Tuition on the rise for area colleges

By Cathy Spaulding
Phoenix Staff Writer

May 15, 2008 09:53 pm

— Students could expect to pay more than 9 percent more in tuition next semester at Northeastern State University and 4 percent more in tuition at Bacone College, while Connors State College considers its financial options.
“We have been thinking about the possibility of a tuition increase and developing different cost scenarios for next year,” said Connors Executive Vice President Jo Lynn Autry Digranes. “We’re looking at various increases, but we will not know how much until we get our financial figures from the state.”
Public institutions, including NSU and Connors, are to decide on their tuitions in June and present proposals to the Oklahoma Regents for Higher Education.
Regents communications director Ben Hardcastle said the Regents will notify colleges of their state allocations after the next Regents meeting May 23. Institutions use the information and present their tuition requests for the June 26 meeting, he said.
Tuition at NSU could go up 9.5 to 9.9 percent said NSU Public Relations Director Nancy Garber.
“Right now, we are maintaining pay scales and are at a standstill budget,” she said. “Everything in the budget will be the same as the year before.”
She said NSU faces rising costs of transportation, utilities and other mandatory expenses.
Officials at Connors are reviewing their expenses, looking at places where they could save money, said Sharon Owens, vice president for Fiscal Services.
“Transportation is one area as we face high gas prices,” she said.
Bacone College, a private college, will raise tuition by 4 percent, to $418 per credit hour, said Bacone Chief Financial Officer Cassie Doupe’. She said the Bacone board voted to raise tuition, but not fees.
Doupe’ said that, even with the tuition increase, Bacone is “half the cost of regional church affiliated schools.
“We’re always looking for ways to cut cost but still increase student services,” she said. “With the high cost of gas, we’ll be looking for little ways to pinch pennies.”
Reach Cathy Spaulding at 684-2928 or cspaulding @muskogeephoenix.com.