The Record

St. Ben’s tuition increase surpasses St. John’s

By: Kira Garrett

The tuition bill is dreaded by most St. Ben’s and St. John’s students each year. Bennies opening their red envelopes for the upcoming school year, though, will notice a larger increase in tuition than their Johnnie counterparts.

The tuition at St. Ben’s will increase by 6.9 percent, whereas the tuition at St. John’s will increase by 5.5 percent. This year marks the first time since the schools joined that the official dollar amount for tuition between the two schools will be different.

The tuition and fees at St. Ben’s will increase from $30,186 to $32,246 while the tuition and fees at St. John’s will increase from $29,936 to $31,582.

St. Ben’s president MaryAnn Baenninger, along with St. John’s president Fr. Bob Koopmann, held the annual budget presentation for staff and faculty at SJU Tuesday and at CSB Thursday. Attendees at the presentation included faculty and staff from various departments.

Baenninger presented the St. Ben’s budget via PowerPoint presentation and explained St. Ben’s decision to increase tuition at a rate greater than the increase in St. Johns’ tuition. She said that while both schools have felt the economic pinch of a worldwide recession, Baenninger and Koopmann have chosen different financial paths for the two institutions.

“St. Ben’s makes its own financial decisions,” Baenninger said.

St. Ben’s and St. John’s share an academic program, but are governed under separate financial boards.

“We have taken two different approaches to the same problem,” Baenninger said.

Faculty reactions

During the meeting, faculty and staff expressed major concerns with the proposed budgets.

Negative feedback focused mostly on the fact that faculty and staff are apprehensive about to how to explain the decision to students and are confused about the decision.

“We (the professors) are going to have to defend this (change) to our students,” political science professor Phil Kronebusch said. “We’re making steps in the wrong direction as we bear an added burden as single-sex institutions. This differential tuition is coming at the wrong time.”

Some expressed concern that the institutions could not make a collective decision on a tuition increase and worried students would be upset.

“Why couldn’t you and Fr. Bob come together on this?” one professor asked. “Having two different tuitions is a very bad symbol. Net tuition symbolizes unity. How are Bennies and Johnnies going to feel paying two different amounts for what they see as the same product?”

Both Baenninger and Koopmann responded by reminding those present that St. Ben’s and St. John’s have different boards that make different financial decisions for the institutions.

“Price and cost are not the same thing,” Baenninger said. “You have two presidents reporting to two different boards. Each board takes its fiduciary responsibility seriously. I do not say this to blame the boards. It is my responsibility to make a recommendation to the CSB Board. St. Ben’s revenue is structure is impacted by years of suppressed tuition and St. Ben’s does not want to jeopardize the education of its students while waiting on St. John’s (to develop its pricing plane).”

The presentation was the first time faculty and staff were officially notified about the upcoming budget. Students will be notified with their tuition letters, as has been the case for the past several years. Baenninger hopes students are able to understand St. Ben’s financial decisions.

“I hope that t he average Bennie is smart enough to think this through before making assumptions,” Baenninger said. “Don’t let an initial emotional reaction affect your opinion about the matter. Just take a step back first,” Baenninger said to students.

The tuition increases will be finalized in the upcoming board meetings, which will take place next week.

St. Ben’s Budget

The 1.4 percent difference in increase at St. Ben’s was based on a large-picture goal for St. Ben’s to provide more opportunities for Bennie students, Baenninger said. These opportunities will be paid for with the additional revenue from tuition.

“I want to provide as many opportunities as I can,” Baenninger said. “We are choosing to use the extra net tuition to invest in more opportunities for the women at St. Ben’s.”

The tuition at St. Ben’s is significantly less than similar schools like St. Olaf College and Gustavus Adolphus College. One of the goals for the future of St. Ben’s is to lessen the tuition disparities between St. Ben’s and comparable schools, Baenninger said.

“Over time, we want our tuition to match our peers,” Baenninger said.

St. John’s Budget

The increase in tuition at St. John’s is a result of both smaller enrollment and an increase in expenses, Koopmann said.

The smaller enrollment does not mean the school is hurting, though, as the total number of males seeking a liberal arts education is decreasing.

“When you have fewer students, revenue goes down and our expenses are going to increase by about 5 percent,” Koopmann said. “So, based on that, we made our 5.5 percent decision.”

Koopmann said the decision was made with students’ interests in mind.

“Of course, the bottom line is our students,” Koopmann said. “Students should not feel they are at a disadvantage, because we are investing more resources in financial aid.”

Koopmann said he is acting in the way he feels is right for the needs of men. He acknowledges that what is right for men will not be necessarily be right for women.

“I think more women take advantage of campus programs than men,” Koopmann said. “For example, more women study abroad than men.”

Because of this, Koopmann said he respects Baenninger’s decision to increase the tuition at St. Ben’s by 6.9 percent.

“My board felt a 6.9 percent increase was too much of a risk for our school (SJU) to take at a time when not as many men are choosing liberal arts schools,” Koopmann said.

Difference in Increase

While the tuition amount has been the same for both institutions in the past, the comprehensive fee, which includes tuition, room, board and other fees, “has differed for as long as I remember,” Baenninger said.

The comprehensive fee varies between Bennies and Johnnies mainly because of housing differences, the CSB health fee and differing amounts of awarded financial aid.

The change in tuition prices, therefore, will not affect all students in the same way.

“We all need to realize that almost no student pays the same tuition because of scholarships, whether that be based on academics or financial need,” Koopmann said. “There isn’t any one tuition.”

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