Regents vote for tuition hike

By: Staff Report

Friday, April 4, 2008 - 10:37 AM

CARSON CITY – The Board of Regents approved a 5 percent undergraduate tuition hike for the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 school years for the Nevada System of Higher Education institutions Friday morning.

For the University of Nevada, Reno, the increase will be from $129.50 to $136 in fall 2009 and from $136 to $142.50 in fall 2010.

Other institutions that will see increases are the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada State College, Great Basin College, College of Southern Nevada, Western Nevada College and Truckee Meadows Community College.

Graduate tuition will also increase 10 percent.

NSHE Vice Chancellor Jane Nichols and Executive Vice Chancellor Dan Klaich both said the increase would cover inflation costs.

“Go to the gas station, buy food, look at your health insurance bill,” Klaich said during the meeting. “Prices are going up, and that doesn’t change with education.”

Voting for the proposal were Regents Steve Sisolak, Jack Schofield, Brett Whipple, Michael Wixom, Stavros Anthony, Cedric Crear, Thalia Dondero, Dorothy Gallagher, Jason Geddes, James Leavitt and Howard Rosenberg.

Voting against the proposal was Regent Ron Knecht. Knecht said he voted against the proposal because at the February regents meeting, he requested that the proposal should include what benefits the students and institutions would see from the increases.

Klaich said because the costs cover inflation, they cannot show what the benefits are.

For the 2008-2009 school year, the tuition increase will be about 11 percent, raising from $116.75 to $129.50. This increase was approved in 2005.