January 29, 2009
Tuition Update

To the Campus Community,

You may have read in the news recently that UNC President Erskine Bowles, in response to the turbulent economy and the concerns of North Carolina families, has led all campuses in the UNC system to revise our proposal for tuition for the coming year. President Bowles’ outline of his proposal can be found by following this link http://www.unca.edu/news/TuitionProposal_01-26-09.pdf.

On Monday of this week, I had an opportunity to brief our Board of Trustees about this revised proposal. At that time, I was also able to brief them on the budget situation as we know it. To a person, our Board members are supportive of the way we have decided to manage our University in this difficult time, and they stand prepared to help us in any way they can.

On Tuesday, I provided similar updates to Senior Staff, the University Planning Council, and a meeting with the Chancellor's Staff Advisory Committee (CSAC) is next week. On Friday, I will join President Bowles, other UNC chancellors, and the Budget and Finance Committee of our Board of Governors in a thorough discussion of this topic, which is of such crucial importance to our students, our University, and our State.

It is important to remember that our original tuition proposal – like those of other campuses -- made perfect sense in the economic climate of just a few months ago, but today’s reality requires a reduction in our proposed increase. Instead of an increase of $75 per year, President Bowles’ proposal for UNC Asheville is $50 per year, to be allocated for student need-based aid and critical needs of the campus. Things are moving quickly, and it is our responsibility to understand as much as we can, so that we might make good decisions that will serve our students and our State both today and tomorrow.

Although the decision about our tuition and fees is now in the hands of our Board of Governors, and will ultimately be decided by the Legislature, we have good reason to be proud of the way President Bowles has chosen to balance the needs of students and families with those of our State coffers and taxpayers.

Now more than ever, we will need the very best advice and effort of everyone on campus to meet this significant financial challenge, while continuing to do what we do best – educating our students in the liberal arts tradition. Thanks to each and every one of you, our creativity and mountain tenacity continues to serve us well, even in these difficult circumstances.

Frequent updates will continue in the weeks ahead.

Anne Ponder
Chancellor