It's been about two weeks since the Arizona Board of Regents approved ASU’s tuition proposal for the coming year and even though the rationale behind our requests has always been consistent, there are some who continue to voice their uncertainty about why an increase is necessary and for what purposes tuition is used. I've addressed this issue here before and our simple tuition objectives remain unchanged.
Additional resources are needed in order 1) to enhance ASU in terms of excellence and to advance the institution by providing students with the highest quality education, more specifically the best programs, faculty, facilities, and support services possible; and 2) to increase access to higher education in Arizona as necessitated by our rapidly growing state and the increasing demand for service.
As I mentioned at the ABOR tuition hearing earlier this month, any ASU student who requires tuition assistance will receive it as we continue to work together to move the university forward. Tens of thousands of students have taken advantage of this articulated commitment over the last several years and . One of the sources of revenue we have for this assistance is tuition revenue and many students have conveyed their support.
It is also important to understand that ASU is advancing a tuition philosophy that does not categorize tuition as an expense, but as an investment that provides tangible returns to the individual and to society. As a function of that, we believe in a "co-investment model" whereby the student (and/or the student's family), and the university all make investments in the student's education as a means of preparing him/her for future success. This means investing in the quality faculty, leading-edge programs of study, state-of-the art facilities and technology, and the kind of customized services that help to facilitate student success. We are serious about providing this kind of living and learning environment at a good value to our students and we are making meaningful progress everyday.

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