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Tuition exchange program to end in 2015

Faculty, staff and other members of the campus community are searching for solutions in the wake of the collapse of the Northwest Independent Colleges (NIC) tuition exchange program. The exchange constitutes a significant portion of the employee benefits package, and its cancellation presents a serious obstacle for hundreds of students and their parents.
Dependents of faculty and staff at the five participating schools (Puget Sound, Whitman, Willamette, Reed and Lewis & Clark) were able to get a tuition-free education at any of these colleges.  President Thomas announced in June that NIC scholarships will not be offered after fall 2015.

Jill Nealey-Moore, a faculty member serving on the Benefits Task Force (BenTF), said Puget Sound did not initiate the process of dissolving the program.  BenTF was created by Vice President for Finance and Administration Sherry Mondou in 2009.  Its original focus was health care.

BenTF turned its attention to the education benefits in fall 2010.  In spring 2011, the Faculty Senate created the Ad Hoc Education Benefits Committee.  Faculty Senate Chair Steven Neshyba, a former member of BenTF, disagrees with the administration’s initial secrecy regarding the fragile state of the NIC exchange.  “We didn’t even know there were cabinet-level meetings happening,” Neshyba said.  Faculty were not officially told until spring 2011.

“There will be costs associated with the loss of NIC that cannot be easily calculated,” Neshyba said.  He believes that if an alternative is not put in place, recruitment, retention and productivity of employees will be affected.  Substantial benefits keep the University competitive and draw in high-quality professors.

Bill Breitenbach, one of the five members of the Ad-Hoc Committee, said his own productivity will not be affected by a loss of benefits.  “I think the faculty will remain driven by a commitment to teaching.”

Other professors say their incentive to go the extra mile has diminished. Neshyba said that he often receives requests from Admissions to call and talk with prospective students who are interested in the Chemistry Department. “I no longer respond to those requests,” he said.  He has three children, including a daughter who is a senior in high school. “I can’t put my heart into the teaching when it’s not available to my own children.”

For both the BenTF and the Ad Hoc Committee, there are several options on the table.  An interim education cash grant was proposed by the cabinet in fall 2010, but the Board of Trustees rejected it. The cash grant has been a source of contention because although it is more flexible than an exchange, it decreases the amount of financial aid families can receive.

“Recreating a program similar to the NIC is under consideration.  Also under consideration is some combination of tuition exchange and cash grant, or joining an existing consortium,” Executive Director of Communications Gayle McIntosh said.

On May 25, 2011, 112 faculty members signed a petition to express their desire to replace the NIC exchange with a similar, more stable program.  The proposed model is inspired by the Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM), which includes 14 schools.  In the NIC model, the “importing” college foots the entire tuition bill, often creating severe imbalances.  ACM splits tuition between the “importing” and “exporting” schools.

Neshyba, who advocates transparent government, is concerned about the Board’s unwillingness to talk directly with the Faculty Senate. He believes the Ad Hoc Committee is vital to the search for a solution.

“The Benefits Task Force and the Ad Hoc Committee answer to different masters,” he said.  While BenTF members were appointed by the cabinet, Committee members were nominated by the faculty and went through an interview process with the Faculty Senate.

The Staff Senate Chair, Rusty Horton, is also in favor of open communication.

“I think that it is good for as many people as possible to work on this important issue to develop a comprehensive and hopefully decades-long solution to the education benefits uncertainty,” he said.

Board members did not respond to requests for comments.

It remains to be seen whether or not enough interest can be generated among regional colleges.  “It’s a delicate dance to get schools who are willing to partner with us, especially in this economic climate,” Nealey-Moore said.

The BenTF is expected to recommend a plan to the Board of Trustees in spring 2012.  Recommendations will be based on the surveys and data collected this year.