The Board of Regents on Wednesday agreed 9-1 to increase tuition by 2%. The only member who voted no was student representative and former Student Government Association (SGA) president, Collin Jarrell. 

In a letter to the board, Jarrell said he understands that the increase is not “astronomically large.” 

“I cannot fathom why we must consistently raise costs for our students by the maximum amount the CPE [Council on Post-Secondary Education] allows, simply to close the gap left by the state’s chronic underfunding,” Jarrell said.

CPE guidelines or the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education determine state tuition classification. 

Jarrell noted how much NKU has accomplished by being ranked as one of the safest campuses in the country. The university is also lauded for making “top-notch, highly competitive graduates who go on to lead with regional, national and international partners,” Jarrell said. 

“Yet, despite these achievements, the state legislature continues to slash our funding and deny critical capital requests for projects that would actively expand and enrich the state’s workforce,” Jarrell said. 

This continuous disinvestment makes NKU raise tuition and fees just to get by, Jarrell said. He described this as a consequence of having a state legislature that “does not meaningfully invest in higher education.” 

He said he knows his ‘no’ vote will not change the outcome of this decision. He acknowledges that this 2% tuition increase is being used as a tool to help in some way. 

“I understand the tight financial constraints we operate under, even after producing a surplus in recent years,” Jarrell said. 

However, he said he could not vote ‘yes’ to “pass the buck to our students.” Jarrell said he is worried that if the state still does this disinvestment, NKU will soon hit a breaking point.

“One where we are forced to re-evaluate our model and raise costs even more dramatically just to keep the lights on and our dedicated campus community together,” Jarrell said. 

In a response to questions from The Northerner, Executive Director and Chief Communications Officer Corey Best shared a quote from the chair of the Board of Regents, Nathan Smith.

“Affordability remains a top priority for NKU and the Board of Regents. We did not make this decision lightly. The approved tuition increase helps ensure the University can continue providing the high-quality education, student support services and opportunities our students expect while still providing the highest ROI of any public university in the Commonwealth,” said Smith.