The Ithaca College Board of Trustees has approved tuition and other charges for the 1997-98 school year, announced the schedule of visits for presidential candidates, and passed a resolution commending President James J. Whalen for his leadership of the institution during the past three critical years. The actions took place at the board's February meetings.
The 4.77% tuition hike approved by the board for the coming year represents the lowest increase in 18 years. Tuition will be $16,900, health insurance $235, and standard room and board $7,340, bringing the total cost of attendance to $24,475.
In a letter to students' parents announcing the charges, Whalen wrote that they were set as a result of an annual budget process that entailed rigorous analysis and debate on the College's needs and priorities. "The College is committed to maintaining and enhancing our outstanding academic programs, and the budget reflects increases in capital funds to improve technology on campus, upgrade facilities, and provide equipment that will augment our students' experience at Ithaca."
Whalen also pointed out that the budget allocation for financial aid has been increased to help meet the needs of students and their families. "One of my goals when I began my tenure as president of Ithaca College was to make an Ithaca College education accessible to a broad range of students by moderating tuition," he wrote. "For nearly two decades we have surveyed annually the charges of a group of 20 regionally competitive private institutions. In 1976 we had one of the highest tuitions among this peer group; our 1997-98 tuition, on the other hand, is lower than the 1996-97 charges of all but two of these institutions -- and this comparison is before those institutions have announced their increases for next year."
At their meetings the trustees were also updated on the efforts of the Presidential Search Committee. Board and committee chairman Herman E. Muller Jr. announced that a slate of finalists for the position had been identified, and that the finalists would be making campus visits in March.
"These visits are important not only for members of the College community to meet the candidates, but for the candidates to assess their continuing interest in the position as they explore and experience the comprehensive nature of Ithaca College," Muller wrote in a letter distributed on campus. "The search committee did an excellent job of representing the College during the interviews, and I trust the campus visits will reinforce the groundwork they did in this regard."
While on campus each candidate will have an opportunity to meet with the executive committees of the Faculty Council and Staff Council; the Student Government Association officers; vice presidents, deans, and directors; and representatives of the Alumni Association, the Friends of Ithaca College, and the board of trustees. Open meetings will also be held with students, faculty, staff, and administrators.
The board of trustees also passed a resolution of appreciation and commendation to Whalen, who will be stepping down at the end of the academic year after 22 years as president. Three years ago trustees had asked Whalen, with his administration, to develop a plan to address significant projected deficits without sacrificing institutional quality. They also asked that he guarantee his presence for three years to lead the implementation of such a plan, acknowledging that it would be a contentious, difficult charge to fulfill.
Having reviewed the progress made in fulfilling the board's charge, trustees noted that "the College has successfully achieved or exceeded targeted goals associated with personnel, financial aid, budget, enrollment, and fund-raising, and . . . in the course of achieving these goals, the academic quality of the institution has been preserved, our service to students has been improved, our fiscal flexibility has been restored, and our ability to pursue new programs and facilities has been renewed."
Accordingly, the board expressed "its greatest appreciation to President Whalen for his unfailing dedication to Ithaca College, for his tenacity in the face of adversity, and for providing the leadership that has enabled Ithaca College to meet successfully the challenges of the recent past and continue its commitment to excellence into the future."