Tuition raised by nearly a grand

by News Staff

Covenant’s tuition is on the rise again; this time by almost $1000 overall.

Next year’s tuition will jump to $8295 per semester, school administrators announced. The new total, approved by the Board of Trustees this month as part of the school’s 2001-02 budget, is a 6.3 percent overall increase from this year’s $7800.

This will be the smallest tuition increase in almost ten years. Last fall, the Board of Trustees approved an 8.3 percent overall increase.

The increase, however, is not going to fund any new development. The tuition raise is the result of a projected decline in Covenant’s enrollment next fall.

“The increase is necessary because the college budget is expecting less students, ” said vice president of administration and finance Bob Harbert.

Harbert said this is the first time he has had to budget for fewer students. A decrease in student enrollment means less money is available to run the college.

Also, because of the expected drop in enrollment, “the tuition increase will be applied to fewer students,” Harbert said.

Harbert said the primary concern for the members of the President’s Council in raising tuition was determining how to balance the budget with fewer students. The Council settled on 6.3 percent tuition hike as the minimum needed amount. Proposed increases ranged from 4 to over 9 percent.

The school will continue to budget 31 percent of tuition for financial aid, Harbert said.

The college budget is based on a projected enrollment of 814 students, down from this year’s student body of 839. The college came up with the number 814 from budgeted retention rates and an expectation of a large freshmen class.

While this year’s retention rates are at the all time high of 85%, Harbert is “not sure we should budget on the best retention we’ve ever had.”

Part of the reason for the expected decline in enrollment is that this year’s graduating class is larger than the expected size of next year’s incoming freshman class. Harbert said that the college hasn’t had this happen since the late 1980s.

This dearth of students has created serious concerns for Covenant’s administration. President Frank Brock announced to the board earlier this month that even with the tuition raise, the school will be $523,000 short in funds for a variety of projects, including a faculty raise and new books for the library. Brock challenged the board, faculty and staff to bring 53 more students to the school by next fall, increasing total enrollment to 867.

Members of the administration have already set to work on this project, Harbert said. Dean of Students Scott Raymond is working on increasing the number of returning students, while Harry Pinner is doing the same with new students.

Even if more students enroll in the fall, however, tuition will remain at $8295 for the 2001-2002 academic year.