The DMACC Board of Directors approved a $6.60 per credit hour tuition increase, raising tuition to $97 per credit hour. This was part of finalizing the college's 2005-2006 budget. DMACC President Rob Denson said the tuition amount may be lowered depending on future state funding levels and decisions about retirement and healthcare costs. Several board members were pleased that DMACC still has one of the lowest tuitions in Iowa.

1. SLUG: TUITION
REPORTER: CHRIS COLE
DATE: 03/16/05
HEADLINE: TUITION HITS $97 PER CREDIT HOUR
SUBHEAD: DMACC AMONG LOWEST IN STATE AMONG COMMUNITY
COLLEGES
DMACC’s Board of Directors approved Monday a tuition increase of $6.60 per
credit hour.
The move was part of the final steps in setting the college’s 2005-2006 general
budget.
President Rob Denson said a decision on lowering the amount may be made later.
“When the legislature concludes we will be able to revisit student tuition,” he
said. It likely will be late April before the college would know how much funding the
stat would provide.
Denson told the board the amount “will change” once IPERS, the state retirement
system, decides how much money it needs.
While board members had hoped for a lower increase, they accepted Denson’s
recommendation.
“It’s a budget we can live with,” said board member Harold Belken. Another
board member, Ben Norman said he was still happy DMACC has one of the lowest
tuitions in the state.
“I’m glad we are lower,” he said. Denson said DMACC ranks third lowest out of
the 15 community colleges in Iowa for tuition.
Part of the reason for the increase is to hire new faculty members. Vice President
of Academic Affairs Kim Linduska said all the campuses will be getting at least one new
faculty member.
But other factors such as IPERS and health care costs for faculty must still be
decided before Denson will go back to the board and recommend lowering tuition.
“We don’t know everything we need to know,” he said.

2. Student Activities Council members from both Urban and Ankeny were also
present at the meeting.
Ankeny SAC Adviser Mary Lonsdale said in the past there had been a time for
questions to the board on the budget. No time was designated for that purpose at
Monday’s meeting.
Candy Huffman, Ankeny SAC secretary, said she didn’t know what to expect at
the board meeting. “I learned a lesson,” said Ankeny Student Activities Council
Secretary Candy Huffman.
She said she wasn’t sure what questions she would have asked the board members
and that she needed to have done more research beforehand.
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