Tuition Letter From President Cornwell 2/10/09
Mary Schantz February 10th, 2009
Dear Students, Parents, and Guardians:
Sustaining the excellence and integrity of a Wooster education amidst the most challenging economic circumstances in recent history is the first priority of every member of the College’s administration, our Board of Trustees, our faculty and staff.
After careful analysis, the board has approved an increase of 3.5% in the comprehensive fee for the 2009-10 academic year, to $43,900. With the exception of 1999, this is the lowest increase in 32 years.
Even with this increase, the comprehensive fee covers only two thirds of the actual cost of a Wooster education. But despite the decline in the value of our endowment and the impact of the global economic downturn on donors, our loyal alumni and friends continue to support the mission of the College. Their gifts, together with endowment income will provide a “silent scholarship” of $9,065 for every Wooster student this year, once again bridging the gap between tuition revenue and the full cost of providing a Wooster education.
We remain committed to maintaining - and, in the case of the Ruth W. and Morris A. Williams Jr. Emergency Student Aid Fund, announced this past November, increasing - the resources available to help good students remain and succeed at Wooster. (Please see the attachment for more details.) We also continue to work diligently across campus to contain costs and operate the College more efficiently, while protecting the richness of our core educational mission.
Liberal education at its best is a deeply collaborative venture, and I remain grateful to each of you for your role in our shared endeavor. I wish you continued success this year and in the academic year to come. Thank you for your continuing commitment to The College of Wooster.
Sincerely,
Grant H. Cornwell
President
Dear President Cornwell,
I want to express my pleasure at the Board of Trustee’s decision to keep the annual increase in tuition minimal.
It is indeed an extremely trying time for not only parents sending their children to college, but colleges such as Wooster that have to weigh the costs and benefits of every little decision to maintain the quality of education as well as that of the incoming student body.
I wish you luck in all your endeavours to make Wooster resilient during such an incredibly challenging economic phase.
Best,
Mihika Chatterjee
Class of 2008
This makes me even more proud of my alma mater.
Julie LaFrance Funk ‘81
$43,900 for tuition and room and board? Most grads probably make $10,000 less than that their first year out of Woo. But, hey, you do get to do an I.S., right?