GOLDEN GATE XPRESS -- Andrew Harris, dean of the College of Liberal & Creative Arts, presented an alternative strategy: raising the tuition costs for programs where the cost of instruction is higher.
He noted that in a major like design the demand is high and, because of the facilities required to support the major, the program is more expensive to grow.
To cover the cost of such facilities, the University could add a surcharge to such expensive programs as an alternative differential tuition model.
But Hong worried Harris’ proposal could also create an unequal barrier to education for low-income students, particularly those interested in pursuing studies in the sciences, which are among the more expensive departments to fund.
“My concern is that differential cost levels for different majors will have the unintended consequence of diminishing access for some of the students who we stated we have a commitment for increasing their participation,” Hong said.