing tuition increases simply because the proposals had faced no substantial opposition on the campus level.
