University Tuition Proposal for 2007-2008 Academic Year
Page 1 of 4
SUI / ISU / UNI
University
Tuition Category
Undergraduate
Residency Status
Resident / Nonresident
Other classification (define as
necessary upper division, lower
division, etc.)
Proposed increase (%):
(in addition to HEPI-based increase)
Upper level (Junior/Senior) Engineering
•
$500 per year: 8.9% Resident – 2.8% Nonresident
Discussed with leadership of:
Faculty?
YES
Staff?
YES
Students?
YES
Discussed with other university
presidents?
Provide clear and concise
explanation along with convincing
justification for proposed increase
(use as much space as necessary
and attach other documents as
appropriate, i.e. comparative peer
data)
YES
The University of Iowa College of Engineering is committed to
providing a distinctive educational experience which prepares
engineers beyond technology. The College’s all-under-one-roof
interdisciplinary and personalized approach to engineering education
attracts outstanding students with multiple talents and aspirations.
Many UI engineering students are pre-med and enrolled in biomedical
engineering, or double majors involving languages or the arts. The
College has a larger female population on a percentage basis than
the national average.
The state-of-the-art Seamans Center for the Engineering Arts and
Sciences, together with the innovative curriculum initiative which
emphasizes an individualized curriculum for each student, provides
an opportunity for the College to take a substantial leap forward in
quality and national recognition.
The College aspires to be
recognized internationally for engineering education. The College is
poised to make substantial gains on that goal. For example, the Fall
2006 entering class has an average ACT composite score in excess
of 27, placing it above the 90th percentile nationally. One out of every
12 of the in-coming engineering students was the valedictorian of their
high-school class. In addition, approximately one-fourth of the
entering class graduated in the top 5% of their high school class and
one-half were in the top 15%. These gifted students have shown their
preference for the UI approach to engineering education, and they
have high expectations for the quality of their educational experience.
The College believes it can provide them with an educational
experience that is characteristic of the very best, but only if additional
revenues are obtained and invested in the enhancement of the
educational programs of the College.
Currently, the total tuition revenue per student invested in engineering
education at Iowa is considerably below that at public institutions of
comparable quality. It costs considerably more to teach engineering
University Tuition Proposal for 2007-2008 Academic Year
Page 2 of 4
students and they receive considerable enhanced career benefits.
The reasons for higher costs are several. For example, engineering
is basically a laboratory science, and national accreditation standards
require many more hours of laboratory subjects for engineers than for
students in liberal arts. Furthermore, engineering is a design-based,
creative enterprise.
Design requires studios, projects, and
experiential learning. Group projects are more expensive to run than
lecture courses because they require coordination with industry,
uncertainty about time commitments, and the production of a working
prototype device in the shop. Design projects also require access to
commercial grade computer software that can be very expensive.
However, the additional cost of an engineering education is balanced
by the high value of the educational experience. Engineering
graduates routinely receive more job offers and higher salary offers
than any other undergraduate major at the University, and recent
trends illustrate that national and state demand for engineering
graduates is increasing. National attention has focused on the role of
science, engineering and technology in maintaining America’s
competitiveness in today’s global economy. Locally, Rockwell-Collins
predicts a need for 7,000 people (mostly engineers) over the next five
years. Statewide, estimates show a projected deficit of about 200,000
in the workforce in the next decade. As a result of this demand for
engineers, in May 2006 average starting salaries for B.S. graduates in
engineering exceeded $50,000. Comparing this salary level to the
total tuition expended on a four-year B.S. engineering degree from
The University of Iowa (including the proposed supplement) reveals
that the cost of their education is offset by the new graduate’s first five
months of income. In this sense, a B.S. engineering degree is a real
bargain.
It is proposed to increase the tuition supplement for junior and senior
engineering students at Iowa, which was instituted in 2006-07, from
$500 to $1,000 per year. All additional tuition generated would be
subject to our University commitment to maintain a 17% student aid
set-aside for all supplemental tuition revenue. The plan would provide
an increase in revenues to the College of Engineering of
approximately $250,000 depending on enrollment. This amount
would begin to provide the funds needed for the added quality and
breadth of the educational programs proposed.
All of the additional revenues will be used to provide enhancements
to the quality and breadth of the educational programs through a
process of continual innovation. For example, distinctive educational
programs for engineers are planned in the areas of writing, health
sciences, globalization and international studies, integrated design
experiences, and personalized research opportunities. Each of these
programs requires changes in what and how we teach students and
enriches the educational experiences of engineering students beyond
technology.
University Tuition Proposal for 2007-2008 Academic Year
Page 3 of 4
Peer comparison data is listed below:
2006-07 Engineering Upper Level
Tuition & Fees
Peer Institutions
Resident
Non-Resident
Michigan
Illinois
Minnesota
Ohio State
Texas
13,441
11,460
9,513
8,997
8,432
32,887
24,166
21,143
20,892
22,062
Iowa
Wisconsin
Arizona
6,873
6,730
5,366
19,097
20,730
15,572
It is anticipated that the new supplement will generate $250,000 in
FY2008. The proposed use of these funds includes:
Amount
Category
Description
$42,500
Student
Aid
Faculty
Salaries
P&S
Salaries
General
Expense
Set Aside for Student Financial
Aid @17%
Faculty support for ABET and
curriculum revisions
Undergraduate teaching
laboratory support staff
Laboratory upgrades and
undergraduate student research
opportunity wages
$50,000
$75,000
$82,500
$250,000
Concisely describe how proposed
increase will assist the university in
making progress on strategic goals
and objectives
Total
This plan is consistent with The Iowa Promise: A Strategic Plan for
The University of Iowa 2005-2010. Specifically, the supplement will
support the following strategies:
Undergraduate Education
GOAL: To create a University experience that enriches the lives of
undergraduates and helps them to become well-informed individuals,
lifelong learners, engaged citizens, and productive employees and
employers.
Strategy: Promote excellent teaching, effective learning
environments, and learning opportunities that leverage the
University’s strengths by:
• Introducing students to the process by which research,
scholarship, and creative work are produced and enabling
their participation in that process, which is the key “value
added” of a comprehensive research university;
University Tuition Proposal for 2007-2008 Academic Year
Page 4 of 4
•
Developing more freshman seminars, honors courses, and
other small class venues where students can interact with
tenured faculty;
• Strengthening the honors program and other opportunities for
high-achieving students.
Strategy: Ensure that all students graduate with strong core skills, a
broad liberal arts education, and concentrated study in one or more
majors by:
• Promoting their facility for critical thinking, writing, and other
communication skills, creative endeavor, and the use of
information technology;
• Providing them with opportunities to develop leadership and
teamwork skills and an understanding of business and other
organizations;
• Reexamining the general education requirements to ensure
that course requirements foster an appreciation of the arts
and humanities; an understanding of science, technology,
and mathematics; an ability to work within and across
disciplinary boundaries; and the skills needed to participate in
an increasingly global environment;
• Continuing efforts to internationalize the educational
experience.
For nonresident undergraduates,
does the tuition amount cover the full
cost of education as calculated by the
biennial unit cost study?
YES