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Tuition Could Rise Again at Tennessee Universities Next Year

Credit: University of Memphis via Facebook

The cost of tuition at Tennessee’s public universities could rise again as the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) reviews the topic in a meeting slated for next week. 

Commission staff said the state’s university system needs $75 million in new funds each year going forward. Most of the new funds — $40 million — will fund operations. The other portion — $35 million — will go to a 2.5 percent increase in raises for university staff. That figure is indexed to the state’s salary increases. 

THEC gets about $1.5 billion from the state each year. The system will will ask for those new funds in next year’s state budget. 

But the system’s total budget is about $3.3 billion. State schools get 57 percent of their money from student tuition and fees at universities. Tennessee community colleges get 40 percent from them and colleges of applied technology get 33 percent, according to THEC. 

To cover revenues here, THEC staff will suggest commission members consider a tuition and fee increase between 0-5 percent for the next school year.  

With a 1-percent increase suggested for next year, tuition at the school would increase by $107 to $10,835. Tuition and fees at the University of Memphis (U of M) have risen 8.1 percent over the last five years. Tuition and fees now cost students $10,728 at U of M. That’s up from $9,924 in the 2019-2020 school year. 

Tuition at Tennessee Technological University (TTU) increased 22 percent over the last five years, the largest of any THEC school. University of Tennessee Chattanooga (UTC) has raised tuition by nearly 13 percent in that time. 

Tuition at University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UT) remains the highest in the THEC schools at $13,812.

The THEC will meet on Thursday to review a change to the tuition increase range. They’ll likely set concrete rates in a future meeting.     

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Groups Call for a Living Wage for All U of M Workers

CREDIT: Maya Smith

Maya Smith

Students demand living wage for all campus workers

Students protested at the University of Memphis Friday, asking for a living wage for all campus workers and an overall more equitable campus.

The Memphis Young Democratic Socialists (901YDS), comprised of U of M students, staff, and alumni, helped organize Friday’s event.

The protest comes a day after U of M president M. David Rudd announced he would not be accepting a near $100,000 salary increase. Rudd currently earns a base salary of $394,075, according to the university.

Rudd

Rudd was expected to sign a new contract to receive $525,000 annually beginning October 1st, but said Thursday that he believes “it is in the best interest of the institution to forgo any salary increases at this time.”

“Overall institutional efficiency has been at the forefront of my agenda from the day I started, a value I firmly believe and will continue to live,” Rudd wrote.

Tre Black, co-chairman of the 901YDS, said although he is “overjoyed” with the president’s decision, “there is still much work to be done.” He noted that Rudd didn’t mention if he would still accept the near $2 million in bonuses and benefits offered by the university’s board of trustees.

At the protest, students honed in on the issue of every campus employee making a living wage of $15 dollars an hour. Rudd assured the campus in July that a plan to raise all employees’ pay to $15 an hour over the next two years was in the works, but the details of that plan were never shared.

Rudd’s promise of paying a living wage to campus workers came after Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris moved to veto $1 million in county funding going toward the university’s new natatorium until a plan to pay all university employees was presented.

[pullquote-1]

“We have a definitive plan,” Rudd said at the time. “We’ll be at $15/hour in two years. And in a sustainable manner.”

Black said that 901YDS wants all campus workers to earn a living wage, including those hired under a work-study contract, those earning a stipend, part-time and full time employees, graduate workers, and adjunct professors.

The protesters also want Rudd to participate in a public forum with 901YDS and United Campus Workers, another organizer of Friday’s action, to address these and other issues relating to “inequality and unfair treatment of a large section of students and workers.”

As an example, Black cites graduate workers not receiving health care or a living wage, yet working more than 40 hours most weeks.

According to United Campus Workers, about 330 employees on campus are paid less than $15 an hour.

Maya Smith

Students demand living wage for all campus workers

The group has a petition on the Action Network website. In addition to asking Rudd to forgo additional bonuses, the petition asks that Rudd reveal the university’s plan to raise campus workers’ hourly wage to $15 an hour.

The petition also notes that the groups oppose any increases in tuition and fees: “We call upon the president and the board of trustees to freeze tuition and all administrative fees, not to be increased without approval of the students.”

See the full petition here.

The university did not immediately respond to the Flyer‘s request for comment. 

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U of M Announces New Tuition Structure

CREDIT: University of Memphis/Facebook

University of Memphis/Facebook

University of Memphis (U of M) officials announced major changes to the school’s tuition structure on Friday that could make education there more affordable, more predictable, and more uniform.

Beginning in the fall semester, U of M will implement its Access Memphis initiative that will lock in tuition costs for incoming freshman, provide free classes after 12 hour credit hours are paid for, and make tuition rates uniform.

The university also said that about 86 percent of the students who received financial aid had 100 percent of their tuition and fees covered. By 2021, “we believe we will be covering all tuition/fees for these qualifying students by the fall 2021.”

Here’s how the university described the major components of Access Memphis Friday afternoon:

Guaranteed Tuition Plan – All incoming first-time, full-time freshmen will be eligible to enroll in our guaranteed tuition plan, which assures that they will lock in the Fall 2019 tuition rate for eight consecutive regular semesters if they take at least 12 student credit hours per semester.

Tuition Cap – Resident undergraduate students will only pay for 12 credit hours. All credit hours above 12 are free of charge. Resident graduate students will only pay for 10 student credit hours. Graduate credit hours over 10 are free of charge for resident students.

Uniform Tuition Rates – Students, regardless of whether they are taking traditional on-ground/in-person or online classes, will pay the same tuition rate.

Here are of U of M’s full comments on the move:

“Among the core values at the University of Memphis are student success and access, along with diversity and inclusion. Over the past five years, the University of Memphis has had the lowest tuition/fee increases in the state of Tennessee and dramatically improved overall affordability in a rapidly changing higher education landscape.

“More than 50 percent of first-time freshmen at the University of Memphis are eligible for Pell grants (i.e., families with household incomes under $50,000). For Fall 2018, roughly 25 percent of our incoming first-time freshman cohort of 620 students came from households with an income threshold of $50,000 or less and were eligible for Hope scholarships.
[pullquote-1] “Last year, 86 percent of these students had their tuition and fees fully covered by Pell, Hope, and U of M institutional aid. We are committed to continuing to expand these numbers each year and believe we will be covering all tuition/fees for these qualifying students by the fall 2021.

“The University of Memphis’ commitment has always been, and continues to be, one of delivering high-quality educational programs to all of our students at the lowest possible cost. Toward this end, the U of M recently approved and will be implementing the following beginning fall 2019 as part of our Access Memphis initiative.”