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SURVEY OF BUSINESS OFFICERS: Maintenance Over Management

The sky has not fallen — but pieces of it could soon be hitting a campus near you.

That is one way of summing up the findings of Inside Higher Ed’s first-ever Survey of College and University Business Officers, released today in advance of the annual meeting of the National Association of College and University Business Officers. (A copy of the survey report can be found here.)

The survey, the second of a series in which Inside Higher Ed is gauging the views of key higher education constituents, reveals a surprisingly upbeat assessment about the financial state of American college campuses (especially private nonprofit ones), as seen through the eyes of their chief finance and business officials, 606 of whom responded to the survey.

About one in six business officers at both public and private nonprofit colleges described the financial health of their respective institutions as “excellent,” and another 57 percent of public-college CFOs and 47 percent of private-college CFOs characterized their respective institutions’ financial health as “good.” Business officers at public and private institutions alike also generally rebuffed the notion that the budget cuts their institutions have suffered so far have damaged the quality of their academic programs or academic support for students — opinions that many other people on their campuses are unlikely to share.

Continued, link to article: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/survey/business_officer_2011

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Postal Solutions is the nation’s leader in the collegiate mail management industry, for both on- and off-campus mail management services. For more information regarding assistance with outsourcing your collegiate mail management needs, please call us today at (866) 378-8157 or visit us online at www.uspostalsolutions.com to save your student rental community or university money.


 

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Tuition hikes, cuts in aid pinch Florida college students

College students across Florida will return to classes this fall facing steep tuition increases and a variety of other cost hikes — all at a time when they’ll be seeing less financial aid from the state.

A number of state-funded aid programs, including the popular Bright Futures scholarships, were among the victims of this year’s wave of legislative cutbacks.

“It looks pretty grim,” said Brad Honious, director of financial aid at Valencia Community College. “Students are getting hit from all levels.”

Here are details about the changes and some tips on how students can afford to stay in school:

How much is tuition going up?

If you go to a state university, expect undergraduate tuition to rise 15 percent. Although the Florida Legislature recently approved an 8 percent hike, public universities can charge an additional 7 percent next school year through a “differential tuition” fee.

Florida’s two largest universities, the University of Central Florida and University of Florida, intend to boost tuition 15 percent. For a UCF student, that would mean an extra $17 per credit hour — or more than $300 more a semester for an 18-hour course load.

Link to article: http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-06-01/features/os-florida-college-costs-qa-20110601_1_tuition-hikes-college-students-ucf-student

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Postal Solutions is the nation’s leader in the collegiate mail management industry, for both on- and off-campus mail management services. For more information regarding assistance with outsourcing your collegiate mail management needs, please call us today at (866) 378-8157 or visit us online at www.uspostalsolutions.com to save your student rental community or university money.

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More universities rent out dorms for group meetings

A growing number of nearly 2,000 college and universities across the USA will do double duty offering lodging and conference centers this summer.

Adult demand for on-campus digs has soared during the recession, says Chuck Salem, president of the Johnstown, Pa.-based marketing company Unique Venues, which oversees the website UniqueVenues.com. The company connects meeting planners with distinctive meeting and event space.

Salem says meeting planners’ requests for proposals for the schools his company represents rose 90% from 2009 to 2010. The company’s roster of colleges, which stood at 140 in 1988, grew to 354 last year.

Higher-learning institutions are thinking about adult seasonal guests when upgrading their dormitories and meeting spaces or designing new buildings, Salem said.

That trend has caught the attention of meeting planners with groups that want overnight accommodations that are cheaper than many hotels but have convenient access to conference facilities and dining, said Vicki Westcott, manager of conference services at the University of West Florida in Pensacola. Newer student-housing complexes “are not your traditional dorm rooms anymore,” Westcott said.

Link to article: http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/2011-03-27-rented-campus-space.htm

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Postal Solutions is the nation’s leader in the collegiate mail management industry, for both on- and off-campus mail management services. For more information regarding assistance with outsourcing your collegiate mail management needs, please call us today at (866) 378-8157 or visit us online at www.uspostalsolutions.com to save your university money.

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Fees going up for UCF students

If annual tuition hikes aren’t enough to deal with, students at the University of Central Florida can expect to pay more for campus housing, parking and fees. University officials have signed off on a variety of increases for 2011-12. The biggest increase is in university housing. UCF will charge students $30 to $95 more each semester, depending on where they live on campus.

Officials said they need the extra revenue to help cover the additional costs of such things as roof and air-conditioner replacements and installing more security cameras. UCF also is raising the price of parking permits. An annual student decal will go up $6 to $94. Faculty will pay another $21 for an annual decal. The university plans to bump up three student fees – the athletic fee, health fee and transportation-access fee.

Link to article: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/education/os-ucf-student-fees-increase-20110318,0,7249243.story

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Postal Solutions is the nation’s leader in the collegiate mail management industry, for both on- and off-campus mail management services. For more information regarding assistance with outsourcing your collegiate mail management needs, please call us today at (866) 378-8157 or visit us online at www.uspostalsolutions.com to save your university money.

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Clemson Could Outsource Campus Post Office

Link to article found here.

Eliminate the burden of self mail-delivery, theft, loss and ongoing parent complaints by transitioning your existing campus housing mail delivery program with Postal Solutions’ Residence Hall Mail Management Services or outsource your campus mail center/post office with our Collegiate Mail Services program.

Postal Solutions is the nation’s leader in the collegiate mail management industry, for both on- and off-campus mail management services. For more information regarding assistance with outsourcing your collegiate mail management needs, please call us today at (866) 378-8157 or visit us online at www.uspostalsolutions.com.

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