Tuition increases at Francis Marion University

The Francis Marion University Board of Trustees approved a 3.25 percent increase to tuition and other university fees Thursday night during their quarterly meeting. The increase will go into effect for the fall 2015 semester.

University President Fred Carter said that while the university does not enjoy having to raise the tuition costs, it is often necessary to maintain the education standards at the school.

“We go through this (creating a budget) every year,” Carter said. “No one wants to raise tuition. When we do raise tuition, we work diligently to make sure that those students who are on scholarships and other financial assistance are not handicapped as a result of that tuition increase. We have worked diligently to try to raise that additional money, to acquire additional money, to buffer essentially those tuition increases.”

The increase brings the base tuition cost up to $4,784 per semester for in-state students.

FMU’s overall projected budget for the 2015-16 fiscal year is $51,895,258.

The board also passed a resolution to approve an undergraduate degree in health care administration. The new bachelor of science degree program follows the university’s announcement of a master’s degree in health care executive management.

Health care is a growing field at the university; trustees learned during the President’s Report that the downtown Health Science Complex is progressing and is still expected to be completed by the fall of 2016.

Carter said plans are being drawn for the plaza and green space, which will include a fountain and possibly a memorial statue.

Committee meetings were held before the trustees meeting and several reports were given regarding different aspects of the university.

Trustee William Coleman told the board that in April, during its first year downtown, the Arts International festival attracted around 5,000 people.

Dr. Mark Bunch stated during the Academic Affairs and Accreditation Committee report that 438 new freshman were registered for the fall semester. He also announced changes in the provost office. Dr. Keith Best will be leaving the office to be chairman of the Department of Fine Arts; Dr. Alissa Warters, an associate professor in the political science department, will be moving to the provost office.