It’s crystal ball gazing time for Arkansas colleges and universities as the Arkansas General Assembly gathers Monday in Little Rock to begin a first-ever “fiscal session.” University of Arkansas Community College at Hope Chancellor Chris Thomason thinks he has a fairly clear picture.... flat growth that may affect tuition costs.
“I appreciate the difficult job that they have, and in my discussions with Senator (Larry) Teague (D-Nashville) and Representative (David) Powers (D-Hope), and also through my attendance at budget meetings in Little Rock, I think that there is, overall, a very conservative approach to fiscal year 2011,” Thomason said.
What that translates into concerning UACCH and its budget for fiscal 2011 and beyond is simply no growth, he said.
“I would like to anticipate that the budget will remain pretty flat, and we will have to continue on a very tight budget; that there will be belt-tightening measures we are taking will continue in the 2011 fiscal year. Overall, there will be no growth in state expenditures,” he said.
But, there may be something of a silver lining.
“With regard to community colleges, particularly, there is some possible good news in that Workforce 2000 funds, which make up part of our funding, those revenues which are generated through a very volatile corporate income tax collection, seem to be, at least as indicated by the Department of Finance and Administration, seem to be more stable,” Thomason said. “Hopefully, that will be a positive note for UACCH and other two-year colleges in fiscal 2011; but, I don’t see substantial increases in budgets coming our way.”
But, beyond fiscal 2011, Thomason is uncertain how the current situation will affect tuition costs.
“No matter the fiscal climate that we’re in, tuition and fees is an annual issue that we must address with our board of visitors here at UACCH and with the trustees of the University of Arkansas System,” he said. “That is a discussion we have every year, and UACCH, through the sacrifice of our faculty and staff, and the keen leadership of our board of visitors, has not had a tuition increase in five years, which is certainly nowhere near in line with the rest of higher education in the state and the nation.
“We will be analyzing what the needs are of the institution in providing a first class educational opportunity for our students, how that relates to our tuition and fees, and certainly, as we always do, the first and foremost thing will be what impact that will be on our students,” Thomason said. “That discussion will be happening within a couple of months.
“It’s a complex decision process which is always premised upon our desire to keep the cost of education as low as we possibly can to ensure that does not create a significant barrier to expanded access to the residents of Arkansas.”
