KCTCS NEWS RELEASE – for immediate release
For more information contact Brendan Lehane, KCTCS (859) 246-3305
KCTCS Board of Regents increase tuition for 2004-05, accept LCC transfer
MAYSVILLE, Ky. (May 14, 2004) -- Responding to the prospect of no increase in state appropriation for 2004-05, recent state budget cuts, growing student enrollment, and the need to continue to serve communities and employers across the Commonwealth, the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) Board of Regents took action on Friday to increase tuition rates for the 2004-05 academic year. The Board also accepted delegation of authority over Lexington Community College (LCC) and authorized KCTCS officials to enter into an agreement with the University of Kentucky (UK) to implement the transfer of LCC to KCTCS.
KCTCS held 16 hearings (one in each district) to receive comments from students, faculty, and staff about potential tuition increases. In-state tuition (including fees) for 2004-05 was set at $92 per credit hour. This is a $13 per credit hour or 16.5 percent increase from the 2003-04 tuition rate of $79 per credit hour. Out-of state students from contiguous counties will pay $110 per credit hour; other out-of-state students will pay $276 per credit hour. KCTCS tuition rates remain the lowest among Kentucky’s public institutions of postsecondary education and near the bottom of the KCTCS benchmark states.
“Our colleges serve as the primary point of access for students seeking postsecondary education and workforce training,” said Cynthia L. Read, chair of the Board of Regents.
“We have a responsibility to our students to offer great quality at an affordable cost,” Read said. “This tuition rate allows us to continue to offer students the highest educational value in the Commonwealth.”
Tuition rates do not have a credit hour cap with the exception of Lexington Community College (LCC) which has a 12 credit hour cap. LCC students also pay $281.25 per semester in mandatory registration fees as established by the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees.
Regents said that raising tuition was necessary to bridge the gap between rising costs and dwindling state appropriations, which have not kept pace with KCTCS growth. State funding for KCTCS is more than $60 million below the average of its benchmark states, and no new money has been appropriated to support a 58% increase in enrollment since 1998.
Last fall, KCTCS achieved its largest single-year enrollment of 72,023 credit-seeking students. At the same time, however, it sustained two separate budget cuts: a $4.4 million recurring reduction in state appropriations beginning the 2003-04 fiscal year, and a $5.9 million, non-recurring cut for 2003-04. When combined with budget cuts in 2001-02 and 2002-03, the KCTCS operating budget has been reduced four times by approximately $18 million over the last three years.
Regents said the tuition increase will provide funding to continue the progress of KCTCS toward achieving its vision of being recognized as the nation’s best system of two-year colleges. The funding raised by the new tuition rates will assist KCTCS in achieving the following priorities:
Provide quality academic programs and services to students, employers and communities.
Provide for faculty and staff salaries and benefits.
Increasing financial reserves to guard against future budget shortfalls.
Implement the faculty and staff classification and compensation plan.
All regents who attended the meeting, held at Maysville Community and Technical College, approved the new tuition rates, including the two student regents. Student regent Donna Bartlett, West Kentucky Community and Technical College said the increased revenue is vital to maintaining quality in the colleges.
“This increase allows us to continue the kind of quality education that students have come to expect and deserve” Bartlett said.
The delegation of authority over Lexington Community College resulted from the passage of HJR 214 in the 2004 General Assembly. A transition team has been established to implement the requirements of HJR 214 on or before July 1, 2004.
In other action during its regular quarterly meeting, the Board of Regents approved:
Candidates for credentials at KCTCS colleges. The candidates are approved to receive certificates, diplomas or associate degrees; honorary degrees to be awarded to the Honorable James Callahan, Kentucky state representative in the 67th House District, who was honored at Gateway Community and Technical College; and William L. Sullivan, a Henderson attorney and former Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky, who was honored at Henderson Community College.
Salary increases and merit bonuses in 2004-05 for KCTCS faculty and staff.
A new name for the college formerly known as Southeast Community College – the new name will be Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College.
New certificate programs to be offered by the following colleges: Ashland Community and Technical College; Big Sandy Community and Technical College System; Bowling Green Technical College; Central Kentucky Technical College; Madisonville Community College; Maysville Community and Technical; Owensboro Community and Technical College; Somerset Community College; Southeast Community College; West Kentucky Community and Technical College
An associate in applied science program in office systems technology for Central Kentucky Technical College.
An associate in applied science program in education for Southeast Community College.
Associate in applied science degree programs in culinary arts, diagnostic medical sonography, and realtime captioning technology for West Kentucky Community and Technical College.
The Board of Regents’ next regularly scheduled meeting is August 12-13, 2004, at Madisonville Community College.
KCTCS colleges change lives by providing academic and technical associate degrees; diploma and certificate programs in occupational fields; pre-baccalaureate education; adult, continuing and developmental education; customized training for business and industry; and distance learning. For more information, visit www.kctcs.edu .