— BLOCK TUITION: This is an unresolved element in the plan. The legislation would mandate all 12 state universities have block-tuition plans in place by the fall of 2018. Students would pay a flat fee per semester rather than paying for courses on the current credit-hour basis.
Ideally, students could pay the equivalent of 12 credit hours but take up to 15 hours of classes each semester. But if that happens, it could represent a major revenue loss for the universities. The solution will involve finding an incentive for students to take more classes, while keeping the schools financially whole.
— PERFORMANCE STANDARDS: The Senate plan would hold state universities to a four-year graduation standard for undergraduates, rather than the current six years. It would require at least 50 percent of the students seeking baccalaureate degrees finish in four years. Currently nine of the 12 schools don’t meet that standard, with a system-wide average of 44 percent.
The 28 state colleges would be held to a similar standard, although the legislation would give some flexibility in designing the measure, after the colleges argued they serve more non-traditional populations, including part-time students and older students. The bill would also add an “affordability” metric to the college evaluations. The performance standards are important to universities and colleges because state funding can rise or fall depending on the measures.
