BY DANA DiFILIPPO
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Technology and teachers' salaries are bumping up tuition at Tristate universities, forcing students to shoulder more of higher education's costs, a national education official said Tuesday.
TRISTATE NUMBERS
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Tuition is climbing faster than the rate of inflation at many Tristate colleges and universities. Figures listed are for annual, in-state, undergraduate tuition and fees.
| School | Current tuition | 98-99 tuition | Percentage change |
| Cincinnati State** | $3,438 | no increase | 0% |
| Mount St. Joseph | $11,900 | $12,500 | 5% |
| Miami U.* | $5,406 | $5,676 | 5% |
| Northern Kentucky | $2,120 | $2,220 | 4.7% |
| Thomas More | $10,980 | $11,570 | 5.4% |
| Univ of Cincinnati* | $4,509 | $4,743 | 5.2% |
| Wilmington College | $12,300 | $12,792 | 4% |
| Xavier | $13,650 | $14,400 | 5.5% |
| Xavier | $13,650 | $14,400 | 5.5% |
| Natl. avg. public | $3,111 | | |
| Natl. avg. private | $13,664 | | |
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*Projected tuition increases; trustees haven't yet approved budgets. **Annual cost for an average associate's degree.
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Source: College public relations departments |
Miami University and the University of Cincinnati are expected to approve tuition increases of more than 5 percent at meetings later this month, and many area colleges already have approved increases of up to 6 percent, the state cap in Ohio.
"All institutions are facing rising costs, and many of those costs, unfortunately, are being shifted to students," said Tim McDonough, spokesman of the Washington, D.C.-based American Council on Education.
College administrators often blame tuition increases on shrinking state support as lawmakers shift money to health care, prisons and other growing needs.
That blame is correctly assigned in many cases, said Matthew Filipic, Ohio Board of Regents' vice chancellor for administration. Two decades ago, state subsidies covered two thirds of colleges' costs and students paid the rest, he said. Today, students and states halve the cost.
But technology is the biggest culprit of soaring tuition as administrators hurry to wire their campuses, replace outdated software and computers and prepare for the Year 2000, Mr. McDonough said.
"Universities' educational mission is to advance knowledge, and that is an expensive enterprise, especially considering the rising cost of technology," Mr. McDonough said.
The College of Mount St. Joseph and Wilmington College both blame technological initiatives for their increases. At Miami University, the tuition boost will help pay for the $11 million administrative information systems project, or solving the Year 2000 computer problem and implementing other computer improvements. Colleges also must keep faculty salaries competitive to retain quality professors and thereby attract quality students, Mr. Filipic said. Most Tristate colleges include faculty raises in their 1998-99 budgets.
Faculty salaries increased an average of 3.4 percent last year, according to the American Association of University Professors. The consumer price index through April put the annualized inflation rate at 0.9 percent.
Changing demographics also affect tuition.
Today's college-bound students need more counseling and remediation than past generations, driving up colleges' costs, Mr. McDonough said. A growing population of returning adult students also has proven expensive, as they demand weekend and night courses and more convenient locations.
Uncertain state finances also have some Ohio administrators playing it safe.
Miami University trustees were considering raising tuition about 5 percent for students on the Oxford campus. But spokeswoman Holly Wissing said last month's defeat of Issue 2 -- a sales tax for primary and secondary education -- may mean a bigger increase when a decision is made June 19.
This year, tuition and general fees for the Oxford campus totaled $5,406. Campuses at Hamilton and Middletown charged $3,072 for students enrolled in courses offered in the first two years of study. Upper-level courses cost more.
The Hamilton and Middletown campuses are considering a 3 percent increase for 1998-99, Ms. Wissing said Tuesday.
Some fear higher tuition may scare off students.
In Ohio, only 40 percent of Ohio's adults completed some college, compared with 45 percent nationally, Mr. Filipic said.
"Our greatest concern for the future of the state is the people who are not making that investment in their future," Mr. Filipic said.
But statistics show that tuition increases are slowing.
Tuition climbed between 12 percent and 14 percent annually in the 1980s; it now rises about 5 percent nationally, Mr. McDonough said. Other nearby national universities show similarly sized tuition increases: Indiana University tuition will rise 4 percent to $1,813 annually, and Ohio State University's will rise 6 percent to $3,879 a year.
Ohio has the ninth-highest public tuition.
The American Council of Education, plans to launch an awareness campaign this fall to educate the public about financial aid availability and colleges' efforts to contain costs.
"People tend to overestimate the cost of college and underestimate the aid available," he said. "But there's a market at work here, and that makes budget decisions very crucial on campus. If colleges aren't affordable, they lose students. Administrators know that." Miami President James C. Garland agreed.
"Miami is nationally recognized as a best buy, but we want to guarantee that the most talented students continue to enroll here."
Randy McNutt contributed to this report.
