FVCC raises tuition by 12 percent

The board of trustees at Flathead Valley Community College on Monday approved an increase of 12 percent in tuition and fees for the 2008-09 school year.

If the change is approved by the Board of Regents, full-time in-district students will pay an additional $196 per semester or $392 per year.

The increase follows a 21-percent jump in tuition and fees a year ago.

College President Jane Karas said the recommendation followed a four-month budget review process involving faculty, staff and students. The group looked at dollars needed to maintain the quality of current programs as well as requests for new ones.

Karas said she also presented the new tuition and fee structure at a student forum. She said that, while no one wants to pay more, students understood the need to cover increases in health care, utilities and other costs.

"We're still one of the lowest-cost schools in the state," Karas said.

With the increase, a year at FVCC will cost a full-time local student $3,472 a year in tuition and fees. Tuition and fees will be $4,844 per year for out-of-district, in-state students, while out-of-state students face yearly tuition and fees of $10,612.

According to Karas, participants at the student forum said they were receiving a high-quality education for the money. She added that success rates of transfer students and those seeking jobs prove that Flathead Valley Community College students leave well-prepared.

"We're still one of the best bets for a quality education," she said.

Karas referred to comments made earlier at the meeting by Nicole Therrien, a student who recently won an undergraduate presentation award at the 2008 Montana American Chemical Society spring meeting.

Therrien said she was the only presenter from a two-year college. She performed research on change in protein shapes with three other students under her direction.

"They said, 'You're from a two-year school? How did you do so well?'" Therrien said.

Also at the forum on tuition, students asked what could be done about the rising costs of books. Karas said she was working with a consortium of higher education institutions on ways to contain the escalating prices of books.

Trustees unanimously passed the tuition and fee recommendation.

The 12-percent jump follows an increase of 21 percent last year required to balance the budget for the 2007-08 session when the college received less revenue than expected from the state.

In other business at Monday's meeting, trustees:

. Withdrew the Real Estate Specialist Certificate due to inadequate enrollment. Karas attributed low interest in the program to recent changes in market conditions.

. Placed a moratorium on the associates degree in Natural Resource Management, pending implementation of changes needed to update the program and bring student enrollments to a sustainable level.

Four students now in the program will be allowed to complete their studies. Karas said she recognized the importance of the program to this area, adding she expected to recommend lifting the moratorium within a year.

Under citizen comments, the trustees heard from several members of the local affiliate of the Sports Car Club of America asking the college to continue allowing their advanced sports car driver education on campus. They say their insurance adequately protects the college.

Members said their group has conducted the advanced driving skills course for many years without incident and that many colleges in other areas allow this on their campus. John Engebretson, chairman of the board, said the administration would consult with its insurance carrier and place discussion of insurance problems on the next agenda.

Candidates for the two trustee positions in the May election also addressed the board.

Bob Nystuen, who was unopposed for the Kalispell high school district seat, said he was interested in continuing fiscal oversight, addressing marketing to increase enrollment and seeking student housing.

Elna Darrow, a resident of Bigfork, said she wanted to bring representation from her city to the board. She is running for one of two seats that represent Whitefish, Columbia Falls and Bigfork.

"I want to encourage students from my particular city to attend the college," Darrow said. "We want to be represented and no one stepped up so I have."

Tom Harding and John Phelps, both of Whitefish, now occupy those seats and have filed for re-election. Harding was absent from the Monday meeting but Phelps said he was interested in pursuing student housing, long-term planning and an ongoing relationship with the Board of Regents.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com