PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona’s three state universities are proposing opening a fourth, lower-priced campus as soon as next year and four similar campuses by 2020.
The proposed campuses would offer only bachelor’s degrees with limited majors and have cheaper in-state tuition than Arizona State University, the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University.
The plan was drafted by the presidents of the three universities and presented to the state Board of Regents for discussion during their meeting Thursday at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff .
However, many details need to be worked out, including funding, tuition, possible locations and the academic majors.
The presidents are recommending that the new campuses be operated by an existing university; ASU is the most likely choice.
Lake Havasu City, Show Low and Goodyear are among the locations interested in hosting a four-year campus.
Incoming Regents President Ernest Calderon called the draft plan a good step.
“The people of Arizona want great access that is more affordable and they want it now,” he said. “People are hurting for money and we’ve got to respond to it.”
Adding lower-priced campuses would dramatically change the state university system. The three universities have opened branch campuses in various locations over the years that charge somewhat lower tuition, but the difference isn’t dramatic.
The targeted annual tuition at the lower-priced colleges would be an amount always less than the maximum federal Pell Grant amount, which is currently $5,800 a year, said ASU President Michael Crow.
Some regents said the tuition could be two-thirds of what is charged at the other universities.
The restructuring comes as state legislators and Gov. Jan Brewer are pushing the universities to come up with something more affordable than the traditional four-year degree at a research university.
In-state tuition and fees rose by up to 54 percent from 2004 to 2008, and are increasing sharply again this fall.
New undergraduate students will pay 20 to 24 percent more than in 2008-2009 in tuition and fees — $6,627 at NAU, $6,842 at UA, and $6,840 for new students at ASU’s Tempe campus.
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Information from: The Arizona Republic,
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
If Michael Crow is involved, more taxpayer money will be squandered just as he does at ASU. Crow spent millions on a journalism school. Twenty five million to be exact. Journalism is a dying field. Even the mighty Times is in trouble. Crow spends millions for a new nursing school then cuts back on enrollment. Crow has a sizable litigation budget, at least $3 million a year, because he systematically denies tenure to African Americans. Example. ASU’s own website shows 13 African American women with tenure in 2002 the year Crow was hired. In 2007, the numbers were unchanged.
Crow refused to settle with a fired prof. who won her EEOC case dragging it into costly litigation. Crow has a long nagging history of mistreating minorities. I hold several letters sent to former Gov. Napolitano written by fired ASU faculty who said Crow forced them into a climate of fear. Crow started his tirade in Columbia where he was vice provost. See the case of Chichilnisky vs Columbia. He tried to ruin her. She fought back and won.
Arizona cannot afford Michael Crow.