Tuition will increase next year, Rao says

Update: This story is updated from a previous version that incorrectly stated that VCU President Michael Rao said that tuition rates would not increase next year.

Katelyn Boone
Staff Writer

Tuition will increase for the 2013-14 school year, university President Michael Rao said in an address to student leaders on Tuesday. He noted that tuition rates can’t stay the same forever but there’s no way to know yet just how much rates will increase next year.

“It’s unrealistic for any institution to not raise tuition,” Rao said.

The forum gathered student leaders from the MCV and Monroe Park campus and a number of deans and provosts. Rao focused on his plans for the university and how he’s trying to work around raising tuition while keeping VCU academically competitive.

Rao pointed out that while tuition would probably not change dramatically next year, operational costs inevitably increase every year. In a November budget forum, Vice President for Finance and Administration David Hanson predicted a 5.5 percent tuition increase for in-state students. Ultimately, it is the university’s Board of Visitors that votes on whether tuition will go up.

The VCU budget offered by the Office of the President says that the 3.8 percent tuition increase last year was “funding to address unavoidable costs such as increases in personnel, fringe benefits, costs to meet current enrollment in core course offerings, increased costs in utilities and for the operation and maintenance of new buildings coming on line in the next year, increased costs in library periodicals and licenses, and increases in the costs associated with compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.”

Rao spoke at length about a number of goals from the university’s strategic plan, the Quest For Distinction. Rao said he wants to increase the value of a VCU degree and that one of his major goals is for VCU to become one of the top 50 public research universities in the nation. He also emphasized that it is VCU’s goal to recruit and retain the best faculty available, and any new funds would more than likely be allocated back to the students through faculty.

“Some faculty members have had no salary increase in the past six years,” Rao said. “Their contribution helps the university in positive ways. We want to treat them the same as they would be treated elsewhere.”

The VCU budget update from the Office of the President says that the number of full-time teaching faculty has declined from 88 per 1,000 students to 68 per 1,000 over the past 10 years.

Rao said he is committed to building the reputation of the school with a strong supporting staff without unnecessarily raising the cost of tuition and that he has been spending a lot of his time fundraising this past year. In 2012 the university raised $100 million according to Rao, and he wants to continue to increase donations and further build the endowment.

After informally presenting this information to the students, Rao opened the floor for an open question-and-answer session, noting that the administration views student feedback as an important factor in decision-making.

“We take your advice seriously, even though we don’t get a lot of it,” he said. “It is critical for (students and faculty) to be with me on supporting this university – not only now but in the long run.”

Students asked questions concerning a range of topics, including the future of housing developments of VCU and a desire for more interdisciplinary classes like those offered at VCU’s da Vinci Center.

On housing, Rao said he has a vision of mixed-use property combining student housing with street-level retail space.

He noted that it’s clear students are interested in interdisciplinary courses, but more feedback was necessary to get such courses off the ground.

“If you have an interest, give someone a call. I’ve heard (interest in interdisciplinary learning) so many times at VCU, that at this point it’s more than anecdotal,” Rao said. He added that he has hopes for an online class that would give a students a taste of the da Vinci Center experience.

Tina Lowe, a second-year pharmacy student, admired Rao’s willingness to be candid and direct with the community.

“I thought Rao did a good job answering everyone’s questions, admitting when he didn’t have an exact answer and not brushing anything off,” Lowe said.

Yvette Pate, a junior studying business and international relations, noted that this kind of forum is as important for students as it is for the faculty.

“If you’re involved, then (faculty and staff) will be engaged as well. It’s your education, and they want to help,” Pate said.