Officials at Flint Hills Technical College have proposed not raising tuition for the 2009-10 school year, although fees may be going up.
In a tuition and fee proposal presented at the tech college board of trustees meeting on Monday, Lisa Kirmer, dean of student services, discussed a proposal that keeps tuition rates the same, at $80 per credit hour.
College fees, however, might be going from $14 to $19 per credit hour.
“What that means to our students, if they’re enrolled full-time in 16 credits, is an additional $80 per semester,” Kirmer said. “So it will not have that much of an impact.”
Per-semester program fees might see an increase in some areas, while others will remain the same.
The biggest increase in program fees comes in the fourth semester of the hospitality/culinary arts program, which could increase from $150 to $275.
“A lot of that is related to the type of curriculum they are doing now in that fourth semester, which is much more focused on fine dining cuisine,” Kirmer said. “So they’re actually preparing things like duck that cost more ... that drives that cost up that fourth semester.”
The proposal also adds a $10 to $20 per-course fee for lab courses.
“Can we afford to stay flat?” board member Angie Schrieber asked.
“We feel like we can,” Kirmer said. “As we’re working through the budget, part of that healthiness is the new programs that are being defined and the new things we’re offering that are continuing to raise the number of credit hours we’re generating that our students are taking each year.”
“We’re not getting rich off tuition here,” Dean Hollenbeck, college president, said. “One of the points here is to keep it more affordable, however next spring as we start looking at this again is the year that’s scaring me.”
The board also heard a presentation from Bill Hanlon, director of the school’s green building and sustainable living center.
Hanlon discussed his efforts to educate students and communities on increasing energy efficiency and green building technologies.
He said his work with the sustainable living center is different from any job he’s ever had, because with his previous jobs there was always a definite outcome that let him move on to the next task.
“This is more of an abstract situation,” Hanlon said, “and I can’t measure it yet.”
Hanlon has spent the first part of the year traveling to different schools and communities to give presentations on topics ranging from home energy efficiency to wind and alternative energy. He also is a consultant with the community of Greensburg in its efforts to build a green community.
Hanlon also discussed the Emporia area local food initiative, in which the number of participants has increased from 10 people to more than 60.
“We’re trying to figure out how to make a year-round farmers market, a cooperative food store,” Hanlon said. “We’ve got farmers, ranchers, meat lockers .... all kinds of people in this conversation, and we’re going to try to develop a much stronger local food system. It’s come to the point where we have to do that for food security in our country.”
justamom (anonymous) says...
Mrs. Kirmer- What do you mean it going up $80.00 a semester is not that bad? That is a lot for most college students. Financial Aid only goes so far, and when your trying to be a full-time student, work full time to support yourself, manage school work and for most of your students, maintain a family also $80.00 a semester could be the straw that beaks the camels back. Students are drawn to FHTC due to the cost of your programs. However, the increase in cost continues to rise and makes ESU look better because they offer more financial aid options that your college does not offer. Please reconsider, or at least realize that $80.00 is a lot to some people.
February 10, 2009 at 4:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )