Tuition changing for future students
To keep enrollment competitive, Eastern’s Board of Trustees voted to change tuition rates for prospective students from border states Nov. 19.
Students from Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri and Wisconsin will now pay the in-state tuition rate.
Previously, Eastern assessed undergraduates from any state the in-state rate only if they met Honors College admissions standards, which will continue.
“We’ve noted universities extending reduced rates to lure Illinois students out-of-state for several years,” Brenda Major, the director of admissions, told the Daily Eastern News on Nov. 19. “Illinois is the second highest exporter of students, due in large part to our dire financial condition. Tuition costs for the state universities in Illinois have been forced to increase as state support has diminished.”
Blair Lord, the provost and vice president for academic affairs, said this was a way to keep up with the competitive pressures from contiguous states when appealing to potential undergraduate students.
“Enrollment is down; that’s the reality of the situation,” he said.
Eastern’s total enrollment for Fall 2010 is at 11,630; down from 11,966 at this time last year. The current enrollment from the five bordering states includes Indiana, 45; Iowa, seven; Kentucky, seven; Missouri, 26; and Wisconsin, 18.
The change will take affect in Fall 2011.
President Perry and the board also allowed members of Eastern’s chapter of University Professionals of Illinois to speak on the matter of the ongoing negotiations at the meeting.
English professor John Allison, UPI/EIU chapter president, spoke to the board on the need to come to a contract agreement.”The fact is, the end result (of the negotiations) affects the lives of real people, of individuals,” he said.
English professor Fern Kory, chair of UPI/EIU’s contract campaign committee, shared a similar sentiment, noting her frustration during the prolonged negotiation process.
“I’m treated by the administration like part of the problem rather than the solution,” she said. “We need to look at the big picture.”
The administration and the UPI/EIU negotiation team will meet with a federal mediator today to work towards a contract agreement.
Shelley Holmgren can be reached at 581-7942
Tuition changing for future students
Robert Webb, vice chairperson for the Board of Trustees, from Mattoon, talks during the Board of Trustees meeting Friday, Nov. 19 in the Grand Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union. (Jordan Boner
