EMU's tuition freeze sets bold tone for higher education options

Wednesday, June 30, 2010 | Source: Concentrate

Say the words "Leaders and Best" in Washtenaw County and people think of maize and blue. Say the words "Leaders and the Best Value" and people are now thinking green and white.

That's the sort of impact Eastern Michigan University is looking to achieve with the freezing of its tuition and cost of attendance. Whether the university will be able to achieve that is anybody's guess, but it is a policy that is garnering quite a bit of attention.

"Tactically I thought it was an interesting strategy to use price to position itself against its competition," says Lou Glazer, president of the Ann Arbor-based think tank Michigan Future Inc.

EMU has used extended press and marketing campaigns to drive home the message that it cares about the rising cost of higher education. Not a bad idea, considering Michigan's universities have received significant cuts in state funding and raised tuition rates by double digits on several occasions. After EMU's announcement, state colleges held tuition increases to the low single digits this spring. In comparison, Wayne State University raised tuition 4.4 percent and U-M by 1.5 percent.

"We've been a leader in the last two years in accessibility and affordability," says Walter Kraft, vice president for communications at EMU. "We're committed to that."

Affordability is important, but there are still other questions that have yet to be answered about this policy. For instance, Glazer wants to know if it is helping attract more or higher quality students? Also, can the university still provide a quality education?

"Everybody is looking at the cost side of the things and not at the quality," Glazer says. "Both matter."

Source: Walter Kraft, vice president for communications at Eastern Michigan University and Lou Glazer, president of Michigan Future Inc
Writer: Jon Zemke