John M. McCardell Jr., vice chancellor and president of The University of the South, more familiarly known as Sewanee, is extraordinarily honest. He has strong views about the cost of higher education, about how colleges and universities are rated, about the rules and traditions that govern campus life, and about the relationship between universities and the communities in which they are located. His candor is refreshing and instructive.
McCardell argues passionately about the value of higher education, but he admits that the cost of obtaining one is often beyond the reach of many students and their families. He’s not one to stop with that admission. He’s done something to slow rising costs at his school.
Working with Sewanee’s Board of Regents, the school’s governing body, McCardell cut tuition by 10 percent and guaranteed enrolling freshmen that their tuition would remain stable for four years. That might not seem like much when tuition is well above of $40,000, but doing so sent a powerful and well-received message – change can be good – to students, parents and to others involved in higher education.
Campus visits and admission applications rose after the cuts. Enrollment, which had been in slow decline, is on the rise, too. The incoming freshman class will number 450. It was 401 before the Board of Regents acted.
McCardell told a meeting of the Times Free Press editorial board that he is pleased with the tuition reduction and stabilization programs, but that he wants to make Sewanee still more affordable, especially for students with major financial needs. He wants to do so by changing the way scholarships are awarded. Rather than basing them solely on merit, he’d like to be able to guarantee that all demonstrable financial needs would be met for any student admitted to the university. That goal has yet to be met.