August 17, 2001

WKU Regents Increase Tuition For 2002-03

Bowling Green, Ky. - Western Kentucky University's Board of Regents today (Friday) approved a 9 percent increase in tuition beginning with the Summer 2002 session.

The increase will raise tuition $138 for undergraduate students; $197 for graduate students and $117 for students in the Bowling Green Community College for 2002-03.

WKU President Gary Ransdell said the revenue from the tuition increase will used to create a 4 percent compensation pool to "ensure recruitment and retention of faculty of sufficient quality to sustain Western's reputation as Kentucky's premier comprehensive university."

|Dr. Ransdell said the 2 percent increase faculty and staff received this year was unacceptable.

"We have a premier faculty at Western which adds quality and value to the Western experience," he said. "Our resolve is to ensure high value for competitive cost. When given the options of compromising quality with below market salaries and larger classes, we will choose to sustain quality."

State appropriations have not kept up with the growth Western has experienced in enrollment, Dr. Ransdell said. Enrollment for the fall semester will approach 16,000 and the University has experienced record numbers of applicants and will have a record freshman class of about 2,800.

"The state has asked us to increase enrollment and retention, and we've done that," he said. "Enrollment has grown by more than 1,000 students during the last four years. But with growth comes challenges, and state appropriations are based on enrollment data from 1998."

Dr. Ransdell said he will be taking the University's funding needs to the governor and legislature during the 2002 General Assembly, but recognizes the precarious nature of the state's budget. The board approved a resolution of appreciation to Gov. Paul Patton for exempting higher education from budget cuts made necessary when tax receipts fell short of revenue estimates.

"Our pursuit of national prominence will not be compromised," Dr. Ransdell said. "Most of our students and alumni chose Western because they appreciated the value of a Western degree. Fair faculty compensation is part of the cost of a quality education at Western."

A recommendation for 2003-04 tuition will be made after the state budgets for 2002-03 and 2003-04 are approved.

Regents also approved a motion allowing Dr. Ransdell to pursue an agreement with the city of Bowling Green to sell bonds to renovate E.A. Diddle Arena and other athletic-related facilities.

The University had been seeking to deed the arena and other facilities to the city, but that will no longer be necessary.

"There was some discomfort with the precedent-setting nature of the transfer of the titles of the buildings," Dr. Ransdell said. Legislation that allows third-party performance contracting will allow the city to issue up to $32.5 million in general obligation bonds to fund the renovations without having to take ownership of the facilities, he said.

All architectural, engineering and construction management services and all construction contracts for the project will be in the city's name and under Western's approval. Western will pay the debt service on the bonds through the student activity fee.

Dr. Ransdell next week will meet with the state legislature's Capital Projects and Bond Oversight Committee. The agreement will then go to the Bowling Green City Commission for approval before given a final approval by regents.

In other business, the board:
· Re-elected Kristen Bale of Glasgow as chair and Lois Gray of Hardin County as vice chair.

· Approved naming Doral Glen Conner "State Climatologist Emeritus." Conner created the Kentucky Climate Center at Western and served as state climatologist from 1978 to 2000.

· Approved splitting the Department of Educational Leadership into the Department of Counseling and Student Affairs and the Department of Educational Administration, Leadership and Research.

· Approved the purchase of property at 2377 and 2381 Nashville Road from William Mayhew Jr. and Noka Mayhew for $300,000.