For over a decade, costs have risen throughout the UW System and students are being asked to foot the bill.

During the 1997-98 fiscal year, UW-P received $11.8 million in tuition revenue, none of which went to pay faculty salaries. However, for the 2008-09 fiscal year over 110 full-time employees are being paid from the $35.8 million received from tuition.

Photograph by Kate Olsen
Dean of Students Rich Egley, right, asks Assistant Chancellor of Administrative Services Robert Cramer a question during Cramer’s presentation about budget changes to Student Senate on Sept. 29.

“Over time, the shift has been to ‘If it benefits you, you pay for it,’” said Michael Viney, assistant chancellor of Student Affairs. He said part of the reason for the increase in tuition is the lack of funding in other areas.

Approximately half of the $30 million UW-P received from state taxes this year was designated for specific purposes and programs and cannot be spent in other areas. Designated funds are used to cover items such as building-maintenance, energy costs, debt services and lab modernization.

UW System requested $139 million from state taxes for the 2009-11 biennium to fund new initiatives and cover traditional costs. Robert Cramer, assistant chancellor of administrative services, said the request is being reviewed by the Wisconsin Department of Administration and will then be presented to Gov. Jim Doyle. Doyle will then consider the proposal as part of his budget proposal in late January.

Cramer said that for the last biennium, the state provided about 90 percent of UW System’s request, leaving the rest to be covered by other means.

Even though rising tuition is a problem for students, Viney said that the answer is not a tuition cap.

“It would exacerbate things,” Viney said. If tuition were capped, services would likely be cut because there wouldn’t be enough funding, he said.

Cramer said that tuition increases have become a trend in the UW System. He said Platteville has been able to add faculty and staff because of their increased enrollment and the Tri-State Initiative.

“We need to continue to talk about how to increase the growth pattern,” Cramer said.

Even if UW-P continues to increase enrollment, there will still be challenges to fund programs, keep class sizes low and attract new faculty.

Cramer said the administration is also working with the UW-P Foundation to raise money for financial aid and projects on campus.

Viney said he believes tuition increases won’t stop until students and parents get involved and lobby legislators to increase funding for UW System.

“People have to realize that universities drive economies,” Viney said. “We have to be developing and producing the graduates that will drive the economy.”