CGCC Business Office. March 8, Board of Education Columbia Gorge Community College RECOMMENDATION: Receive and file information only report

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1 CGCC Business Office building dreams, transforming lives Board of Education Columbia Gorge Community College RECOMMENDATION: DISCUSSION Receive and file information only report Tuition and Fees constitute approximately 35% of the annual operating revenue for the Columbia Gorge Community College (CGCC). The following staff report compares CGCC s Tuition and Fees to other Oregon community colleges. The staff report is for information and discussion purposes only. Staff intends to bring the Proposed Academic Year Tuition and Fee Schedule to the Board of Education at its April 12 th meeting. Tuition In the current academic year, five (5) Oregon community colleges charged lower tuition than CGCC and ten (10) colleges charged higher tuition. Please see Appendix 1 for a table of Oregon community college tuition rates. The state-wide average for all community colleges was $93 per credit for in-district students and $95 per credit for out-of-district students. The current academic year tuition rate at CGCC is $91 per credit. CGCC tuition does not distinguish between in-district and out-of-district students. Increasing tuition to the Oregon state-wide average of $93 per credit is estimated to produce $44,000 of additional revenue. At the time this staff report was written, the majority of other Oregon community colleges have not announced tuition changes for the Academic Year. On January 21 st, Portland Community College adopted its tuition rate, increasing tuition by $1 per credit to $97 per credit for residents. Chemeketa Community College chose to leave tuition unchanged. Umpqua Community College has a policy to tie tuition to the Western Region Consumer Price Index. Discussions among other colleges have ranged from $0 to $7 per credit increases for the upcoming academic year. Fees Comparing fees across Oregon community colleges is less straight forward than tuition. Fees are set on varying different basis, such as per class, per term, upon enrollment or graduation, etc. Comparing fees between community colleges requires certain assumptions on the types and numbers of classes taken by the typical student. The typical student in this analysis is defined as an in-district, general education degree track student, taking 45 credits per year, graduating in two-years, with 20% of their Columbia Gorge Community College 400 East Scenic Drive, The Dalles, OR (541) cgcc.edu

2 Page 2 courses online. Fees directly related to services not provided at CGCC, but provided by other colleges, were excluded from the analysis. Examples of such fees include athletics fee or student recreation facilities fees. The typical student at CGCC, as defined, pays $686 per year in fees. This compares to a state-wide average of $711. The difference of $25 is the equivalent to $0.55 per credit. Please see Appendix 2 for a table of the annual cost of fees for the typical Oregon community college student. Increasing fees to the Oregon state-wide average is estimated to produce $12,100 of additional revenue. Cumulatively, raising tuition and fees to state-wide averages would be expected to generate $56,100 in the Academic Year. This is equal to 7.5% of the estimated $748K budget deficit. Current Discussions The subject of tuition and fees have been discussed at all college budget meetings to-date, including with Instructional Council, Quality Council, and the Associated Student Government. The broad consensus across all groups is that revenue increases should be emphasized ahead of large additional cuts to course offerings and student services. Below are several ideas that are currently being discussed: $150 Small Class Premium This is a course fee applied to sections with less than twelve (12) enrolled students. The fee would be applied one-week before the start of each term, allowing students the option to find replacement courses, but it would also guarantee every scheduled course ran for those students willing to pay a premium for small class sizes or needing the course to complete a degree/certificate. The proposal has the potential to eliminate course cancellations for the trial basis of one-year. This idea is still in its draft stage and may change significantly before inclusion in the final Proposed Tuition and Fee Schedule for Board of Education consideration in April. Several campus groups have reviewed the idea and provided feedback. Associated Student Government expressed broad, but not unanimous, support for the Small Class Premium idea. Staff and Faculty have had mixed reactions with no general consensus opinion. All stakeholder groups to-date have unanimously supported additional analysis and college-wide discussions. Additional student forums will be scheduled over the next month to fully vet the proposal. $1 per credit fee for Mental Health Counselling Student Services Staff and the Associated Student Government are in favor of a college-wide fee to provide free or reduced cost mental health counselling to CGCC students. $3 per credit Tuition Increase to State-wide Average Raising CGCC s tuition rate to the state-wide average will maximize Oregon Promise dollars. Oregon Promise reimburses the full-cost of tuition, but only up to the state-wide average, for qualifying students. Various Course Fee Increases The Business Office is broadly analyzing the relative cost of instruction and course fees across all academic departments.

3 Page 3 TIMING CONSIDERATIONS Academic Year Tuition and Fee rates must be adopted and delivered to the Federal Department of Education before Financial Aid can be awarded. The Proposed Tuition and Fee schedule is expected for the April 12 Board of Education meeting to facilitate the timely processing of student financial aid awards. FISCAL IMPACT No fiscal impact. The staff report is for information and discussion purposes only. SUGGESTED ACTION: Approve recommendation. Respectfully submitted, WILL NORRIS CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER APPROVED: Dr. Frank Toda PRESIDENT

4 Page 4 Appendix 1: Tuition Community College FY Tuition In-District Student per Credit 1 LANE $ CLASTOP OREGON COAST PORTLAND TREASURE VALLEY ROGUE BLUE MOUNTAIN MT. HOOD TILLAMOOK BAY LINN-BENTON COLUMBIA GORGE CENTRAL OREGON KLAMATH SOUTHWESTERN CLACKAMAS UMPQUA CHEMEKETA 80.0 Average $ 92.6

5 Page 5 Appendix 2: Annual Cost of Typical Fees Community College FY Typical Fees Total Annual Cost per Student 1 SOUTHWESTERN $ 1,636 2 TREASURE VALLEY 1,125 3 UMPQUA TILLAMOOK BAY CHEMEKETA KLAMATH ROGUE BLUE MOUNTAIN COLUMBIA GORGE MT. HOOD CLACKAMAS CLASTOP LANE CENTRAL OREGON LINN-BENTON PORTLAND OREGON COAST 323 Average $ 711