FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 4, 1999
CONTACT: John Maguire 309-298-1993; [email protected]
New policies address cost, efficiency and quality
WESTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY OFFERS A COLLEGE EDUCATION --- WITH A GUARANTEE!
MACOMB, IL -- With public concern mounting over the cost, length and quality of college education, Western Illinois University has taken the unprecedented step of guaranteeing major components of its education. Leading the vanguard of what may become a statewide trend due to newly enacted state legislation that provides grant incentives to public universities to graduate students within four years, WIU today announced the "Western Guarantees." The Western Guarantees is a package of policy initiatives that accomplishes the following:
* Locks in the per year cost of college education to the tuition, fees and room, and board in effect at the time of enrollment;
Guarantees completion of an undergraduate degree in four years for most programs of study:
* Ensures a competitive, quality education.
In recent years graduation rates and the number of years to degree completion have become "hot button" issues on college campuses nationwide because they have a direct impact on college costs borne by students, parents, and taxpayers. With implementation of the Western Guarantees, Western Illinois University believes it is the first public university in the nation to offer two, four-year guarantee programs according to WIU President Donald S. Spencer.
"The Western Guarantees underscore the University's commitment to being responsive to the pressures facing parents and students today -- while at the same time helping them fulfill their primary educational objective" to enroll, retain and graduate students in a traditional four-year program of study that enables them to be productive members of society and continue a course of lifelong learning," says Spencer.
"The Western Guarantees are fairly unique in higher education because they tie concerns about the cost of education with a program that maximizes efficiency by guaranteeing completion of a degree in four years," he adds.
All students entering Western Illinois University in fall 1999 will benefit from the tuition and related costs guarantee; however, only undergraduate students who commit to the provisions of GRADTRAC are eligible for the four-year-degree guarantee. Those provisions require students to : 1) remain in continuous enrollment; 2) enroll and maintain an average of 15-16 hours of course work per semester that applies toward degree requirements; and 3) meet the grade point average requirements defined for your college and/or program; 4) meet regularly with advisers; and 5) seek approval from college deans before changing academic majors. If eligible students meet all requirements and fail to graduate within four years, the university will pay tuition for the expected time to degree completion.
For fall 1999, WIU's guaranteed tuition rate is $91 per semester hour; a matriculating in-state student enrolling in 15 semester credit hours can expect to pay $7,860 in tuition, fees and room and board costs each year, for the next four year.
For more information on the Western Guarantees, contact Karen Helmers, Office of Undergraduate Admissions at Western Illinois University, telephone 309-298-3157 or toll free 877/PICKWIU (742-5948).
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