Albuquerque Journal

UNM Tuition Change Helps All Make Grade

"Our students are perfectly happy graduating in 10 years versus five. We have 10-year graduation rates that are higher than six years because they're cool with it."
    --Terry Babbitt
   
UNM interim vice president for enrollment
   
Some University of New Mexico students may be "cool" with the job title perennial student. Anybody who would like to see UNM move up the ladder in rankings is not, because part of what universities are judged on is the graduation rate— not participation in continuing education.
   
Only 44 percent of UNM students graduate in six years. UNM President David Schmidly may finally be the one to establish a concrete strategy for changing UNM's sad graduation rates.
   
He suggests freezing tuition for freshmen who wrap it up in four years— allowing them, and their parents, to budget educational expenses instead of waiting for the next tuition increase to derail their finances. And he proposes that students taking full loads be allowed to add all the extra classes they can handle for free.
   
Schmidly emphasizes his proposals are in the idea stage and he wants input from students and parents and state lawmakers. And while short-term details must be worked out, like how to adjust the revenue stream without across-the-board tuition hikes, everyone should see the long-term payoff.
   
Regents hired Schmidly last year to take UNM to the next level. His first two proposals encourage students to get their coursework done so they can move on to the next phase of their life. That only helps the university and the community move ahead, too.