Consumer-friendly tuition on drawing board for regents

Nonstop rising costs of college education could put it out of reach for many residents and the state needs to find a way make higher education attainable, says a member of the Arizona Board of Regents.

A slumping economy resulting in lower tax collections has in turn prompted drastic cuts by the Legislature to the three state universities so the regents are now exploring ways to keep college education within the means of the average wage earner.

"The state constitution says we should  provide a college education as cheap as possible. But tuition keeps going up and up because people want a quality education and the Legislature is not providing the money," Bob McLendon, a regent and Yuma resident, said.

Average tuition is almost $6,500 per year, he noted. And just recently all three state universities added surcharges: Arizona State University, $510; University of Arizona, about $766; and Northern Arizona University, $422.

Appointed to the regents at the start of last year by then-Gov. Janet Napolitano, McLendon was the first Yuman since Sid Woods served in 1971 and the first rural member since Kay McKay's term expired in 2004. McLendon served in the Arizona House from 1983 to 2001 and on the Yuma County Board of Supervisors until his retirement in 2004.

He noted he was pleased with his appointment because greater Arizona needs complete representation on the regents and not just a couple of counties. He added education is so important for economic development and improved opportunities for residents.

In order to close a $1.6 billion gap in the state budget this fiscal year, the Legislature cut more than $240 million from the three state universities. With a projected deficit of over $3 billion next year, further cuts are likely to come.

McLendon said they need to provide education that is affordable, available and accountable to meet the needs of state residents. One option would be creating four-year universities in various parts of the state that are not research-based but provide basic college education and could charge less tuition. Some sites under consideration are Lake Havasu City and Prescott.

McLendon praised the "two plus four" concept of the Arizona Western College/NAU partnership as a prime example of junior college and university cooperation where residents do not have to leave home to get complete professional training. The regents would like to expand those types of collaborations but have not yet identified which schools might forge partnerships.

"We're looking at what's feasible, investigating all possibilities but we must have the proper planning. It has a ways to go but by December we'll have some recommendations," McLendon said.

He also pointed out that the UA and ASU are establishing satellite campuses. UA has formed partnerships with agriculture businesses locally at its 8th Street Yuma Agricultural Center, and ASU has branch campuses in Mesa and Peoria and looking at Payson to expand.

Andrea Smiley, the regents' associate executive director for external affairs, said the three state universities are increasing the number of robust online programs that can save students commuting or boarding costs. And current global competition illustrates how important it is to find affordable options because the business world is becoming increasingly knowledge based, she said.

"The way the economy has been the last year, this has become an increasingly important issue," McLendon said. "We have no definitive plans but our goal is to make college education available to anyone who wants it."

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William Roller can be reached at
wroll@yumasum.com or 539-6858.