University of Mary Washington students will have a zero increase in tuition and dining costs this fall. That decision was unanimously made Friday during a called virtual meeting of the UMW Board of Visitors.
The Board also conferred 1,115 undergraduate and 175 graduate degrees upon the Class of 2020, which would have held its Commencement the next day, Saturday, May 9. Due to current COVID-19 restrictions on large gatherings, that ceremony has been rescheduled for October 24. Board Rector Heather Crislip ’95 praised class members for their achievement and perseverance in the face of extraordinary circumstances.
Citing the rising unemployment rate and financial uncertainties for families, the Board voted not only for the tuition and dining cost freeze, but also for minimal increases in other student fees, bringing the total hike to less the $500 per individual student living on campus. That represents a 2% increase for housing, and an 8% increase for the Auxiliary Comprehensive Fee. For the 2020-21 academic year, the total increase for a full-time, in-state undergraduate student living on-campus and subscribing to a meal plan is 2.1% and for out-of-state students the increase is 1.2%.
The rates reflect UMW’s multi-year strategy to more closely align room and board charges to the full cost of delivery for these services.
President Paino, in presenting the rate recommendation to the board, expressed the administration’s desire to hold increases to a minimum because “families are struggling during this pandemic.” The Board action demonstrates the University’s commitment to affordability and student success, even though the University is facing further operating cuts to balance the 2020-21 budget.
The Board also passed a resolution of appreciation for the president and administrators of the University, who – in the face of the financial toll as a result of COVID-19 – voluntarily agreed to take salary cuts in 2020-21. The president will reduce his base salary by 10% and cabinet members and the three academic deans by 5% in a show of solidarity for and commitment to the University.
The University of Mary Washington is a premier, selective public liberal arts and sciences university in Virginia, highly respected for its commitment to academic excellence, strong undergraduate liberal arts and sciences program, and dedication to life-long learning. The university, with a total enrollment of more than 5,000, features colleges of business, education and arts and sciences, and three campuses, including a residential campus in Fredericksburg, Va., a second one in nearby Stafford and a third in Dahlgren, Va., which serves as a center of development of educational and research partnerships between the Navy, higher education institutions and the region’s employers.
