Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
Summary of Consultation Letters Regarding Tuition and Fees, FY2017 ( Updated May 16, 2016 )
College/University submissions may contain Revenue Fund Letters not rated
College/University
SP-12
Rec'd Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Neutral
Alexandria Technical and Community College
X
X
Anoka Technical College
X
X
X
X
X
X
Bemidji State University
X
X
Central Lakes College
X
X
Century College
X
X
Dakota County Technical College
X
X
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College
X
X
X
X
X
X
Inver Hills Community College
X
X
Lake Superior College
X
X
Metropolitan State University
X
X
Minnesota State College - Southeast Technical
Red Wing
Winona
X
X
X
X
Minnesota State Community and Technical College
Detroit Lakes
Fergus Falls
Moorhead
Wadena
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Minnesota State University, Mankato
X
X
Minnesota State University Moorhead
X
X
Minnesota West Community and Technical College:
Canby
Granite Falls
Jackson
Luverne
Pipestone
Worthington
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Normandale Community College
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Anoka-Ramsey Community College
Cambridge
Coon Rapids
Hennepin Technical College
Brooklyn Park
Eden Prairie
Minneapolis Community and Technical College
Northeast Higher Education District:
Hibbing Community College
Itasca Community College
Mesabi Range College
Rainy River Community College
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
Summary of Consultation Letters Regarding Tuition and Fees, FY2017 ( Updated May 16, 2016 )
College/University submissions may contain Revenue Fund Letters not rated
College/University
Vermilion Community College
Rec'd Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Neutral
X
X
North Hennepin Community College
X
Northland Community and Technical College:
East Grand Forks
Thief River Falls
X
X
X
Northwest Technical College
X
X
Pine Technical & Community College
X
X
X
Hutchinson
Willmar
X
X
X
X
Albert Lea
Austin
Owatonna
X
X
X
X
X
Ridgewater College:
Riverland Community College:
Rochester Community and Technical College
X
St. Cloud State University
X
X
St. Cloud Technical and Community College
X
X
Saint Paul College
X
X
X
South Central College:
Faribault
North Mankato
SP-12
X
X
X
X
Southwest Minnesota State University
X
X
Winona State University
X
X
April 14, 2016
Chancellor Steven J. Rosenstone
Office of the Chancellor
Minnesota State College & Universities
30 7th Street East, Suite 350
Saint Paul, MN 55101
Chancellor Rosenstone & Trustees:
This letter is to outline the consultation, which the Alexandria Technical and
Community College Student Senate received from Dave Bjelland, in regard to the
Parking Lot Revenue Fund.
The Alexandria Technical and Community College Student Senate is very happy with
the consultation and updates given by Dave Bjelland throughout this process.
ATCC’s Administration has been willing to keep the Senate informed and updated on
their plans of Parking Lot fee increase of 22 cent for the 2017 fiscal year and an
increase of 5 cent for the 2018 fiscal year.
Having heard all the information during multiple meetings with Dave Bjelland we, as
a senate, discussed the proposals and on February 2nd, 2016 we decided we are in
full support of the parking fee increase to support the parking lot operations and
related debt.
Sincerely,
Marzouk Alassani
Student senate president
Ou8106jh@alextech.edu
April 14, 2016
Chancellor Steven J. Rosenstone
Office of the Chancellor
Minnesota State College & Universities
30 7th Street East, Suite 350
Saint Paul, MN 55101
Chancellor Rosenstone & Trustees:
The members of the Alexandria Student senate have been informed if the MnSCU
funding, the tuition forecast, and other college budget items. We discussed the
budget at several of our Student Senate meetings this year and voted in support of
Alexandria Technical and Community College’s projected budget and tuition
decrease.
We appreciate the time David Bjelland, Chief Financial Officer, extended to us to
provide a background and historical perspective on the budgeting process; giving us
the opportunity to ask question regarding budgeting that we didn’t understand.
Also gave us the opportunity to discuss the budget, together with handouts,
provided a platform for discussions, decision and motion to support
I would like to express thanks, on behalf of the student at Alexandria Technical and
Community College for your extraordinary work on our behalf. We look forward to
more meetings and discussions with you.
Sincerely,
Marzouk Alassani
Student senate president
Ou8106jh@alextech.edu
Board of Trustees
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
500 Wells Fargo Place
30 East Seventh Street
St. Paul MN 55101
Chancellor Rosenstone and Trustees:
As requested by MnSCU’s student consultation policy (Board policy 2.3), this letter will outline the
tuition consultation process that recently took place at Anoka Technical College campus.
Our Senate met with ATC Administration to consult on the college budget on October 28, January 27,
and February 24. These meetings were attended by President Kent Hanson, CFO Done Lewis, and the
Senate’s executive board.
Background materials were provided to the Senate, which included a detailed spreadsheet illustrating
the budget impact of fee increases ranging from a freeze to 3%. The Administration proposed no fee
change as we as a senate raised the Student life fee last year .55 per-credit increase.
The consultation on the budget was sufficient for the Senate to have a lengthy discussion about the
proposal and to make an informed decision. Our senate voted that we do not support raising any fees at
this time. President Kent Hanson made himself available at any time for comments or questions and
members of his staff were very responsive to our questions. We feel we have total support from our
President and CFO and they support our decision.
We factored into the administration’s budget plan and felt that the consultation process was taken
seriously by both students and administration.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments regarding Anoka Technical College
tuition consultation process. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Anna Ewing,
Anoka Technical College Student Senate President
annaewing19@gmail.com
Chancellor Rosenstone and Board of Trustees
500 Wells Fargo Place
30 East Seventh Street
Saint Paul, MN 55101
4/12/2016
Dear Chancellor Rosenstone and Trustees:
This letter is in reference to the student tuition consultation process that has occurred at Anoka-Ramsey
Community College – Cambridge Campus. College Administration has met with our Senate four times
this year, on October 29th, November 12th, February 11th, and March 31st. These meetings were attended
by CFO Don Lewis. President Kent Hanson was able to attend both the October and February meetings
as well.
Our Senate was provided with up to date information about the financial status of the institution as well
as our individual campus. The campus had a nominally flat enrollment this last year, and is expecting a
1% decrease for the 2017-2018 fiscal year. The administration anticipates that the 1% decrease in
tuition over the course of the next year will create a tight budget, but there should be no issues with
meeting program budgetary needs. The campus will be prioritizing the budget on classroom upgrades,
program growth, and construction.
The Administration has made no suggestions for fee changes or program budget cuts. The Student Life
fee and the Technology fee will be kept at $7.25 and $10.00 respectively. The Parking/Facility fee has
not yet been reviewed, and is expected to remain at the $1.75 per credit rate. The Athletic Fee is
currently under discussion. No increase is to be expected.
President Kent Hanson and CFO Don Lewis both made themselves available for comments or questions
many times over the course of the last year. They also referred us to Dean of Student Affairs Steve
Crittenden for questions that needed more urgent attention.
CFO Don Lewis provided a transparent and easily understood budget using spreadsheets and detailed
lists of the plans and priorities for our campus. The Student Senate was provided the same information
as faculty and community groups. We believe that our views were perceived equally in all aspects of the
budget plan.
Our Senate takes great pride that our campus continues to remain the institution with the lowest tuition
in Minnesota. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments regarding Anoka-Ramsey
Community College – Cambridge Campus’s tuition consultation process. Thank you for your
consideration.
Sincerely,
Minda Nelson
Anoka-Ramsey Community College
Cambridge Campus
Student Senate President
MNelson34@my.anokaramsey.edu
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
500 Wells Fargo Place
30 East Seventh Street
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55101
Dear Chancellor Rosenstone and Trustees:
I am writing to you today in regard to the tuition and fee consultation process at Anoka-Ramsey
Community College-Coon Rapids. Per MnSCU Policy 2.3, President Hanson and CFO Don Lewis met
with the Coon Rapids Student Senate four times. During the Fall 2015 semester they met with us on
October 28, 2015 and November 25, 2015 and during the Spring 2016 semester they met with us on
February 17, 2016 and March 30, 2016.
At each meeting, President Hanson and Mr. Lewis were enthusiastic about meeting with students. Their
honesty and willingness to answer questions was appreciated. At each meeting we were given a budget
breakdown and outlook. During each meeting, myself and the rest of the Student Senate were pleased
with the budget outlook. During the last meeting, we discussed what the budget would look like with the
mandated 1% tuition decrease and the implications of the $21 million supplemental budget request for
our campus.
I am happy to report that all of Anoka-Ramsey Coon Rapids’ fees will remain the same. The Student
Life Fee committee met several times and was able to balance the budget with no increases. The Athletic
Fee committee met once and, after a year of being in the red, the budget is now balanced with room to
put money into our reserve with no increase to the fee. The Technology and Parking Fee committee had
no proposed increases as well. Finally, the Health and Wellness Fee was a bit more challenging, but in
the end we got it to balance with no proposed increase.
Our Senate was very pleased with the 2015-16 budget consultation process. Our administrators proved
to be student driven and did what they could to ensure student success. President Hanson and his entire
administration have proven to be an invaluable resource and were wonderful to work with this year.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me.
Sincerely,
Rebecca Larson
Student Senate President
Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids
rlarson15@my.anokaramsey.edu
Office: (763) 433-1290 | Cell: (763) 923-3079
Student Senate
Central Lakes College
501 West College Drive
Brainerd, MN 56401
Board of Trustees
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
500 Wells Fargo Place
30 East Seventh Street
St. Paul, MN 55101
Greetings Chancellor Rosenstone, Chair Reiner, and Trustees,
We are writing to you in regards to Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Student Consultation Policy 2.3 on the
tuition consultation process representing both of the Central Lakes College campuses. Both of our student senates
are writing to you as one unified body.
Our Tuition Consultation meetings totaled five hours, Vice President of Administrative Services Kari Christiansen,
Student Life Director Erich Heppner, and Student Senate members of both campuses were in attendance. An
overview of changing fees, the college budget, and budget assumptions were all discussed at these meetings.
In addition, we are recommending that our Technology Fee will remain at the current rate of $10 per credit. The
Student Life Committee is recommending establishing an Athletic Fee of $5 per credit, and dropping the Student
Activity Fee to $4.25 per credit. In order to balance the areas of cultural, campus-based and athletics equally, the
committee decided to grant a one-time allocation of funds from the Student Activity Fee to be transferred to
athletics. Upon completion of these meetings the proposed changes were brought to both campuses for approval.
The students of both Brainerd and Staples campuses were free to ask questions and express thoughts about the
proposal. Both campuses unanimously approved the proposed changes.
Please feel free to contact either of us with any questions, comments, or concerns regarding the Central Lakes
College Brainerd & Staples tuition consultation process. Thank you for your time as well as your consideration.
Sincerely,
Natalie Berens
Student Senate President
Central Lakes College
Staples Campus
(218)232-2009; bere8361@go.clcmn.edu
Monty Pintok
Student Senate President
Central Lakes College
Brainerd Campus
(218)838-9602; pint5424@go.clcmn.edu
Board of Trustees
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
500 Wells Fargo Place
30 East Seventh Street
St. Paul MN, 55101
Dear Chancellor Rosestone & Trustees:
I am writing to you today in regards to the 2015-2016 tuition and fee consultation process
between the Century College Student Senate and the Century College Administration as
requested in the Board Policy 2.3.
Throughout the 2015-2016 academic year, the Century College Student Senate met with
the Century College Administration to discuss previous, current, and projected budget status of
the college. We met with the administration on September 23, September 30, November 4,
December 3, January 27, February 24 and March 30. These meetings were attended by both the
Student Senate and the administration: Interim President Pat Opatz, Interim Vice-President of
Finance and Administration Bonnie Meyers, Interim Vice-President of Student Services Greg
McCalley, Associate Vice-President of Information Technology and Administrative Services
John Rohleder, Vice-President of Academic Affairs Michael Berndt, Dean of Student Services
Kristen Hageman, Director of Student Life and Leadership Jennifer Rassett, the Century College
Student Senate executive officers, and Senator-at-Large members.
The administration provided background materials to the Student Senate which included
detailed spreadsheets that covered: enrollment outlook from 2006 through 2017, statewide
college and university fee comparison, current 2016 and expected 2017 fee changes, and current
and proposed special course fee. The interim President as well as the Interim Vice-President of
Finance presented a detailed PowerPoint overviewing the college’s budget, allocations, and
strategies for increasing and addressing the decreasing enrollment trends.
The Administration proposed no increase to tuition, but did propose a $0.25 increase in
the Parking fee and an increase in several special course fees to reflect those courses’ unique
financial requirements. The Student Senate discussed the proposed fee increase in our meetings
and found them to be appropriate. The Student Senate also worked in the Student Life
Committee and the Technology Committee to create recommendations for the Student Life and
Technology fee respectively. The Student Senate recommended a $0.15 increase in the
Technology fee. We also recommended that the Student Life fee increase by $0.17 and that the
Athletic fee increase by $0.04.
The 2015-2016 budget consultation was seen as being an overall highly informative
process and was sufficient for the Student Senate to discuss and present our views on the 201617 budget proposal. We feel confident that our decisions were well informed and were taken
under full consideration from the Student Senate.
Interim President Pat Opatz and Interim of Finance and Administration Bonnie Meyers
made themselves available between meetings when a question was unable to be answered at a
meeting or when a question came up. The administration did a wonderful job at providing
additional information and documents whenever it was requested. Additionally, they took our
views into heavy consideration when making adjustments to the proposed fee changes. We feel
that we were not only consulted with, but we were truly included in the decision making process.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, comments, or concerns
regarding the Century College 2015-2016 budget consultation process. I would like to thank the
Board of Trustees for their dedication to the students in Minnesota.
Sincerely,
Silvia Landaverde
Century College Student Senate
President
(651)216-7079
td0587kd@my.century.edu
April 27, 2016
Chancellor Rosenstone & Board of Trustees
500 Wells Fargo Place
30 East Seventh Street
Saint Paul, MN 55101
Dear Chancellor Rosenstone and Trustees:
This letter is in reference to the student tuition consultation process that has occurred at Dakota
County Technical College in Rosemount, MN. The Student Life Budgeting committee, which I
chair, consisted of members from the campus student body. We meet twice a month to review club
request forms and purposes for Student Life programming.
We have another year of great achievement in the consultation process. Our school’s CFO Scott
Erickson has done an exceptional job of keeping the students informed of the financial situation at
the college. He meet with our senate on April 6, 2016 to discuss that the tuition on campus will
decrease by 1% next year and the college did not ask anything of Student Senate, who is in
complete support of this budget. All other student and technology fee on campus are staying the
same.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments regarding Dakota County
Technical College tuition consultation process. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Kevin C. Day – Student Senate President
Dakota County Technical College
kevin.ch.day@gmail.com
Board of Trustees
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
500 Wells Fargo Place
30 East Seventh Street
St. Paul, MN 55101
Chancellor Rosenstone, Chair Renier and Trustees:
As requested by MnSCU’s student consultation policy this letter will outline the tuition consultation
process that took place this year at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College. Our senate met with
FDLTCC administration to consult on the college budget on Feb. 16, Mar. 10 and Mar. 29. The attendees
were President Larry Anderson, CFO Stephanie Hammitt, The dean of students Keith Turner, and the
senate’s executive board.
During the meetings, we were informed that the current financial position of the campus is strong. This
wasn’t always the case. In 2008 we were in a deficit, and since then have developed a budget and have a
reserve of five to seven percent. It was explained to us how the Higher Learning Commission rates the
campus. The percentage of revenue received from tuition versus appropriations is 60 - 40 respectively.
The breakdown of the current and proposed college expenses are 75% for people and 25% for nonpersonal. The enrolment outlook is lower than normal.
When talking about tuition fees we were told they are very careful not to price themselves out of the
market. The technology fee hasn’t been raised in many years, and the campus wants to keep the tuition
affordable for the students. As for differential course rates that all depends on what is needed to teach the
class. The costs need to be justified such as professionals, labs, and equipment. Alternatives to raising
fees are grants from many sources as well as keeping a close eye on the budget. They want to support the
system and the staff. D2L needs to be worked on with the students, faculty and staff, however there is a
fee for this program.
Proposed fee changes for the future are a technological fee. The budget committee is looking at where
other campus are on this topic. Housing may also go up 2.5%. This has not been increased in 3 years. The
reason for the increase would be to pay for the cost of cable, Wi-Fi, and other items needed in the housing
area. The cost of tuition is planning on going down 1%. The plans for future building requests are boiler
repairs as well as fixing the student services area and having the services together as well as the trailers
being a part of the campus.
President Anderson, CFO Stephanie Hammitt and the Dean of students all comminuted with us that we
are welcome to any of the budget meetings as well if we have any further questions, they are more than
willing to answer them. The staff was extremely responsive to our questions.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments regarding Fond du Lac Tribal and
Community College tuition consultation process at olson.amanda@s.fdltcc.edu or (813)857-4742
Respectfully Submitted,
Amanda Olson
FDLTCC Student Senate President
Chancellor Rosenstone and Board of Trustees
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
500 Wells Fargo Place
30 East Seventh Street
St Paul MN 55101
Chancellor Rosenstone and Trustees,
As requested by MNSCU’s student consultation policy (Board Policy 2.3), this letter will outline the
budget consultation process that recently took place at Inver Hills Community College. The students
appreciated the transparency the presentation provided, while delivering a respectful approach focused on
partnership.
Student Senate met with Interim Chief Financial Officer, Scott Erickson and Interim Chief Information
officer, Todd Jagerson on March 31st and April 14th. During these meetings, they informed students about
the college’s financial state, higher education legislation spending, a proposed technology fee increase,
the college fund balance, and other various items identified as issues by students.
Mr. Erickson- ICFO, Mr. Jagerson -ICIO and the students discussed the status of MNSCU’s budget and
the impact of the 1% decrease in tuition rate. To bridge the gap, they are looking at cutting budget in areas
that will not have a strong direct impact on student services. This aligned with Student Senate and the
push for focusing on students first.
There was also detailed discussion on increasing the technology fee by $1.50 after an increase the year
prior of only $.35. After better understanding the analysis of how the money will be spent, and the
positive impact it will have on the students, Student Senate is supportive. We are looking forward to the
enhancements in our technology offerings to provide a more enriched learning experience for our
students.
After discussion within Senate and questions being answered by Mr. Erickson and Mr. Jagerson Student
Senate supports a one-time $20 application fee with the exclusion of current students.
After an open discussion about the budget consultation Student Senate is in support of the proposed
technology increase of $1.50 and the one-time $20 application fee.
Please contact Ray Kane if you have any questions. Thank you for your time.
Best,
Inver Hills Community College Student Senate
651-450-8652
Ray Kane, President
Oscar Corral, Vice President
Alec Christenson, Secretary
Jared McDonald, Treasurer
Cass Wendlant, Legislative Director
Maggie Mead, Director of Communications
Chancellor Rosenstone & Board of Trustees
500 Wells Fargo Place
30 East Seventh Street
Saint Paul, MN 55101
April 28, 2016
Dear Chancellor Rosenstone and Trustees:
This letter is to inform you regarding the budget consultation process at Lake Superior College (LSC). In
the fiscal year 2016, President Dr. Patrick Johns, Vice President of Administration Al Finlayson, and Vice
President of Academic and Student Affairs Michael Seymour met with the LSC Student Senate on
October 28, 2015, February 22, 2016, and April 4, 2016 to talk about the budget.
At these meetings, administration explained the different parts of the budget and clarified how they affect
students. We were also given materials to help us understand the annual budget, the accounting structure,
and a detailed spreadsheet for the annual budget.
The Senate was told that due to contract salary increases and low enrollment, there will be cutbacks in the
budget. Although it is understandable that with less revenue there needs to be fewer expenditures, it is
concerning to us that both personnel and non-personnel budget items will have cutbacks. We find it most
concerning that there will be cutbacks in student support services, which affect students directly and are
highly valued by students. While reviewing the Student Life FY 17 budget, the Student Life Committee
found that there will need to be significant cuts in services offered to students to keep a balanced budget.
The Student Senate does not believe the large amount of cuts needed is favorable for students, so we
proposed the idea of raising the current Student Life fee by one dollar per credit to help make up for the
Student Life budget deficit. The fee raise was discussed and passed unanimously by the Student Senate.
Although we do not enjoy raising fees for students, with the 1% tuition decrease, the LSC students will
still have a net decrease in tuition and be able to enjoy the services LSC’s Student Life has to offer. We
are happy there will not be any other differential fee increases and that there may be budget reallocations
so advising services are not affected by the cutbacks.
Overall, we are satisfied with the projected annual budget and the budget consultation process, which is
useful and informational to us.
As Student Senate President, I feel that the LSC administrators take the Board policy 2.3 seriously and
respect student involvement. Administration initiated the conversations about meeting in July 2015 before
classes started. They continuously show interest to meet with us about the budget.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments concerning the Lake Superior
College budget consultation process.
Sincerely,
Kasey Wilson, Student Senate President
Lake Superior College
lk0315ut@my.lsc.edu
Student Senate of Metropolitan State University
Student Center 204.3
690 East Seventh Street
Student.Senate@metrostate.edu
St Paul, MN 55106
senate.metrostate.edu
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
30 7th Street East, Suite 350
Saint Paul, MN 55101
May 6, 2016
Re: Tuition Consultation
Dear Chair Vekich, Chancellor Rosenstone, and Members of the Board,
It has been a great experience participating in the rollout of Metro State’s Parking
Facility, Student Center, and Science Education Center. The construction of these facilities will
have a lasting impact on our reputation both within the community and among our alumni.
We acknowledge that these projects will greatly benefit our University but we have also
heard some criticism regarding the fee structure for the Parking Facility. I am happy to say that
while we were working through these concerns, many members of the University community
have been there to provide information and assistance along the way.
On February 26, 2016 the Student Senate was joined by Bruce Biser, Interim CFO,
Anthony Roan, Associate Vice President for Financial Management, and Dan Hambrock,
Associate Vice President for Facilities Management. At this meeting Bruce, Anthony and Dan
provided us with information about the revenue generated under the current parking fee model,
and the revenue required to sustain our bond obligation. Per our request, Mr. Biser further
provided us with a model that would relieve the parking fee burden for our online students.
This led the Student Senate to host a forum for students to provide their thoughts and
feedback on the current model as well as the model that shifts the burden off of online students.
At the conclusion of the forum, it was clear that the vast majority of attendees preferred the
current structure. This led the student senate to adopt a resolution to support maintaining the
current parking fee structure for the 2016-2017 academic year. We are pleased that the
administration concurs with our recommendation.
Herbert King, Dean of Students, has also visited us on numerous occasions to discuss the
implementation of Health Care Services on campus as well as the accompanying student fee. On
January 22, 2016 Dean King reviewed the three finalists with us and also gathered our feedback
on the proposals. On February 5, 2016 the student senate adopted a resolution to support the
option offered by Fairview. We are pleased the administration has decided to partner with
Fairview to receive these services.
There have also been discussions this year regarding Childcare at Metropolitan State
University. The student senate strongly supports the implementation childcare assistance
Student Senate of Metropolitan State University
Student Center 204.3
690 East Seventh Street
Student.Senate@metrostate.edu
St Paul, MN 55106
senate.metrostate.edu
programs on campus. We hope this discussion continues and that a beneficial solution is reached
when it presents itself.
Many of the above conversations culminated on April 29, 2016 when CFO Biser
presented the administration’s 2016-2017 tuition and fees recommendations. Our members were
glad to see that the only addition to the cost of attendance at Metro State next year will be the
Health Care Service Fee.
Sincerely,
Matthew Rubel
Student Senate President
To Whom It May Concern,
First let me say the budget consultation at Minneapolis Community & Technical College is more
of a formality than a necessity. Reason being the shared governance at our institution is
unparalleled in MnSCU by my observation. The Student Senate cabinet has the same access to
the not only the FYI budgets but the day to day operations of the Finance department including
access to ISRS, This total transparency transfers to all areas of the operation of our school.
Our Interim VP of Finance Chris Rau conducted our official consultation was held in front of the
Senate Assembly April 6th, 2016. The budget was pretty simple with very little that affected the
students directly or impacted the quality of services we have enjoyed over the last few years. The
Senate has a deep understanding of our financial situation and has throughout the year.
We are very familiar with declining enrollment and operating year-to-year with less money than
we actually need. The most discussed item was the capping of the amount of bus passes to be
issued and the General Funds contribution to the funding which we then closed by contributing
more from our Student Life budget. If you have questions or concerns please feel free to contact
me at your convenience.
Sincerely,
Robert E. Ellis
Student Senate President
Minneapolis Community & Technical College
Ofc - 612-659-6799
Cell - 612-227-0473
Steven J. Rosenstone, Chancellor
Minnesota State Colleges and University System
500 World Trade Center
30 E. 7th Street
St. Paul, MN 55101
Dear Chancellor Rosenstone
The Red Wing Student Senate would like to inform you that twice this month we
met with our CFO, Mike Kroening, in regards to our campuses FY17 budget
consultation and proposal. We had the pleasure to have our College President, Dr.
Dorothy Duran, present for one of the meetings. Both President Duran and Mike
have made themselves very accessible to myself this year in regards to any issues or
thoughts I have had as Student President, which was greatly appreciated.
We were informed of the 1% decrease in tuition, and well-versed of the intentions
for the near future. We discussed several recommendations we have had as
representatives of our student body and the response was positive. We feel that our
CFO and College President showed the support we should expect in regards to
student requests. As we move forward, we were lead to believe in the idea that our
wishes will be met. We have proposed that a current Mayo Health Services fee of
3.50 per credit be removed due to low usage and what it offers. We proposed the
addition of a new 2.00 per credit fee, which would partner our campus with the Red
Wing YMCA for health and wellness programming. The proposal drafted for this
would enable full membership to the YMCA for all on-campus students. We also
proposed that a raise to the Student Life Fee of .70 cents, to allow for some much
needed improvements to our Student Life budgets to assist future goals. With the
removal of one fee, addition of one, and the increase of another, our students will
still see a decrease of .80 cents in fees, which we are pleased to recommend.
We, the Red Wing Student Senate, feel these changes will strengthen our Students
and campus. We are excited to see the positive intentions of our President, Dr.
Dorothy Duran. I look forward to seeing growth in the upcoming years.
Benjamin J Schmidt
Student Senate President – Red Wing Campus
BenSchmidtRW@Gmail.com
308 Pioneer Road, Red Wing, MN 55066
April 11, 2016
Steven J. Rosenstone, Chancellor
Minnesota State College and Universities
500 Wells Fargo Place
30 E. 7th Street #350
St. Paul, MN 55101
Dear Chancellor Rosenstone,
Consultation with students on the tuition recommendation for the FY17 academic year has occurred over the last six
months during a variety of meetings with Student Senate from the Winona campus. As Student Senate president of the
Winona campus, I feel the students have been adequately consulted on the following matters:
Tuition
Michael Kroening, Vice President of Finance, met several times with our Student Senate to discuss school budgets,
anticipated state appropriation levels, and the need for tuition fees and additional revenue. We discussed the impact of
various levels of funding from the state and the resulting tuition, fees, and revenue would be necessary at each level. After
discussing total revenue needed for Southeast Tech. to adequately fulfill its mission and realized at current proposed state
appropriation levels, no increase in FY17 would be necessary to balance the budget and address student needs adequately.
Along with that, we discussed how switching Southeast Tech to a Community and Technical College will help increase
enrollment and help the budget for future years down the road. Our Student Senate will continue to have the best interest
of the student body in mind and continue to advocate for them to keep the tuition increase to a minimum, if anything at
all. After going through this process, our senate further realizes the problem that Southeast Technical is struggling with,
like most colleges, which is how enrollment continues to decline due to the healthy economic status of our state.
Student Fees
Student fees were also discussed and President Duran has chosen to not raise any fees for FY17. As a Student Senate, we
discussed raising the student life fee but felt that with the tuition freeze for another year, it would be best to not touch the
fee and address the issue during future consultation. We should find effective ways to spend our budget to have a positive
impact on the school before we go forward with asking for a fee increase. We also discussed potential ways to more
effectively use student fees by potentially cutting some of our benefits with Winona State University and using other
health, wellness and counseling services. After some discussion, we decided the current relationship with Winona State
University is a healthy and very useful one. It would be an inconvenience to all if we were to seek out other potential
health, wellness and counseling services.
The Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical, Winona Campus Student Senate and I would like thank you and we
greatly look forward to this process next year, as it is such a humbling experience to represent the students of this school.
Respectfully,
Dillon Jones
Student Senate President
Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical, Winona Campus
dillon.jones004@gmail.com
Student Senate
218.477.2150 T
218.477.5050 F
studentsenate@mnstate.edu
Friday, April 29th, 2016
To Whom It May Concern,
This letter is being written per MnSCU Board Procedure 2.3.1 (Student Involvement in Decision
Making), regarding the consultation that occurred between the Minnesota State University Moorhead
Student Senate and members of the Administration of Minnesota State University Moorhead.
President Anne Blackhurst, Provost Joseph Bessie, Vice President for Finance and Administration
Jean Hollaar, Interim Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs Doug Peters regularly
provided budget updates and information to the Student Senate at our monthly meetings per the Meet and
Confer process the university engages in with the bargaining units on campus. Additionally, Vice President
Hollaar regularly met with the Senate Finance Subcommittee and communicated directly with myself and
other members of the student government.
Overall, the Student Senate and I were comfortable with the information and materials presented on
the university budget. There was plenty of time to review and consider, the Student Senate had ample
opportunities to ask questions and (I like to think respectfully) challenge the Administration. We have been
appreciative of the careful and conservative review and handling of the university’s finances and budget, and
the receptiveness towards input.
Additionally, the university went through the Student Activity Fee Review process, with presentations
from the budget managers from the various fee areas:
-Student Union
-Wellness Center
-Athletics
-Health Services
-Technology
-Student Life/Activity (composed of our Student Activity Fee overseen by our Student Activity Budget
Committee or “SABC”, Intramurals and Club Sports, the Fargo-Moorhead Metro Area Transit or MAT Bus,
and the Student Life Reserve)
-Student Events (composed of the Theatre, Performing Arts Series, Art Gallery, and Music)
-Sustainability
There were proposals to create a Planetarium fee and a Bike Share fee, with the advice that, per the
MnSCU System Office, those would not fall under the 3% cap. The Student Senate decided to not only not
consider them separately from that 3% cap, but also recommended not establishing said fees.
The recommendation from the Senate to President Blackhurst regarding the fees was as follows:
Remain at Current Levels
-Athletics (at board max)
-Health Services (at board max)
-Technology
-Student Life Reserve
-Theatre
-Performing Arts Series
-Art Gallery
-Sustainability
Student Senate
218.477.2150 T
218.477.5050 F
studentsenate@mnstate.edu
Increase Fee Amount
-$0.07 per credit increase for the Student Union
-$0.30 per credit increase for the Wellness Center
-$0.10 per credit increase for the Student Activity Fee
-$0.30 per credit increase for Intramurals and Club Sports
-$0.10 per credit increase for MAT Bus
-$0.01 per credit increase for Music
This would mean a $.88 per credit (2.2%) increase overall, under the 3% cap set by MnSCU.
I am proud to say that our Administration has been supportive of the work done and of the
recommendation and will be honoring that by not submitting anything above the $.88 increase.
We also had the budget managers/directors for the Learning Communities and First Year Programs
(the latter of which oversees the New Student or Orientation Fee) present to us. At this time, they are not
recommending any increases. The director of International Student Services was scheduled to present on the
International Student Fee, but a rather urgent medical situation arose which has prevented her from being
able to do so. I do not believe any increase was requested.
Regarding the Housing and Residential Life room and board rates, Heather Phillips, the Director of
Housing and Residential Life, came to Student Senate meetings on the 24th and 31st of March to present and
discuss the rate proposals for the upcoming academic/fiscal year. The meeting on the 24th was devoted to the
presentation of the rates and a detailed breakdown of the budget and finances for Housing and Residential
Life. The meeting on the 31st was for follow-up questions and further review, and it was at this meeting that
the Student Senate formally voted to approve the proposed rates and fees. Additionally, at the May 5th
meeting there will be additional follow-up information presented by the director of Housing and Residential
Life regarding building renovation plans.
Based on feedback from members of the Student Senate and conversations with the Administration, I
am more than comfortable saying that Minnesota State University Moorhead has done its due diligence and
engaged in honest and thoughtful consultation with the Student Senate. While there were times that some
concerns and displeasure were expressed, it was more to do with the changing of internal policies or
uncertainties about expectations, and a frank and thoughtful conversation was had to improve things moving
forward to minimize or eliminate such concerns in the future.
Should there be any questions or concerns, or if more information is felt to be required on any of
these topics, the Student Senate contact information is in the header of this letter. Additionally, feel free to
contact me at duckwortse@mnstate.edu or (510)-685-4669.
Sincerely,
Sean Duckworth
Minnesota State University Moorhead Student Body President
Minnesota State University Student Association Director for Moorhead
Chancellor Rosenstone and Trustees
Minnesota State College and Universities
500 Wells Fargo Place
30 East Seventh Street
Saint Paul, MN 55101
Chancellor Rosenstone and Trustees:
As requested by MnSCU’s student consultation policy (Board policy 2.3) this letter with outline
the tuition consultation process that recently took place at Minnesota West Community and
Technical College Granite Falls MN campus.
During out last March meeting student senate members met with Diana Fliss to discuss the
college’s budget and how it will affect the students.
Diana Fliss discuss the budget in great detail covering topics to help student senate members get
a better understanding of where the college receives their numbers for the budget. While giving
the presentation Diana Fliss compare this year’s budget with previous years, putting the colleges
financial in prospective.
One of the topics discussed during this meeting was lowering of tuition by 1% for community
and technical colleges a crossed Minnesota West region. Also she discussed the increasing cost
of parking fees due to increase of parking lot maintenance. On a positive note the increase of
parking fees and the lowering of tuition will almost balance out making the change very
minimal.
Diana Fliss was very insightful and help student senate member get a better grasp on the
college’s budget and where the college will head next. All of the information she provide is
available for student senate member to view at their leisure.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any question or comments regarding Minnesota West
Community and Technical College - Granite Falls, MN tuition consultation process. Thank you
for your consideration.
Sincerely
Jason Malecek, Student Senate President
Minnesota West Community and Technical College – Granite Falls Campus
jason.malecek@live.mnwest.edu
Board of Trustees
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
30 7th Street East, Suite 350
St. Paul, MN 55101-7804
Chair Vekich and Trustees:
As requested by MnSCU’s student consultation policy (Board Policy 2.3), this
letter will outline the tuition consultation process that recently took place at
Minnesota West Community and Technical College-Pipestone Campus.
Our senate met with Minnesota West Community and Technical College
administration to consult on the college budget on October 27, 2015 and
March 22, 2016. These meetings were attended by Diana Fliss and Dean
Jackie Otkin, the senate, and the senate’s executive board.
A Power Point slide show was presented with detailed description. The Power
Point was also offered to be dispersed through email upon request.
The consultation on the budget was sufficient for the senate to ask questions
and have discussions about the budget for the next year.
Even though President Gaalswyck was not in attendance for our consultation,
he, Diana Fliss, and his staff have made themselves available for any
questions, comments, or concerns. We feel as though our views were factored
into the administration’s budget plan and felt that the consultation process
was taken seriously by both students and administration.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any question or comments regarding
Minnesota West Community and Technical College-Pipestone’s consultation
process. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Chelsea Self, Student Senate President, chelsea.self@live.mnwest.edu
Virginia Campus:
1001 Chestnut Street West
Virginia, MN 55792-3401
800-657-3860 • 218-741-3095
218-749-7783 (V/TTY)
Fax: 218-748-2419
www.mr.mnscu.edu
Eveleth Campus:
1100 Industrial Park Drive • PO Box 648
Eveleth, MN 55734-0648
800-657-3860 • 218-741-3095
218-744-7455 (V/TTY)
Fax: 218-744-7466
www.mr.mnscu.edu
Equal Opportunity Employer/Educator
Member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System
Mesabi Range Community & Technical College is accredited by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
April 14th, 2016
Chancellor Stephen Rosenstone &
Board of Trustees
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System
Wells Fargo Place
30 7th St. E
St. Paul, MN 55101
Dear Chancellor Rosenstone and members of the Board of Trustees,
Rainy River Community College Student Senate has met with Administration twice this
semester and I have also met with Administration one on one to go over the budget for FY
2016-2017. During the consultation, Provost Carol Helland and Mrs. Ahrens addressed any
questions from the Senate in full and were very prepared with information to show the various
political scenarios to the Student Senate.
We are concerned about the anticipated budget reductions that the college is facing however.
Even though tuition is going down by 1% and there aren’t any fee increases in the foreseeable
future, which is great for students, reducing services and/or faculty is of grave concern as well.
We plead with you to either change the allocation formula to better fund rural colleges, and/or
secure additional funding from the state. From advocating at the state capitol, we understand
the uphill battle to increase state funding, but we cannot afford not to. We do not want to see
our fellow students receive a less than adequate education. Thank you for considering the
students voice during this process.
Sincerely,
Levi Skogstad
Student Senate President
Rainy River Community College
levi.skogstad@RainyRiver.edu
April 29th 2016
Chancellor Dr. Steven Rosenstone and Trustees
Minnesota State Colleges & Universities
Wells Fargo Place
30 7th St. E. Suite 350
St. Paul, MN 55101-7804
Dear Dr. Rosenstone and Trustees,
It is a great honor and privilege to write this letter outlining the tuition consultation process which took place on the Normandale
campus over the past year. The process followed in accordance with MnSCU’s Board policy 2.3.
Since June1, 2015 I have had the pleasure of meeting both the Vice President of Finance and Operations, Dr. Lisa Wheeler and the
College President, Dr. Joyce Ester for the budget consultation for the 2015-2016 school year. Since the beginning of the consultation
process in June, the Normandale Student Senate has had open communication with both Dr. Ester and Dr. Wheeler regarding the
budgeting process. In all, there have been a total of four budget presentations given to the Student Senate, as well as additional oneon-one conversations with myself, and the Student Senate Treasurer Isaac Jahaurs. Students have provided feedback, asked questions
and have been fully engaged throughout the whole process.
In addition to the budget presentations, I have been meeting with President Dr. Ester on a monthly basis to discuss issues facing
students and the collective Normandale campus. I have also had meetings with Dean of Students Lynn Perkins., and Vice President of
Student Affairs Dr. Orinthia Montague to further discuss issues facing students and the changes we will be implementing next year to
accommodate the fee increases.
In the final budget presentation given on Tuesday March 14th, President Dr. Ester and Vice President of Finance and Operations, Dr.
Lisa Wheeler, recommended that we continue to freeze tuition for FYE 16 and comply with the 1% tuition decrease for FYE 17, but
increase two student fees: technology fee to increase from $8.35 to $8.84, and student activity fee to increase from $4.00 to $4.40. For
a student who is taking 30 credit course load per, their tuition will remain the same but will be paying a total of $30.59 per year in fees
instead of $29.70. Enrollment for FYE 17 is projected to be lower as it was last year; however, despite the prediction, Normandale was
one of the few schools who experienced an enrollment increase of 3% for FYE 16 and we are hopeful that the trend continues for FYE
17.
After months of consultation and much discussion with Normandale Administration, the Student Senate has decided to endorse
proposed fee increases. Minnesota community college students leave community college with an average of $19,000 in debt. The
Normandale Student Senate appreciates the 1% decrease for tuition; however, the relentless increases in fees year after year are slowly
pricing students out of an education, during a time when our economy is calling for a “highly skilled and educated workforce.”
Students have turned to our college and many other two year institutes around the state because it is affordable solution to getting their
education, yet Minnesota public two-year students pay the third highest tuition and fees in the country and costs continue to rise. The
1% decrease is not enough and we urge our leaders to continue to keep higher education on the forefront. Most importantly, we must
continue to promote student learning and success, and protect the integrity and quality of academic programs and student supported
services. As Student Senate President, I have already scheduled meetings to meeting with Dr. Joyce Ester and Lisa Wheeler
throughout the summer to further discuss the budget.
If Normandale or any other college in this state is to continue to produce future leaders, more must be done to make college
affordable; all of our futures hinge on this.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns regarding Normandale’s consultation process or anything else I
have mentioned in this letter. Thank you for your considerations.
Cordially,
Amanda Gomes Torres
Student Senate President
Normandale Community College
Metro South Governing Council Representative
Minnesota State College Student Association
(952) 288-6403
STUDENT FEES AND BUDGET CONSULTATION LETTER
April 4, 2016
Dear Chancellor Rosenstone and Trustees:
As requested by MnSCU’s student consultation policy (Board Policy 2.3), we are writing this letter to outline
the student fee requests and the tuition and budget consultation process from North Hennepin Community
College.
Our Student Senate proposed, discussed and voted on three student fee issues this year. We would like two fees
to be increased – the student activity/life fee and the technology fee. We are requesting an exception to the 3%
cap of approximately $.50 cents and ask that we be allowed to increase our student fees by $1.00 total.
We began the discussions around student fees during the fall semester. We worked with our advisor, Lindsay
Fort, and our CFFO, Dan Hall, to understand the student fee structure, the fee increase cap, and how our fees
compare to other institutions within MnSCU. They were helpful in helping us understand what we could and
could not do with fees, how we could get student input, and were present to clarify policy issues and answer
questions during our conversations.
The first fee being considered was a new Intercollegiate Athletic Fee. A campus-wide committee was formed by
the college Vice President and there has been research into the feasibility and interest into restarting student
athletics on our campus. They conducted a student-interest survey and researched costs and options for the
program. After several meetings in subcommittees and as a larger Student Senate, conducting student surveys
and holding a town hall meeting, we made decisions for how to proceed with fees. There is interest for
intercollegiate athletics on campus, however, the college committee and Student Senate have agreed that we
should defer asking students for an intercollegiate athletic fee at this time and focus on the student life fee and
the technology fees this year. We feel this will decrease the impact on students for next year and focus on the
areas that the students have identified as areas for growth and need.
We are requesting a fee increase for the Student Activity/Life fee of 90 cents, changing the fee from $5.00 to
$5.90. This fee has not seen an increase on our campus since at least 1999, the last recorded date we could find.
We feel that over the last seventeen plus years, the cost of providing services and events to students has gone up.
We want to stay relevant and in line with current costs, and we want to be able to provide students with the
programming and services they want from the Student Activity Fee. At our Town Hall meeting in February, we
had many students request to have more cultural events and other resources available for students. They had
great ideas that we want to work together with Student Life on next year to provide for students, and a fee
increase would help us accomplish this. Students were very comfortable in paying more for these services and
we felt that ninety cents was the appropriate amount to increase to be able to meet these requests.
We are also requesting a fee increase for the Technology Fee of 10 cents, changing the fee from $8.00 to $8.10.
We had a technology fee increase a few years ago from $6 to $8, but there are still some work that needs to be
done to improve technology services for students on campus. We are requesting that our IT Department use the
funds from the additional ten cents in student-facing computer areas, such as the tutoring and library areas, as
well as improving wifi across campus. We want to support our IT Department in providing more services to
students directly and that is why we want to increase the technology fee.
We are also writing today to discuss how the college has worked to include students in the tuition and budget
consultation processes for the year. There have been no discussions on tuition increases this year, the college
president, Barbara McDonald, and our CFFO, Dan Hall, explained the tuition decrease planned. The structure to
our budget consultation was that the President and CFFO attended the bi-weekly Student Senate meetings from
September-April. The President has also been attending the Senate Executive Board Meetings once a month,
bringing updates to this group. We have been receiving budget updates at least once a month from them directly,
as well as we have received the emails that have gone out to the Faculty & Staff across campus with the budget
updates. We were also invited to participate in the college budget committee meetings.
Some of the areas that we discussed with the administration were the enrollment stats for this year (a decrease),
the enrollment projections for next year, and the strategies the college is using to balance the budget deficit. As
part of these discussions, they explained the difference between personnel and non-personnel budgets,
answering all of our questions about how the college budget worked. We wanted to discuss the strategies the
college was planning, including closing the college on Sundays and the layoffs. We had questions about the
layoffs, they answered all of the questions they could, but did have to come back to us with some responses after
the timelines and union requirements were met. They brought one-page summary documents of the current
budget status each meeting, as well as made many budget charts and graphs to help us understand the
breakdowns.
We understand that the college is balancing the budgets as best as they can with the anticipated 1% tuition
decrease and the 1% enrollment drop for the next fiscal year. We support the strategies they are using, including
closing campus on Sundays.
Overall, our administration, specifically our CFFO and President have sought out our opinions on many things,
listened and responded to our questions and provided follow up information when they did not have the
information on hand at the moment. We feel they were receptive to our concerns and included us where they
could in the decision processes. We are also very pleased with the level of student involvement in the Student
Life Fees Budget Process with our Treasurer as the Co-Chair and strong student representation on the
committee. We learned a lot this year and are proud of the communication and understanding that we have
between students and administrators.
We are pleased with the level of student involvement this year in the budget processes and are confident in the
fee increases we are requesting. Thank you for supporting us in our efforts to have an engaged and healthy
campus for all NHCC students. If you have questions, please contact us.
Sincerely,
Sebastian & Audua
Sebastian Rivera, 2015-2016 Student Senate President, SenatePresident@nhcc.edu
Audua Pugh, 2015-2016 Student Senate Treasurer, SenateTreasurer@nhcc.edu
Board of Trustees
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
500 Wells Fargo Place
30 East Seventh Street
St. Paul MN 55101
Dear Board of Trustees and Chancellor Rosenstone:
As requested by MnSCU’s Student Consultation Policy (Board Policy 2.3), this letter will outline
the tuition consultation process that recently took place at Northland Community and Technical
College-East Grand Forks NCTC Campus.
Our Senate met with NCTC administration to consult on the college budget on February 17th
2016 and March 30th 2016. These meetings were attended by President Dennis Bona, CFO
Shannon Jesme, and the Senate’s Executive Board. However on February 17th President Bona,
was not present.
There were not any background materials provided outlining possible situations that were
dependent on enrollment numbers and possible additional funding provided by the system. The
Administration is not asking for any increase in tuition or fees for students. The reasoning for not
raising tuition is due to the current tuition freeze. They are not asking for any increase in fees
because the fees have been raised consistently over the past four years. However, they are
suggesting service charges for Athletics and a Special Wilderness course.
The consultation process at NCTC would have benefitted from more information and details
provided by the NCTC administration. The Administration did not provide any concrete numbers
to reflect accurately how the budget will be built. There was talk that some services and/or
courses may be cut, but without accurate numbers, it was unclear whether this route would be
taken. More details on the budget would have helped students better understand the financial
situation of NCTC. President Bona made himself available at any time for comments or
questions. Despite the lack of clarity during the consultation process, we are thankful that
President Bona made himself available for our questions and concerns.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments regarding Northland
Community and Technical College-East Grand Forks’ tuition consultation process.
Sincerely,
Michaela Current
Student Senate President
Michaela.Current@student.northlandcollege.edu
Board of Trustees
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
500 Wells Fargo Place
30 East Seventh Street
St. Paul MN 55101
Ms. Goldschmitz, Chancellor Rosenstone, and Trustees;
As requested by MnSCU’s student consultation policy (Board Policy 2.3), this letter will outline
the tuition consultation process that recently took place at Northland Community and Technical
College- Thief River Falls.
Our senate met with NCTC Administration to consult on the budget on February 18th and March
24th. These meetings were attended by President Dennis Bona, Chief Financial Officer Shannon
Jesme, the senate’s officers, and students.
Background was given on the consultation process, along with background materials that
provided all possible situations that are dependent on enrollment numbers and possible additional
funding provided by the system.
The Administration is not asking for any increase in fees for students. The reasoning for not
raising fees is due to the current 1% tuition reduction.
Like our administration, we are frustrated by the uncertainty surrounding Minnesota’s higher
education budget and its impacts it may have on students and the College.
The students support Northland’s Administration, and believe they are doing what is the best for
the students. We believe that the students are our future and we want them to be able to afford
higher education.
President Bona made himself available for comments or questions. We appreciate his willingness
to share what information he had regarding Northland’s financial reality and find it unfortunate
so much is still unclear due to legislative timeframes.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments regarding Northland
Community and Technical College- Thief River Falls tuition consultation process.
Sincerely,
Robert Rinkenberger
Student Senate President
Robert.Rinkenberger@student.northlandcollege.edu
Chancellor Rosenstone & Board of Trustees
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
500 Wells Fargo Place
30 East Seventh Street
St. Paul MN 55101
April 13th, 2016
Chancellor Rosenstone and Trustees:
The purpose of this letter is to – as requested by MnSCU’s board policy 2.3 – discuss the student
budget consultation process that has been going on at Ridgewater College during this past year.
The administration at Ridgewater College have consulted students regarding budget matters in a
variety of ways and have been very willing to provide additional information upon request.
This year Ridgewater formed a budget committee comprised of students, administration and
faculty which was chaired by Daniel Holtz, Vice President of Finance and Operations. I was the
student representative on this committee from Ridgewater’s Hutchinson campus. Budget
committee meetings took place October 2nd, December 8th, and February 23rd. Primarily, the
purpose of the committee was to discuss general ideas around the budget and brain storm for
ideas.
The first budget meeting with the entire Student Senate took place on February 25th. During the
meeting Daniel Holtz presented the information in a very clear manner and frequently asked
questions to ensure everyone was following and understanding the details. Then during a recent
EOV (Exchange Of Views) meeting on April 25th, both Daniel Holtz and President Doug Allen
shared the overall details of their plan for next year’s general budget.
Recently the College administration informed the Student Senate that they are proposing to
increase the technology fee by $0.30 per credit and the parking fee by $0.25 per credit for the
2016 – 2017 year. When I enquired for more information about the reasons behind the
technology fee increase, the CIO Tim Furr took time to sit down with me and discussed in plain
terms why the increase is being proposed. Based on the information provided, the Senate agreed
that the fee increases are warranted and will cause an overall benefit to students.
Ridgewater College’s Student Life budget committee started meeting on April 4th to determine
the Student Life Budget for the 2016 – 2017 year. The committee met again on April 11th and for
the last time on April 18th. The committee was comprised of a majority of students who were
largest influence in determining next year’s budget. Discussions in the committee revolved
around deciding what areas of the budget could be cut to offset the currently decreasing
enrollment.
Overall, the Administration at Ridgewater College were not only willing but put forward a large
effort to discuss budget issues with the Student Senate. Due to uncertainty about State
Legislature appropriations, there was less than an ideal amount of discussion with students
concerning the College’s general budget. I would like to have seen more detailed discussions
with students on the budget for next year; however I understand the difficulty of having more
detailed discussions when many details were still unknown.
If there is more information you would like receive regarding the current budget consultation
process at Ridgewater College, do not hesitate to contact me and enquire. Thank you for your
consideration and everything you do.
Sincerely,
Timothy Mathison
Ridgewater College
Student Senate President, Hutchinson Campus
Board of Trustee
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
500 Wells Fargo Place
30 East Seventh Street
St. Paul, MN 55101
Chancellor Rosenstone & Trustees:
As the elected student senate President from Ridgewater College, Willmar Campus I would like
to take this opportunity to give you a brief report on the consultation process as requested by
MnSCU.
February 18th, 2016 Dan Holtz, Vice President of Finance and Operations presented a “Budget
101” to inform a select group of student senate members the budgeting process. In this
information session Mr. Holtz provide ample visual aids, using a power point presentation.
During the information session Mr. Holtz explained the budget breakdown with spread sheets
and included the language, history dating back to 2012 and projected future to 2020 for
Ridgewater College.
Mr. Holtz answered questions during the presentation making sure all in attendance were
provided with his office phone number and e-mail address to provide follow up information if
need be. The opportunity for clarification was used and transparency was maintained during the
budget process.
The first consultation took part on April 4th providing information as to budget cuts that were
needing to be made from the Student Life fund. In addition two fee increases were discussed.
Administration has proposed a .25 ¢ increase for parking and a .30 ¢ increase for technology.
April 11, 18 provided a continuation of the budget consultation process with scenarios presented
and discussed in full. Sufficient time was given to student senate to have discussions about the
impact of each of these scenarios.
Our senate voted to freeze remaining student senate funds and agreed to the modest increase in
the parking and technology fees.
Please feel free to contact me if you need further information with Ridgewater College, Willmar
campus budget consultation.
Respectfully submitted,
Dixie L. Johnson, Student Senate President, johnsondix@go.ridgewater.edu
Riverland Community College
Austin Student Senate Office
1900 8th Ave
Austin, MN 55912
April 20, 2016
MnSCU Board of Trustees
Wells Fargo Place
30th Street East, Suite 350
St. Paul, MN 55101-7804
RE:
Tuition and Fees
Dear MnSCU Board of Trustees:
Brad Doss, Chief Financial Officer and Dan Harbor, Director of Technology met with the
Austin Student Senate during the academic year on February 16, 2016. They presented information
on the FY2017 budget and shared a proposed plan for a FY2017 tuition reduction. They also
proposed a 59 cent increase in the technology fee.
We discussed the technology fee increase with some suggestions to improvements to Wi-Fi access
areas in Austin. We agreed with the 59 cent technology fee increase, given that an attempt is made
to improve Wi-Fi areas. Communication to improve the Wi-Fi access points has already begun and
we are satisfied with the improvements.
Brad Doss, Chief Financial Officer, met with the Austin Student Senate again on April 12, 2016 to
discuss the proposed plan for the FY2017 budget. We also agreed in the 1% tuition decrease that
was proposed and FY2017 budget proposal.
Our student senate members feel that the information presented pertaining to the tuition and fees
was very informative. Our questions were answered and the information was detailed and
organized. Brad Doss has also made himself accessible to further inquiries that the Senate might
have in the future regarding these issues.
Sincerely,
Andrea Hernandez-Ramirez, President
Riverland - Austin Student Senate
April 11, 2016
Board of Trustees
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
500 Wells Fargo Place
30 7th Street E., Suite 350
St. Paul, MN 55101-7804
Dear MnSCU Board of Trustees:
Brad Doss, Chief Financial Officer and Dan Harber, Director of Technology at Riverland
Community College, met with the Owatonna Student Senate during our meetings on March 18
and April 1, 2016. They reviewed information on the FY2016 budget and shared a proposed plan
for FY2017 tuition and fees.
We were pleased to hear that there will be a 1% decrease in tuition and fees for FY2015. It is
nice to know that MnSCU and the state legislature understand that money is tight for most
students, and we appreciate your efforts to keep tuition affordable. Dan also explained the need
for a 59 cents per credit increase in our technology fee, and we feel that this increase is justified
in order to provide adequate technology resources for Riverland students.
Our student senate members feel that the information presented regarding tuition and fees was
very informative. Our questions were answered, and the information was detailed and organized.
They have also made themselves accessible to further inquiries that the Senate might have in the
future regarding these issues.
Sincerely,
Andrew Sanchez, President
Riverland – Owatonna Student Senate
Andrew.Sanchez@my.riverland.edu
To:
Company:
Board of Trustees
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
500 Wells Fargo Place
30 East Seventh Street
St. Paul, MN 55101
From:
Date:
Subject:
Faribault Student Senate, South Central College
April 25th, 2016
Campus Budget Consultation Letter for Fiscal Year 16
Chancellor Rosenstone & Board of Trustees:
As requested by MnSCU’s student consultation policy (Board policy 2.3), this letter will outline the tuition consultation
process that recently took place at South Central College – Faribault Campus.
In the fall semester, our Student Senate met with Steve Mills, the Director of IT, who presented the tech fee on October
7th, 2015. He spoke about possibly reducing the IT fee budget as enrollment has decreased. He addressed questions to
the best of his ability around issues of not properly marketing the free services that students get through the technology
fee, including the Microsoft Office suite. For the spring semester, Mark Baas, Vice President of Technology, presented
the updated technology fee budget on April 18th. They did not propose any chances at this meeting.
On Dec. 7th, Dr. Parker requested a meeting with the Student Senate. At that meeting, she presented ways for
“rightsizing” the budget due to decreased enrollment and the upcoming 1% decrease in tuition. She presented a break
down balancing the budget in three ways: mission focused, balance approach, and all roles played. She went on to talk
about FY16 and what they projected for FY17. With the “rightsizing” process, she announced a decrease in
administrative positions, looking at retirement positions for staff, and a proposed faculty layoffs of five positions and
leaving two unfilled. She also announced three programs that are being suspended: Biology (AS), Community and Social
Services, and Pharmacy Technician.
On April 4th the new CFO David Armstrong did a second budget presentation. He spoke of being conservative with
spending and that the college may have to dip in reserves to solve the budget gap. He spoke of a 5% decrease in
enrollment but hopes for flat enrollment next year. He also addressed the parking needs and potential new options for
increasing security for the college, proposing a parking fee increase from $2.00 to $2.25.
In March we had preliminary conversations to see where Faribault campus Student Activity Fee (SAF) was currently
standing and projected to be at for the next fiscal year. With the data gathered, the Faribault Campus SAF standing was
projected to be poor and not viable. We asked administration to help with developing feasible options for increasing the
sustainability of the SAF. Due to the decrease in student enrollment, one option recommended to us was to increase
student activity fee from $5.75 to $6.25. To further explore options a meeting was held on April 18th, Mr. Armstrong,
President Parker, Dean of Student Affairs Judy Zeiger, Interim Director Student Life and Leadership Elaine Hardwick,
Assistant Director of Student Life and Leadership Nicole Hamilton, two Student Senate representatives from both
Faribault and North Mankato, to discuss the SAF. It was proposed at the meeting that the SAF be increased from $5.75
to $6.50 and parking fee from $2 to $2.50. The changes were to help address satiability issues and future priorities.
The Student Senate understands that there will be a decrease in enrollment or at least flat enrollment for the coming
year and recognize need to raise the Student Activity Fee. Our Student Senate feels that administration did address the
differences in numbers at the April 18th meeting and explained why the increase would be in the best interest of the
students. The students feel their views and input are not always valued or addressed properly but would like to say it is
getting better from prior years and we are currently working to develop new ways to improve the process such as
recognizing the need to begin the process earlier in the year so that we can obtain clearer information by having a better
understanding of what is being presented. With the support from our Senate for increasing the parking fee, we have
asked administration to keep the Student Senate updated with how repairs, maintenance of parking lots and the hiring
of security personnel go throughout the year so that we may better understand where the fees are being spent.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding South Central College
Faribault Campus budget consultation process at Amanda.Larsen@my.southcentral.edu
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely & with Gratitude,
Amanda Larsen
Student Senate President
April 26, 2016
Dr. Steven J. Rosenstone, Chancellor
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
Dear Chancellor Rosenstone,
This letter is to explain how the budget consultation went for the 2015-2016 academic year at South
Central College, North Mankato Campus. President Parker was personally involved in this process
to make sure that budget discussion was going well. During the first meeting, she started to explain
and go through the general overview of the budget. Dr. Parker also expressed the importance of
student involvement both on campus and this process. She also made sure that students were
participating in the discussion during the 2016-2017 academic year budget consultation. The student
senate was satisfied on how the administration worked with the students this year and we feel that
they completed their task of informing students about upcoming changes to the budget.
On November 19, Dr. Annette Parker began the budget consultation process with the student senate.
During the first meeting, Dr. Parker started to give the student senate a general overview of the
college budget. The students reviewed the budget, and the administration addressed all the questions
that we had about the budget. Dr. Parker told the students that she would meet with us again in the
spring semester to review and discuss any changes to the budget. She did an excellent job at
explaining how the budget consultation works and how increases and decreases happen on budget
proposals.
On March 14, the student senate met the college president and the newly appointed CFO, and we
started to discuss potential student fee increase. We reviewed the impact that it would have on
students and the college. We agreed to support the $0.75 cent SAF (Student Activity Fee) increase so
that we can get more student life programming, club funding, and improve the campus life. We also
decided to increase the parking fee $0.50 cent since the campus parking needs constant repairs and
significant reconstructions. We also discussed all these changes with the student life committee as
well, and their decision was to support the student senate decision to increase. The student senate
voted to support the 2016-2017 budget proposal.
Additionally, the technology fee was reviewed with VP/CIO of technology, Dean of student affairs
Judy Zeiger, and the Interim Student-life Director Elaine Hardwick. We concluded that the tech fee
would remain the same since the IT had a balanced budget this year.
Student Senate voted to approve and support the budget as it will benefit students next year. Dr.
Annette Parker and VP/CFP David Armstrong were very helpful in this process and was willing to
answer student questions. Overall, the Student Senate felt that the administration worked well with
SCC students in the budget consultation process.
Sincerely,
Mohamed Youssuf
Mohamed Youssuf, President
North Mankato Student Senate President
f-ilJ
ST. CLOUD STATE UNIVERSITY
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
720 Fourth Avenue South
St. Cloud, MN 56301-4498
To:
Laura King
Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer
From:
Summer Vogl, Student Government President 2015-2016
Jennifer Schlepp, Technology Fee Chair
Waqas Muzammil, Fee Allocation Chair
Date:
Friday, April 1, 2016
Subject:
Proposed Student Fees
The Technology Fee committee and the Fee Allocation committee of Student Government are proposing
the following student fee increases for FYI 7. Each committee has laid out their proposals below. The
Student Government Senate has read through the proposals and has voted in support by majority.
Proposals:
The Tech-Fee committee from the last three years have used information from student survey data,
Charting the Future Planning, and the Husky Compact to develop five key themes to which we would
like to focus on should we receive a fee increase. The fee we are at now is $5.92 per credit. The fee
increase we are proposing is $9.00 with a desire for a share of a 3% aggregate for years after. We
believe this increase allows us to modernize our current technology and also give us a little bit of
experimentation with our current projects.
The five key themes we are focusing on, that utilize the fee increase, are as follows:
1. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD): Remove unused computers and replace with furniture and
technology friendly spaces for students to work and use their own devices while incorporating
technology to promote group work in a causal computing space.
2. Wireless/Bandwidth: Our current technology does not support our learning and social needs. An
increase could help our campus in exponential ways.
3. Lab Updates: Updating computers that have not been replaced in 4-8 years.
4. Classrooms/Teaching Spaces/ e-classrooms: updating our classrooms and casual computing
areas by modernizing them to support BYOD and more collaborative teaching. Also providing
funding for these classrooms so the university can focus their funds on educating professors on
teaching with appropriate and modem technology.
5. Student Help: In the last few years, we have reduced student help dramatically which has
diminished technical support on campus. We would like to start bringing back more hands on
experience for our students, creating job opportunities and experience for future jobs.
The Student Life/Activity fee at St-Cloud State University supports budgets for 7 departments as well as
the Senate Finance Committee. The most substantial budget reductions have been done over the past 5
To:
Chancellor Steven Rosenstone
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
From:
Summer Vogl
Student Government President
Date:
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Subject:
Consultation on the Student Union Budget FY17
MnSCU Board Policy 2.3 calls for student involvement in decision-making when issues have a significant
impact on students. This memo outlines the consultation that the St. Cloud State University Student
Government received regarding the Atwood Memorial Center Budget, Student Union, at St. Cloud State
University.
Anne Buttke, Atwood Memorial Center Director, regularly came to Student Government Senate
meetings to give updates about the operation and activities in the Student Union. With her departure in
January, Interim Director Mathew Trombley has maintained constant communication with our Student
Association. At the March 31st, 2016 Student Government Senate meeting the Interim Director
Matthew Trombley presented to the senate on the budget for the consultation process. He and his staff
have successfully established a very diverse Atwood Center Council that approved the budget
recommendation sent to the Student Fee Allocation Committee. The Atwood Memorial Center
leadership has been collaborative, and supportive of the work the Student Fee Allocation committee
and Student Government has done to continue to maintain a budget that will allow us to maintain
service and programs students need for their success.
The Student Association at St. Cloud State University is satisfied with the level of consultation we have
received throughout the year regarding the budget for Atwood Memorial Center. The university
administration has been available to answer questions regarding the budget and history of the student
union. The Student Association looks forward to continuing consultations as we move forward into the
final budgeting phase. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you have.
Cc:
Earl H. Potter III, President
Wanda Overland, VP of Student Life and Development
Tammy McGee, VP of Finance and Administration
Matthew Trombley, Interim Director of Atwood Memorial Center
Wanda Overland, Student Government Advisor
To:
Chancellor Steven Rosenstone
Laura King, Vice Chancellor of Finance and Chief Financial Officer
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
From: Summer Vogl
Student Government President
Date: Thursday, April 14, 2016
Subject: Consultation on the Tuition and FY17 Budget
MnSCU Board Policy 2.3 calls for student involvement in decision-making when issues have a
significant impact on students. This memo outlines the consultation that the St. Cloud State
University Student Government received regarding the Fiscal Year 17 Tuition rates.
At the April 14, 2016 Student Government Senate meeting, Tammy McGee, Associate Vice
President of Finance and Administration, presented to the Senate the tuition and budget for fiscal
year 17. The presentation outlined the alignment between programs and student resources.
The Student Association at St. Cloud State University is satisfied with the level of consultation
for FY17 budget. The Student Association looks forward to the continued relationship among
the students and administration in the future. Please feel free to contact me with any questions
you have.
Cc:
Earl H. Potter III, President
Tammy L.H. McGee, Vice President of Finance and Administration
Ashish Vaidya, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs
Wanda Overland, Vice President of Student Life and Development and Student
Government Advisor
Winona State University | Student Union
P.O. Box 5838
Winona, MN 55987
Attention: Winona State University Student Senate
To: Chancellor Steven Rosenstone and MnSCU Board of Trustees
From: Joshua Hanson, Winona State University Student Senate President
Subject: Fee Consultation
Date: April 26, 2016
Chancellor Rosenstone and Board of Trustees:
The Winona State Student Senate has been properly consulted with on the basis of fees for the upcoming
academic year. Furthermore, students have been actively involved in the process through our “Student Fee
Management Committee,” which oversees campus wide fees.
The following recommendations were adopted by the Winona State Student Senate:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
0% increase to the Student Union Fee (Approved January 27, 2016)
0% increase to the Technology Fee (Approved February 3, 2016)
2% increase to the Wellness Center Fee (Approved February 10, 2016)
6.93% increase to the Health and Wellness Services Fee (Approved February 24, 2016)
0% increase to tuition (Approved March 16, 2016)
0.71% increase to the Room and Board Fee (Approved March 16, 2016)
4.09% increase to the Athletics Fee (Approved March 16, 2016)
9.6% increase to the Student Life fee (Approved March 16, 2016)
With the approval of the above fees, Winona State remains under the 3% aggregate cap on all fees.
While we face skyrocketing higher education costs around the country, student senators remained steadfast
in their commitment to ensuring that the campus climate remains impactful, safe, and comfortable for
students. While we approved a 6.93% increase to Health and Wellness Services, it is important to consider
that many students seek to have the cap on that fee raised, as many students seek higher quality and better
access to mental health services on campus. College is a stressful time for numerous students, and having
access to quality mental health services is critically important to ensure the safety of all students.
In addition, we are pleased to see Winona State University administration showing a commitment to
student-led initiatives. The Student Life fee – while showing a significant increase – is growing due in part
to a student initiative to add funds for green and sustainable projects on our campus. We only have one
planet, and Winona State Students have shown a commitment to protecting it. As we are only one sliver of
the pie, we hope you will join us in encouraging and incentivizing other colleges and universities to commit
to sustainable and green campus practices.
As always, we thank you for your commitment to improving the lives of students. It is through your service
that we can continue to move forward.
Sincerely,
Joshua Hanson
President | Winona State University Student Senate