By Rich Bockmann
Among the bills the state Legislature passed before the end of its session is one allowing the City University of New York to increase tuition by up to $300 annually for the next five years.
Known as the rational tuition policy, the design of the plan was to eliminate erratic tuition increases so a student entering the university as a freshman knows what tuition will be when he or she graduates, according to state Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Whitestone), who sits on the Senate Higher Education Committee.
Tuition for New York state residents currently is $4,830 a year at CUNY’s four-year colleges and $3,300 at its community colleges. The state Tuition Assistance Program will continue to provide the same percentage of financial aid to New York state college students.
“The modest tuition increases implemented by the CUNY board of trustees are essential in order to allow Queensborough Community College to maintain its margin for excellence in the midst of a harsh economy,” QCC President Diane Call wrote in a statement.
“To me, that’s not modest,” Stavisky said. “The good part is that it avoids the spikes.”
“The middle class is who this hurts the most. The rich can afford to pay for college and those from low-income families get aid from the university,” the senator said.
“Because the tuition increases are incremental, students and their families can anticipate and plan for the costs of higher education. Moreover, Queensborough’s students are protected from exorbitant tuition hikes that would unquestionably force them to drop out of college,” Call wrote.
Stavisky said the bill’s maintenance of effort requirements prevent the state from tapping the funds allocated to CUNY and SUNY, unless the governor declares a state of emergency.
In other CUNY news, the board of trustees adopted new transfer policies last week that include a university-wide curriculum framework designed to ensure that courses successfully completed at one college will be accepted for credit at another.
The general education requirements every student needs to fulfill, regardless of major, now vary by campus from 39 to 63 credits, with an average of 51 credits. The new 42-credit general education framework consists of 30 core credits for all campuses and 12 credits designated by each campus with a baccalaureate program. The curriculum will be implemented in fall 2013.
“This is a considerable time- and cost-saving measure,” said Ellen Hartigan, QCC’s vice president for student affairs.
According to a university press release, some 10,000 undergraduates transferred from one CUNY campus to another last fall. The university credits this trend, in part, to a shift of remedial courses to community colleges and the financial impact of the recession.
Hartigan confirmed that over the last four or five years, enrollment at QCC has increased steadily.
The university’s Office of Institutional Research and Assessment estimates that in 2008-09, the 17,634 baccalaureate graduates averaged 130 credits — significantly higher than the required 120.
Rich Bockmann by e-mail at rbockmann@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4574.
