The University of Central Arkansas Board of Trustees approved a $159 million operating budget for the 2011-12 fiscal year Friday during its meeting.
The budget is a $2.8 million increase from the previous year. State appropriation represents 35.53 percent — about $56.8 million — of the total budget revenue, said Diane Newton, vice president of finance and administration. The education and general tuition and fee budget comprises 42.28 percent — $67.6 million — of the total budgeted revenue.
The fiscal year 2011-12 budget includes a tuition increase of $5.05 per hour for undergraduate and $6.25 per hour for graduate. This will generate approximately $1.36 million in additional revenue and will be applied toward increases in fixed costs, said Newton. It equates to a semester increase of $75.75 for an undergraduate student taking 15 hours and $56.25 for a graduate student taking nine hours.
Three fee increases were also approved by trustees. They are:
- · A 25-cent per hour increase in the student center and recreation fee. The fee has remained at the same level since 1994.
- · A HPER fee increase of $3.50 per hour, which would generate an additional $800,000 for the university. The funds would be used for the next phase of the fitness center expansion.
- · A 35-cent per hour fee for the Writing Center and Academic Success Center, which would be used to enhance support services for students to become more effective writers and to hire and train additional tutors for one-on-one tutoring with students. The fee would generate $94,500.
The increases had the support of the Student Government Association, Newton said.
The total for tuition and fees will be $3,591.25 per semester compared to $3,454 last fiscal year.
UCA would be the third highest in overall cost – tuition, fees, room and board – among the other state institutions, Newton said.
Newton reported that the university has continued to improve its finances. UCA had more than $40 million in cash at the end of April compared to $25 million in April 2009.
“Our cash position continues to improve and our fund balances should show marked improvement as we end this fiscal year,” she said. “We are pleased to be at this point of our financial recovery in such a short period of time and in such an unstable economic environment.”
Also on Friday, trustees approved a strategic plan to guide the university over the next three to five years. The strategic plan was a campus-wide initiative that began in February 2010. A series of forums were held to receive input from each of the six colleges, staff and students. Six strategic goals and a set of initiatives were developed from the forums. The goal of the plan is to:
•Identify the various forces acting on the university as a whole–including finances, public perceptions and expectations, demographics, and technology.
•Assess the resources of various types the university has at its disposal for carrying out its planning.
•Examine and articulate the mission and vision of the university–our sense of our purpose and our aspirations for the future–which will be informed by the core shared values of the university community.
•Identify particular attributes of the university that set UCA apart from other institutions.
