Tuition, fees won't rise at NCC

Tuition and student fees will not rise at Nassau Community College for the next academic year, thanks to increased state aid, staff reductions and other cost-saving measures, college officials announced.

Under the 2012-13 budget, adopted Monday night, the college's board of trustees authorized a less than 1 percent spending increase over the previous year.

The new budget is $204.7 million.

"NCC's mission is to provide students with an affordable, high quality higher education," said Nassau Community College president Donald Astrab.

"This budget helps us to fulfill that mission, which is particularly important at a time when community colleges are being looked to more and more as a key component for educational advancement, career development and economic revitalization."

The new budget includes $2.9 million in additional state aid compared with last year, a total of $43.9 million, and $1.5 million from the college's reserve fund.

Other cost-saving measures: cuts to contracted part-time union and nonunion positions; an across-the-board 2.5 percent cut in non-payroll expenses; and reduced utility costs from energy conservation efforts, officials said.

The budget approval is pending review by the county executive and a vote by county legislators. Tuition rose $258 for 2011-12, an increase approved by the county legislature, with opposition from four Democrats.

Also last year, the college eliminated 40 temporary full-time instructors.

There are about 24,000 full- and part-time students and almost 15,000 continuing and professional students enrolled at Nassau Community College.

The current tuition is $3,990 annually.