What is “the deal” that folks in higher education keep talking about, and what does it mean to students? I want to encourage the readers of this paper to check it out for themselves. Please visit www.ous.edu/thedeal/ for the full report.
Here are some important aspects of “the deal” for students to consider: Tuition will increase, but under “the deal” it is capped by inflation and will not outpace inflation over any three-year period.
Tuition investments will be matched by the state, unlike now. Currently we pay more as students while the Legislature slashes their financial support fairly regularly. Instead of paying more for less, under the deal we will pay more but get more from the university and the state.
Part of the tuition increases will go to fund scholarships for needy students, addressing the problem of the price-sensitivity of our most financially challenged peers.
A quality index will ensure that the university will not simply thin the soup during financial difficulties, spending less and less on you individually, contributing to such problems as huge classes and more and more graduate students teaching classes.
Valuable investment into research will help fuel Oregon’s new knowledge-based economy. Overall, this has the long-term potential to increase the tax base in this state by creating jobs and needed economic activity.
Enrollment capacity will increase to 100,000 by 2010, enabling more Oregonians to attend our state universities, helping to create greater long-term access to higher education through our and the state’s investments. That’s about 25,000 more students who can get a higher education without cutting into the costs of yours.
Overall, I believe “the deal” is a thoughtful solution and worthy of student support. We, as students, have an interest in the value of our degrees, we will take it with us and its perceived value will determine some of where we go in life. “The deal” will add value to your diploma in the long run and I voted to endorse this proposal with that in mind.
Tim Young,
OUS Board Member