CRESTVIEW HILLS — Thomas More College announced Monday it will increase tuition 7.58 percent for the 2002-03 academic year to $7,100 per semester.

        “We have held the increase to a minimum by practicing stringent economics and by anticipating increased help from foundations and donors,” said Thomas More president E. Joseph Lee II.

        The increase is the second over a three-year period. The Board of Trustees did not increase tuition in the 2000-01 academic year, but bumped it 7.3 percent for 2001-02.

        Tough economic times and decreased state support have caused area colleges and universities to pass tuition hikes. And projections for about 40 fewer students this fall compared to fall 2001 will make things even tougher for Thomas More.

        But at this private, Catholic liberal arts college of 1,500 students, there is much at stake.

        Maintaining a balanced budget is on a list of criteria the school must meet to keep its accreditation from the College Commission of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

        School officials offered early retirement packages and eliminated 11 non-faculty positions to ensure a balanced budget for the 2001-02 academic year.

        And the increased tuition is an effort to keep the school's 2002-03 finances in the black, said Paul Ransdell, Thomas More's vice president for institutional advancement.

        “If we are to provide our students with a Thomas More education — a quality curriculum, small classes, well-trained faculty and superior facilities — this tuition raise was vitally necessary,” Dr. Lee said.

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