Tuition Promise Plan Proposed For Miami Regionals

BY MOLLY NICHOLAS
Miami University journalism student

Miami University regional students could soon see the Tuition Promise plan that Oxford students enjoy.

Speaking at a Thursday meeting of the Finance and Audit Committee of Miami's Board of Trustees, Interim Regionals Dean Cathy Bishop-Clark outlined three components of a possible Tuition Promise plan for students in Middletown and Hamilton:

• it would guarantee that tuition would not increase at the 68-credit hour threshold for students as it does now. There is a lower price paid by first- and second-year students that increases to the upper price as students reach this threshold.
• it would include a single tuition rate, so there is no upper and lower price but one, consistent rate.
• it would include a new career services fee.

Career services are "increasingly important -- that we really serve students well,” Bishop-Clark said. Currently, just 2.5 people provide career services for about 5,000 regional students, she said.

“Initially, and really just five years ago, our motto was 'Come here, go anywhere,' ” Bishop-Clark said.

As the regional campuses become more important as four-year institutions for bachelors' programs, so does the need to increase students’ desire to stay.

Miami Middletown Campus Student Body President Tristan Diegel spoke about what a Tuition Promise plan would mean to him.

“This plan I think is the best plan going forward not only for students but for the future of Miami,” Diegel said. “I want to see those who pursue a four-year degree stay at the regionals all four years. I don’t want to see them leave.”

The new tuition police would help remove the uncertainty about future tuition bills, especially for students paying for their own education, according to Diegel.

The board's Finance and Audit Committee will vote on the Tuition Promise proposal in February. Miami launched the Tuition Promise plan in Oxford in fall 2016.

New construction coming

The committee also learned about 19 active construction projects at Miami -- with a total price tag of $296.3 million. The newest ones include:

• MacCracken, Richard, Porter Hall renovations, with Central Quad improvements, new sorority suites in MacCracken and Richard, and an expanded MacCracken Market:
  • Estimated budget: $73.8 million.
  • Estimated schedule: Start in June 2018 with completion in July 2019.
• South Chiller Plant conversion, as part of overall effort to reduce energy use and eliminate coal-fire steam systems:
  • Estimated budget: $21.25 million.
  • Estimated schedule: Start in March 2018, with completion by December 2019.

• Stanton Hall renovation:
  • Proposed budget: $18 million.
  • Desired scheduled: Spring 2018 with completion by fall 2020.
• Glos Center, with a renovation to accommodate University Advancement:
  • Estimated budget: $1.85 million.
  • Estimated schedule: Start in spring 2018 with completion by end of 2018.
• Swing Hall deconstruction, to clear space for future development:
  • Estimated budget: $1.1 million.
  • Estimated schedule: May to August of 2018.

Top photo: Members of the board Finance and Audit Committee meet at Marcum Center on Thursday. -- Photo by Molly Nicholas.