UA, ASU Board Of Trustees Approve Tuition Hikes, Vote Down Guns On Campus

From a variety of our content partners, there was a lot of action among the board of trustees for the University of Arkansas and Arkansas State University.

The University of Arkansas Board of Trustees approved tuition increases on Thursday. In a sharply divided 5-4 vote, the board approved tuition increases for many of its campuses.

The board approved a 3.5 percent increase in tuition and fees beginning this fall. The increase will raise average undergraduate in-state tuition and fees to $7,818 for two full semesters, an increase of $246 per student.

While the majority of the four-year campuses will see the 3.5 percent tuition hike, tuition at the UA-Monticello will rise by 4.2 percent, from $5,560 to $5,794, and by 4.3 percent at UA-Pine Bluff, from $5,518 to $5,755.

The UA board also voted to not allow concealed guns on its campuses despite a new state law allowing it to do so.

In one other note of business, the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees voted to accept property owned by the Benton School District as part of a real estate transaction with First Security Bank.

The transaction is part of growth planning for the UALR-Benton Center as they meet enrollment demands and further expand the state’s only E-Commerce degree.

The Arkansas State University Board of Trustees approved operating budgets for the 2013-14 academic year and voted to maintain its policy of not allowing concealed guns on system campuses at its Thursday meeting on the Jonesboro campus of ASU-Newport.

ASU System President Charles Welch told members of the board that the campus administrators emphasized operating costs containment while trying to keep faculty and staff salaries competitive.

“We are keenly aware of the need to minimize the increased financial burden on students and their families,” Welch said. “But we also must continue to provide an quality educational and campus experiences, and it takes financial resources to be effective.”

Tuition at the Jonesboro campus will increase by 3.3 percent. The academic excellence fee will rise by $2 per credit hour, and a new facilities fee will be $3 per credit hour. The average cost increase to students will be $165 per semester.