Cost of Tuition to Rise

At City Colleges of Chicago tuition continues to increase despite false comfort and reassurance that inflation was stagnant. At the State of the College President Potash was asked if summer tuition prices would increase. With an optimistic yet honest response he replied, hopefully not. Unfortunately, CCC increased summer tuition for foreign students, but gave notification before the term unlike during the semester of Fall 2015.

The following email was sent out stating the following:

Hello, hopefully all is well.

We recently were informed by CCC District Office that all F1 visa holders would be charged the Out of Country rate beginning with Summer 2016 rather than Fall 2016. Below you will see a breakdown of summer tuition for F1 visa holders:

One Course Only: $2,519.00 5 to 11 Credit Hours: $6,349.00 12 Credit Hours and above: $8,953.00 Please let Nicole or me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Best regards,

Joseph Kim DSO/International Student Advisor

The new tuition for all students, especially foreign students, is a costly increase. Analysis of the new flat residential rate, approved by the Board of Trustees, shows the only beneficiaries are full-time students taking 20 credit hours resulting in $87.65 per credit hour versus the old $89 per credit hour.

According to the CCC website, “The City Colleges of Chicago Board is comprised of seven voting members serving three-year terms as appointed by the Mayor with the approval of the City Council of Chicago. The Board includes one student trustee elected from one of the Colleges through a campus-wide election. Click here to read more about the current members of the Board of Trustees.​”

There is no link to click on as of April 1, 2016 and finding the salaries of these members is not accessible through the CCC search engine. Other positions’ salaries can be found such as Chancellor Cheryl L. Hyman who makes $256,250 per year to do, a recently deemed, unsatisfactory job with the “No Confidence Vote.”

Other administrative officers are making over $140,000, and college presidents are making at least $170,000. Their wages unaffected, tuition continues to increase. Rumors flutter, speaking in loud whispers, of designating the majority of the faculty as part-timers. A great business move, saving CCC money, if only at the cost of lost staff benefits, money, and certain rights for full-time staff. Educational experience in potential employees, administrative and supervisory positions, takes a passenger seat and feeds into CCC’s focus on finances, numbers, and monies.

Community college is intended for those who have little time or money, yet CCC continues to raise the prices, deeming it necessary. Graduation rates, not successful learning, is their focus. Money motivates this madness. Graduation numbers increases amount of federal funding. Good thing, considering that Illinois has had no approved state budget over the last nine months and counting.

The seven colleges comply with Integrated Postsecondary Educational Data System. IPEDS is a federal entity that collects data from schools. The data is used to determine the efficacy of the school. The higher the graduation rates, the more money a school will get. If a school doesn’t meet those rates it shuts down. No school, no jobs and no $100,000 (plus) salaries.

What cost will CCC be willing to pay to bring up their numbers? To be fair, the guidelines set for considerable graduates are those that complete an associates within three years. Part-timers, and those that take multiple breaks, are not counted as success for community colleges.

With minimum wage still $8.25 in Illinois, and $10 in Chicago, it should be no surprise if enrollment continues to decrease. If not given affordable and available opportunities, how will people with unfavorable circumstances ever be able to escape to a better situation without making things worse for themselves?

Part-time and foreign students were the ones who paid dearly for CCC to test their business theories. Who or what will be next?