05/09/08
The Baker University Board of Trustees met on campus last Friday to discuss a five-year plan for the university, approve next year’s budget and meet with students.
University President Pat Long said the board approved a 6 percent tuition increase and the objective of looking into the optimum number of students for the College of Arts and Sciences campus.
“As tuition goes up, we’ve always tried to bring up financial aid to meet that,” Long said. “Right now, for every dollar that we charge on average we only collect 46 1/2 cents. That means on average students – for every dollar that is charged – they’re only paying 46 1/2 cents because our discount rate is 53 1/2.”
Long said it wasn’t unusual for private universities to have discount rates, but Baker’s is somewhat higher than other universities.
Among tentative projects approved by the BOT, a study next year will determine if tuition and discount rate increases are useful or if keeping them somewhat steady would be a better approach. Part of that study is also going to include how financial aid is distributed to students and what the best possible approaches may be considering things like need and academic skills.
“It may not look any different than it does now, but there will be a comprehensive study,” Long said.
The BOT also approved stricter admissions standards requiring students to have a minimum 18 ACT score and 2.75 GPA, after the Academic Standards and Enrollment Management committee, part of faculty senate, held meetings all year discussing previous standards where students only had to meet two out of three criteria involving class rank, GPA and ACT scores.
Senior Kim Kilmartin was the representative from student senate and said in meetings with faculty the biggest concern they had were students being considered and even admitted with scores of 13 or 14 on the ACT.
“The fact that they were even looking at them was a big problem for the committee that I was on. That’s the type of stuff we don’t want anymore,” Kilmartin said.
Dean of Students Cassy Bailey said while many issues revolved around the CAS campus, the four strategic goals the BOT discussed including finances, technology, academic excellence and facilities, focused on all four schools.
“Under those priorities they came up with action plans or action statements,” she said. “Some of those statements aren’t coming to life until 2013. For those that are coming up for 08-09, we have actual action steps.”
One of those steps includes ensuring a strong greek community, Bailey said, as well as improving cultural diversity, among many other goals and priorities.
Long said one of the long-term goals for the university is to increase the endowment fund, of which the interest it draws helps finance scholarships and the general operating fund, from around $34 million currently to $60 million in 2013.
Board members not only talked business but also spent the day mingling with students at presentations and during a question and answer panel.
Long said it was nice to end the third and final board meeting of the year focusing on students to try to untangle from the figures and numbers people get caught up in when thinking about raising money and the bottom line for the university.
“It’s good for us to see as administrators and the board what our students really are doing and really what our jobs are about,” she said.