CCU’s hold on in-state tuition likely official with Friday vote

CONWAY Wyatt Henderson, Board of Trustees chairman at Coastal Carolina University, said he believes the full board will unanimously approve not increasing tuition or housing costs for in-state students at its meeting Friday morning.

The board’s finance committee recommended the move in a meeting Thursday afternoon, along with a $50 per semester credit for in-state students. At the same time, said Stacie Bowie, the university’s chief financial officer, tuition for out-of-state students will rise 5.75 percent, or $620, and some graduate credit hour costs will be increased.

The current in-state tuition is $9,310; out-of-state, $20,190. With the increase in out-of-state tuition, CCU students who do not live in South Carolina will be paying $20,810.

Henderson said the hold on in-state tuition will send a message to students and parents that the university is doing everything it can to spend their money wisely. He said that the move was possible because of millions of dollars in efficiencies and cuts administrators have made in the past two years.

University President Dave DeCenzo said the cost-saving moves included combining some job functions, eliminating some positions and reducing costs for things such as office supplies and labor.

He emphasized that no cuts were made to academics or student services.

In fact, said university Provost Robert Sheehan, Coastal added 30 faculty and 20 to 30 adjunct faculty last year to keep up with growth in enrollment.

The hold on in-state tuition allows the school to meet a request from S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley, who asked the state’s colleges and universities to hold down costs for in-state students.

The lack of an increase in tuition at Coastal for the next school year will be the first time since the 1986-87 school year that tuition hasn’t increased. It also is being done in the face of expected further cutbacks in state funding for the university.

According to a presentation made by the university last month to the S.C. House Ways and Means Committee, Coastal is expecting fiscal 2013 funding from state appropriations to amount to just 4.7 percent of its total funds. That is down from 5.4 percent this fiscal year and 6.2 percent in fiscal 2010, according to the presentation.