Cedarville Magazine, Spring 2014

The high cost of a college education has become part of a national conversation. Last fall, President Obama took the college affordability theme on the road during a two- day bus tour. It wasn’t all that long ago that the Occupy protesters staged their resistance to high college costs and rising student debt on the sidewalks of Wall Street. Unfortunately, sound bites on the evening news are unable to explain or address the myriad complex issues that influence college costs and have brought us to this point. But, that does not diminish the fact that concerns about college affordability are real and personal for many families. Cedarville and the College Cost Conversation First, you should know that Cedarville’s tuition rate is $4,000 less than the current private college average. We have been pursuing a long-term strategy to hold the line on college costs while increasing our competitive scholarships and grants. Institutional financial aid has grown by more than 120 percent in the past five years, and Cedarville’s net cost to students has increased less than 1 percent (in total) since the 2008–09 academic year. Continuing that priority, President Thomas White announced early in his presidency that there would be no tuition increase for the 2014–15 academic year. That is the first time tuition has held steady since 1973! Even with a small increase planned in room and board, Cedarville’s rates remain among the very lowest of any private college or university in the country. But, are we doing enough? The Heart of the President As I’ve engaged with our new President during the past 10 months, his priority on increasing affordability and access is clear, and it is much less about economic factors than it is about Kingdom considerations. We believe Cedarville is equipping the next generation of Christian leaders who will make a difference for Jesus Christ around the world. A Cedarville education is well worth the investment (our outcome data supports that!), but it must also be affordable to students who have a passion to advance the Gospel through their professional calling. That is our driving priority, and it raises important questions like: How should we approach student debt? Two-thirds of Cedarville graduates walk across the stage at commencement with student loans, averaging about $22,000. (For perspective, the national benchmark is closer to $27,000.) Our alumni are effectively managing their debt, having one of the lowest default rates in the nation (0.8 percent compared to nearly 10 percent nationally). But, for our students who are preparing for careers focused on service and ministry, even these debt levels are too much and could keep them from pursuing their calling. As an institution with an intentional Christian mission, this should influence our approach to student debt. What should drive our pricing strategy? In the purest free market approach, Cedarville should charge as much for tuition as a sufficient number of “customers” are willing to pay. We have been blessed by many years of growing enrollments, but we’ve also seen growing competition for freshmen students. Some outstanding students have pursued other college options simply because of costs. But there are biblical principles that should transcend a market-driven pricing approach. If we are able to fill a class with only students from families of means, we miss the opportunity to influence an entire segment of outstanding Christian young people who cannot afford a Cedarville education, but who would be an ideal fit and offer much to our campus community. No Quick or Easy Answers I anticipate that President White will lead us forward to wrestle with these important questions and seek Kingdom-focused answers. In the end, we may all be a part of the solution. For those of us on campus, we will continue to be careful stewards of the resources God provides to us and pursue new opportunities to grow and build. For our friends and alumni who share Cedarville’s vision for Christ-centered higher education, we will ask you to walk alongside us and our students by providing gifts and scholarships. I wholeheartedly believe that God providentially leads students to Cedarville, and He also provides the resources they need to be here. I’m excited to be a part of a conversation that will ensure that Cedarville can fulfill its mission in the lives of students for years to come. Janice (Warren) Supplee ’86 is Vice President for Enrollment Management and Marketing and a member of the American Marketing Association. She received her M.B.A. from Wright State University and her Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska. You may contact her at suppleej@cedarville.edu. Tuition With a Mission by Janice (Warren) Supplee ’86