The University of South Carolina Board of Trustees approved a 2008-09 operating budget June 27 aimed at holding the line on costs while preserving the quality of the University's teaching and research mission.

President Sorensen said creating the budget, which was for all eight campuses and included tuition and required fee increases, was challenging in an economic climate marked by cuts in state funding and significant inflationary costs.

"Although we are pleased this budget will enable the University to maintain the quality that our students have come to expect in recent years, we are clearly mindful that even the smallest increases can work a hardship on students and their families," Sorensen said. "As a result, we have tried to be conservative."

The budget, which took effect July 1, includes a 5.9 percent increase in tuition and fees for all undergraduates on the Columbia campus, which is expected to generate approximately $11.5 million in new revenue.

The increase for Columbia campus undergraduates will raise tuition and required fees to $4.419 per semester for in-state students and $11,454 per semester for out-of-state students.

Tuition for graduate students increased by 5.9 percent, with in-state graduate students paying $274 more for a semester total of $4,918. Out-of-state graduate students will pay $578 more for a semester total of $10,368.

In-state students at the School of Medicine will pay $12,388 per semester; out of state students will pay $30,229 per semester. In-state tuition for law students will increase by $542 for a semester total of $8,924; out of state law students will pay $1,085 for a semester total of $17,810.

Tuition and fees increases approved for in-state students at the University's senior campuses were: USC Aiken, $263 (7.5 percent) for a semester total of $3,766; USC Beaufort, $375 (12 percent) for a semester total of $3,500; and USC Upstate, $291 (7.5 percent) for a semester total of $4,171.

Tuition for the regional campuses (Lancaster, Salkehatchie, Sumter, and Union) increased by $198, or 8.1 percent, for a semester total of $2,632 for in-state students with fewer than 75 credit hours. Tuition for in-state students with 75 or more credit hours will be $3,826 per semester.

The tuition and fee increases are expected to generate $11.5 million in new University revenue, which will be used to offset a portion of the state cut and to fund the following initiatives: continuation of a six-year faculty hiring program to enhance the quality of instruction and allow the University to recruit additional faculty for disciplines and programs that support the University's strategic priorities; inflationary increases for the cost of fuel for law enforcement and safety and facilities; support for student affairs initiatives, including enrollment management, the Gamecock Guarantee operations and increased planning and compliance; the third year of funding for the Office of Facilities to support wages for maintenance and custodial staff and continued enhancement of apprenticeship and training programs for trades workers; an increase to the funding for debt service to support deferred maintenance; and a new Global Competitiveness Initiative that establishes an office to provide oversight of all the University's international activities. The office will be responsible for consolidating and integrating global initiatives, including academic programs, student exchange and study abroad, and international support for faculty and staff; and a portion of the 1 percent state cost of living increase for employees.

The University budget also includes a second year of non-recurring state funding of $1.5 million for the South Carolina LightRail, a high-speed network planned among the University of South Carolina, Clemson University, and the Medical University of South Carolina to enhance research, distance learning, and educational programs, and to improve the health of individuals and communities across the state.

In other business, the board narrowed its search for a new president to seven candidates during a June 26 meeting by the presidential search committee, which interviewed the finalists behind closed doors. Search committee chair Miles Loadholt declined to identify the candidates or give a timeline for when the committee would be able to announce the names of its last three finalists, which is required under the state's Freedom of Information Act.

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