Influence Between The Tuition & Knight Science Campus Essay

Knight Science Campus is a campus that the University of Oregon will build for its students. Phil and Penny Knight donated $500 million to promote academic performance of their alma mater as it has recently been declining (“Announcing the Phil and Penny Knight Campus”). The new science campus is expected to be beneficial for the undergraduate students as well as those who will enroll into the university in the future. It goes without saying that this project may be regarded as one of the most important ones for the university as it will have a significant impact on its future as an educational facility, largely determining whether it will be able to attract new students and reinforce its position in the academic world. However, there is a heated debate regarding the way in which the construction should be funded. This paper will argue that the best way for the university to obtain funds is to decrease the tuition.

To begin with, it may be useful to carefully examine the issue in question. Thus, on February 10, the president of the University announced that after considering all the available options, it was decided that the tuition should be increased for both in-state and out-of-state students by $945 per year (“President accepts advisory group’s tuition recommendation”). The letter that was sent pointed out that the administration carefully weighed all options and the increase of the tuition was found to be the best one which will be beneficial for the educational facility. Nevertheless, it is quite understandable that such decisions are likely to sparkle a lot of protests, especially among the students who would like to pay for their studies less. At the present moment, the administration decided to follow with the plan of increasing the tuition; however, it is hoped that the protests of the students, as well as debates, will change the mind of the university.

There is a number of ways in which the tuition at the University of Oregon can be decreased. To begin with, one should point out that online courses can replace some of the course that is given on campus. Rossman insist that web classes are not only popular among the students, they also have numerous advantages for the university (27). For example, if a regular course is substituted by an online course, then there is no need to allocate space for the students and the professors. This will save a considerable amount of money in terms of maintenance of the premises. Another point that should be mentioned is that since online courses do not require the physical presence of the teacher, the latter can teach more courses. In other words, they will be able to make more money and deliver more knowledge at the same time. Finally, the benefits of online classes include convenience. It is obvious that students will choose these courses more because they will be able to integrate them easily in their busy timetable. Therefore, the substitution of regular courses with web classes may be a viable way to decrease the tuition. There is another effective way to have students pay less and still enjoy high-quality education. Baron argues that e-books may be used instead of paper books (215). There are several reasons why this is a quite useful alternative. To begin with, the students will be able to save a lot of money: the price of an e-book is much lower than the price of a conventional book. This means that the students will pay less and will be more willing to take new courses. Secondly, the university will not have to store the books in the library or find a place to store them for future sale. A copy can be stored on the server and the students can obtain it for a price, thus generating additional income for the university. Lastly, one should keep in mind that given the lower price of an e-book, it is quite possible that the students will buy more books for their course.  Next, there is another way of decreasing the tuition of the University of Oregon and securing a source of funding for the new campus. There is an alumni association which consists of the graduates from the university. Given the fact that the number of people who enter it increased every year, one would make no mistake pointing out that in time it will become quite influential since more and more graduates will join it. Clearly, if the all donate a reasonable amount of money, they will be able to make a significant donation to their university, just like Phil and Penny Knight did. Therefore, the alumni association may be seen as yet another important source of funding. The money that will be obtained from it may be used to decrease the cost of tuition and to fund the new science campus. As one can easily see, this is a secure source of income and the university should use it.

One should also consider the advantages that decreasing the tuition will have in terms of the relationship with the students and the faculty. To begin with, it is safe to say that a lower tuition will attract more students. One would make no mistake pointing out that student debt is something that people would like to avoid and minimize. Therefore, while considering their options, they often choose a university that has a decent academic reputation and a relatively low tuition. So, one might suggest that those who would like to enroll into the university are quite sensitive. That is why any decrease of tuition is likely to be favored by them. Another point that should be mentioned with this regard is the fact that this may be seen as a good strategic move. Obviously, if the cost of tuition is decreased, then the university will make less money on each student. However, given the fact that their number is expected to rise, one might suggest that in the end, the amount of money generated will be even bigger than expected. Furthermore, one should also keep in mind that as the new student comes to the university, this will bring fresh talent. One can hardly say that the University of Oregon does not have a proper record of academic performance; however, the evidence shows that in the recent years it has been falling. It is rather understandable that the more students come, the more bright mind will join the university. As a result, they will be making progress in their studies and improve the academic performance of the university. This, in turn, may also have a positive impact on the position that the latter holds and will attract even more students. That is why decreasing the cost of tuition will bring numerous benefits that can be experienced both in the short and in the long range. Finally, one should point out that the proposed changes in tuition will also be useful for the undergraduates. Indeed, it is not only the freshmen that the university should consider, as the population of the undergraduates is much bigger. So, just like the rest of the students, the undergraduates would like to pay less in order to minimize their student debt. Therefore, the decision of the university to decrease the cost of tuition will be favored by them since it will allow them to achieve their financial goals. Furthermore, the students will not have to find jobs to be able to afford to study at the university and will focus on their studies. This will have a positive impact on their academic performance. So, it is not only the new students that will contribute to it, but the undergraduates as well. It has already been pointed out that this will have a positive impact on the performance of the university in general and will improve its appeal to the new students. Therefore, the decision to make the cost of tuition lower will be appreciated by the undergraduates and the future students as well.

Having examined all the points that were mentioned in the paragraphs above, one is able to come to the following conclusion: the University of Oregon should consider decreasing the cost of tuition as a way to fund the new science campus that it would like to build. There are several ways to achieve this decrease. First of all, the conventional courses may be substituted by the online ones. This will save money for the university by allowing it to refrain from providing space for the classes. Secondly, paper books can be substituted by the e-books which are much less expensive. Finally, the alumni association may donate a considerable amount of money. There are several benefits that are associated with the decrease of tuition. First of all, it will attract more students and make the university more appealing. Secondly, it will improve the academic performance by engaging new students and the undergraduates. Finally, it will improve the relationship with the students since they will approve of this measure.

Works Cited

“Announcing the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact.” N.p., 2016. Web. 17 Mar. 2017. <https://president.uoregon.edu/announcing-phil-and-penny-knight-campus-accelerating-scientific-impact>.

Baron, Naomi S. Words onscreen: the fate of reading in a digital world. Oxford: Oxford U Press, 2016. Print.

“President accepts advisory group’s tuition recommendation.” N.p., 2017. Web. 17 Mar. 2017. <https://around.uoregon.edu/content/president-accepts-advisory-groups-tuition-recommendation>.

Rossman, Mark H. Graduate School, and Beyond Earning and Using Your Advanced Degree. Florence: Taylor and Francis, 2015. Print.

The terms offer and acceptance. (2016, May 17). Retrieved from

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