Is UW-Rock a good deal? It depends on your perspective
(Published Friday, August 24, 2007 11:16:31 AM CST)
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
By Frank Schultz fschultz@gazetteextra.com
Point of view changes everything. That's something college students should learn.
Take college tuition, for example.
UW-Rock County remains a bargain if you compare its tuition to what other UW schools charge.
A full-time UW-Rock student will pay $4,543 in tuition and fees this year. That's about $1,100 less than a student will pay at UW-Whitewater, $2,400 cheaper than at UW-Milwaukee and $2,600 cheaper than at UW-Madison.
That's real money.
But change your point of view. Compare UW-Rock's current tuition and fees to just three years ago, when they were $3,700. They've gone up 23 percent. Go back seven years, and it's an 85 percent increase.
That's real money, too, money that's rushing out of students' or parents' bank accounts at an ever-increasing rate.
So it's a good thing that the regents froze tuition at UW-Rock and the 12 other two-year campuses this year, while the other campuses' tuition went up 5.5 percent.
Still, it's a lot of money for most people.
It's a problem, acknowledged UW-Rock's assistant dean for student services, Steve Ullrick.
Public colleges and universities must rely more and more on tuition and fees as government support for higher education wanes, Ullrick said.
So is tuition forcing students to drop out?
"I have seen it here some, but not as nearly as much as at other schools where the expense is higher," Ullrick said.
When students do drop, they usually say they're going to work for a semester or a year so they can save to come back, he said.
Despite tuition increases, UW-Rock remains in the bargain basement of the UW System, Ullrick said. And that makes it more accessible than the bigger UW campuses.
UW-Rock is not only more accessible, it offers more options these days, including four-year degrees that can be completed without ever leaving the county. Those degrees are offered in cooperation with the likes of UW-Whitewater, UW-Milwaukee and UW-Platteville.
So maybe UW-Rock is a bargain, relatively speaking. But don't expect the freeze to continue.
A news release touting the relatively low cost quotes UW-Rock Dean Diane Pillard: "UW-Rock County is known for the quality of education we provide our students and it's safe to say that this excellent education will not come at a lower price than right now.
"Factor in the cost of gas, housing, food and other expenses related to going away to school, and you can see how UW-Rock County provides an affordable way for students to get an excellent education close to home," Pillard added.
Boil that message down: Pay me now, or pay me even more later.
Friends Campaign begins
The UW-Rock County Foundation has begun its annual "Friends Campaign" with a goal of raising more than $25,000.
The money will support scholarships and awards to students, faculty and academic staff on the campus.
The foundation's longtime goal has been to support students, according to Jennifer Johns, executive director of the foundation, who was quoted in a news release:
"Continued community support is especially crucial in times like this when students are faced with financial aid cuts and budget cuts make recruiting and retaining excellent faculty more difficult."
With the help of Rock County residents, the foundation provides more than 30 scholarships. Some are based on merit and awarded to local high school students. Others reward gifted college sophomores pursuing specific majors. A few are set aside for nontraditional students over age 22.
The foundation also presents awards to outstanding instructors.
Donations are tax-deductible and can be mailed to the UW-Rock County Foundation, 2909 Kellogg Ave., Janesville, WI 53546. To learn more about the Foundation, call Johns at (608) 758-6628.
