NEOUCOM tuition to rise 16%; salaries for teachers to go up 2%

ROOTSTOWN -- A 16 percent tuition increase and a 2 percent faculty salary increase have been approved by the board of trustees of the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine.
The tuition increase, effective this fall, brings annual tuition and fees to $18,996. The increase was approved as part of the college's $28.5 million operating budget for fiscal year 2003-04, a 1.6 percent increase over the 2002-03 budget.
The tuition decision was made in response to the current economic status of the state, with higher education facing substantial cuts, said Dr. Lois Margaret Nora, NEOUCOM president and dean.
Since 2002, NEOUCOM has experienced a decrease in state funding of about $1.5 million, she said, adding that the tuition increase was imposed in the hopes of preventing a midyear tuition increase.
Though the state provided 61.3 percent of the college's revenue in 2002-03, it is expected to contribute 58.6 percent in 2003-04.
The 2 percent faculty salary increase was made in response to a study of faculty salaries at similar colleges of medicine that showed NEOUCOM's wages significantly lower than the others. Nora said NEOUCOM did not provide raises last year. She also recommends salary increases for classified and administrative staff.
Members of the academic and executive leadership team will receive 1 percent raises. Nora will not get a raise.
The college abolished 13 positions to save $581,000 and has left 12 positions unfilled, freeing up $728,900.