FROM:      Mark G. Yudof, Chancellor, The University of Texas System

TO:            Higher Education Reporters & Editorial Page Editors

Tuition is big news in Texasand across the nation.  As you know, The University of Texas System is currently engaged in tuition-setting decisions at each of our campuses for the upcoming year.   Tuition is a complex subject, even for those intimately involved in higher education. 

I want to offer our assistance as you tell this important story to your readers.  

I am attaching a package of information to help provide some background for your reporting and commentary.  This package provides some context for the setting of tuition that has already occurred in Texas, details of student financial aid, and the process that the U. T. System is using in setting new tuition rates at our component campuses.  This information will be supplemented and updated on a continuing basis at a tuition website that is being launched today.   You can access that site at www.utsystem.edu/news/tuition/ .

I would like to offer you an opportunity to question me about the information provided here.  I will make myself available to you, your editors, and others for interviews on this important issue.   To schedule an interview, please call Michael Warden or Anthony de Bruyn at (512) 499-4360. 

The U. T. System’s approach to setting tuition under the new legislation is unprecedented in the state’s history.   The Board of Regents and the U. T. System are committed to involving students in every stage of the tuition-setting process at their campus.   The process we are currently engaged in enables students to take an informed, active role in assuring the quality of their education.

The results – tuition proposals that are to be forwarded to the U. T. System on November 1 – will result in improved graduation rates, better use of facilities, improved academic programs, and accessibility to our institutions.   Our approach includes continued awareness for the need to provide financial aid to low and middle income families, enabling access to an affordable, high quality education for their sons and daughters.

These efforts will also assist campuses to retain and recruit superior faculty – despite the state’s economic crisis – who will continue providing the best educational experience possible.

Our goal is to continually improve the quality of education at U. T. institutions, assuring excellence for future generations of Texans.  These strategies aim at strengthening and enhancing all institutions across the System so they can better serve their communities and the people of Texas.

The U. T. System remains committed to:

We are committed to keeping the cost of education affordable for Texans by keeping any increases in tuition reasonable, comparable both to peer institutions in the state and nationally, and directly tied to the strategic needs of the state and of our communities for “Closing the Gaps” in higher education. 

I look forward to hearing from you and to answering any of your questions regarding the material that I am providing to assist you in reporting and commenting on this important topic.

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