Students at the will pay 6-6.75 percent more in tuition each year over the next four years starting in the fall of 2013 under a plan approved Monday.
UConn's trustees took just minutes to unanimously after meeting behind closed doors for nearly one hour.
The rate for room and board would increase by 3 percent, making the overall cost of attending UConn rise by between 4.2 percent and 4.6 percent each year.
“No university president in the nation, and certainly no board of trustees ever wants to raise tuition,” UConn President Susan Herbst said.
Herbst said it was difficult to make up for “tens of millions of dollars” in state appropriation cuts, but said the cuts were necessary for Connecticut to balance its budget, and that “UConn had to help” in that.
“We can’t let the university slip because of budget cuts,” Herbst said.
“We need more faculty to educate our students better. …There’s no magic wand to wave to help us. We need to step up and do the right thing today,” she said.
According to figures published in the Hartford Courant, the increase means that tuition and fees for in-state students would increase by $620 to $11,290 in the first year and be about $13,350 at the start of the 2016-17 school year.
The official decision was handed down at a time when classes are not in session and most students are home for winter break.
Sam Tracy, UConn’s Undergraduate Student Government (USG) president, made note of the poor timing - by pointing out that he was the only student in the room - but said he fully supported the increase.
“I think I speak for every student when I say ‘We do need more faculty,’” Tracy said.
Tracy said that from his experience, most every student attending the university has had trouble getting into a class at one time or another.
“Hiring more faculty would allow more courses to be open and smaller class sizes which would lead to a better learning experience for everyone,” Tracy said.
The increased funds will be used to hire 290 professors to expand course offerings and help ensure students can take the courses they need to graduate on time.
The university has 18 students for every 1 teaching faculty member, according to data provided by the university, but additional faculty is expected to bring that ratio down to 15 to 1.
“Let’s do the best we can here at the University of Connecticut to protect the university that we have created together,” Herbst said.
10:58 a.m. Original Story:
Students at the will pay 6-6.75 percent more in tuition each year over the next four years starting in the fall of 2013 under a plan approved Monday.
UConn's trustees took just minutes to unanimously after meeting behind closed doors for nearly one hour.
The rate for room and board would increase by 3 percent, making the overall cost of attending UConn rise by between 4.2 percent and 4.6 percent each year.
According to figures published in the Hartford Courant, the increase means that tuition and fees for in-state students would increase by $620 to $11,290 in the first year and be about $13,350 at the start of the 2016-17 school year.
The increased funds will be used to hire 290 professors to expand course offerings and help ensure students can take the courses they need to graduate on time,
The university has 18 students for every 1 teaching faculty member, according to data provided by the university, but additional faculty is expected to bring that ratio down to 15 to 1.
