Regents Set Tuition And Fees, Adopt Resolution On BGCT

Baylor University's Board of Regents at its September meeting today set tuition and fees for the 2001-2002 academic year and adopted a resolution of support for the Baptist General Convention of Texas and its leadership.
Overall tuition and fees will increase by 6.5 percent next year, the smallest increase in four years. Tuition will rise to $379 per semester hour next year, a 6.8 percent increase over the current rate of $355 per semester hour. Charges for residence halls will increase by 7.3 percent, with the exception of Penland Hall and Collins Hall, which will increase by 15 percent. Meal plans will increase by 3 percent.
In presenting the proposed increases to the board, President Robert B. Sloan Jr. noted that the University will be investing an additional $3.8 million in scholarships next fiscal year.
"While we find it necessary to increase tuition and fees to continue our quest to add value to a Baylor education, we also want to be sensitive to the sacrifices many of our students and their families make to attend the University," Sloan said. "We continue to review our financial aid packages to increase scholarships where possible, and we are committed to raising significant endowment funds over the next five years to underwrite additional scholarships for our students. Even with the approved increases in tuition and fees, Baylor remains an outstanding educational value."
The resolution of support for the BGCT comes less than two weeks after the state convention's administrative committee approved a proposal to reduce funding for Southern Baptist seminaries and redirect those funds to Texas Baptist educational institutions, including Baylor's George W. Truett Theological Seminary. The funding proposal still must be approved by the BGCT Executive Board, which meets next week in Dallas, and by messengers to the convention's annual meeting in Corpus Christi Oct. 30-31.
The resolution states:
"The Board of Regents of Baylor University conveys its support, prayers and encouragement to Dr. Charles Wade, Executive Director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, to his coworkers and to all fellow Texas Baptists who have resolved to resist the Fundamentalist faction in Baptist life identified with the leadership of the Southern Baptist Convention. We further call upon fellow Texas Baptists to reject all human creeds and statements of faith that would deny us freedom of individual conscience, the right to interpret Scripture for ourselves, and would in any way diminish Jesus Christ as our Guide and the Lord of Scripture. We support strongly the recommendations of the Baptist General Convention of Texas administrative committee regarding the reallocation of funding for theological education and call upon all Texas Baptists to affirm these new opportunities to advance the Kingdom of God through the ministries of the Baptist General Convention of Texas."
As the board continues to consider plans for a new science facility, regents toured Baylor's existing science buildings to get a first-hand look at the urgent need for additional labs, classrooms and faculty offices. The Board of Regents last year authorized a $60 million fund-raising campaign to finance the new facility. Preliminary architectural plans for the 260,000-square-foot building have been reviewed by the regents' facilities and technology committee but have yet to be approved by the board.