Florence-Darlington Tech won't increase fall tuition

By: | SCNOW
Published: June 19, 2008

FLORENCE — Members of the Florence-Darlington County Commission for Technical Education voted against increasing tuition for the fall semester during a regular meeting held Wednesday at the Southeastern Institute of Manufacturing and Technology.

“We probably need a tuition increase, but with all that is going on in the economy, we feel that we (should) not have a tuition increase,” said Goz Segars, chairman of the commission’s finance committee.

FDTC President Dr. Charles Gould said the college will “tighten up” other areas of the budget to cover any shortfalls.

“Our costs are not going down at all, but we just don’t feel comfortable in asking the students to pay more at this point,” Gould said. “(With gasoline at) $4 a gallon ... this is a 100 percent commuter campus.

“We just didn’t feel we could do it,” he said. “We’re going to tighten up somewhere else.”

Gould said the college will hold off on hiring some permanent positions, cut back on expenses and get a little more aggressive about searching for outside funds.

Commission member E. Hood Temple said not having to raise tuition is a “testament to not only Dr. (Charles) Gould, but to the college’s staff in helping make education affordable.

“I think the board is very proud that we cannot increase,” Temple said. “If you look at higher education across the state of South Carolina ... there have been significant tuition increases.

“Florence-Darlington Tech has remained very financially responsible,” he said. “Our students (are) our No. 1 priority and (we) try to hold the line in tuition increases without compromising the quality of education that we’re providing to them.”

During the meeting, the commission approved a “working budget,” received updates on a financial report as of May 31 and an update on the college’s foundation, and reelected officers for the 2008-09 school year.

“We don’t know what the state appropriations are going to be, so we don’t know final figures,” Gould said.

Gould said the commission will probably approve another budget in August, assuming it receives final figures from the state.

Employee pay raises haven’t been figured into the budget.

In the president’s report, Gould said the college received $160,000 from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the college’s Advanced Welding and Cutting Center Pipe Welding Academy.