In an effort to keep pace with rising operating costs and salary increases, Drake University is raising tuition for the 2010-11 school year by 4.9 percent, which translates to $1,668, according to an e-mail issued by President David Maxwell on Thursday.

Maxwell said that the main cause of raising the tuition costs is faculty salary increases.

“All of our salary increases are merit-based,” Maxwell said. “We have a rigorous performance evaluation system in place, so it’s not just, ‘Oh, I think he did a good job.’ It’s filling out forms, saying, ‘What are the criteria you are basing this on?’”

He added that each dean and administrative director receives money, which Drake allocates as a 3 percent salary increase to staff that meet performance goals.

Maxwell said that student evaluations taken at the end of each course are a factor when deans and administrative directors allocate money.

Vice President Victoria Payseur said that additional costs influencing tuition include the cost of general goods and services.

“Our main source of revenue is tuition and fees,” Payseur said. “Consequently, we do find it necessary to increase our tuition price to cover those ever-increasing costs and/or to make improvements in existing programs.”

On average, Drake’s tuition has risen annually by 4.3 percent, Payseur said. Last year, the cost rose by 2.99 percent.

“Last year, because the economy was in such a terrible mess, we didn’t think it was a responsible approach for families (to raise tuition by more than 4 percent),” Payseur said.

Drake is still on the lower end of tuition increases for private colleges, which is usually closer to 6 percent, she said.

“When we look at the other top 11 Midwest privates with whom we compete head on, we’re at that top of that list in quality,” Maxwell said. “And we’re 11th in cost.”

Details of the new budget will be emerging in the next few weeks, particularly regarding projects involving technology.

“We don’t say, ‘We have this need, this need, this need, and they add up to $10 million, now what do we have to increase tuition to in order to cover?’ We don’t do that,” Payseur said. “We look at what we think is a responsible increase in tuition to still allow access to as many students as possible. Our goal is to provide the highest level of quality education that we can, but keep our price line as low as possible.”

Revenue generated from tuition increases has funded the renovations of 31 classrooms over the past four years and partially funded the renovations of Morehouse and Jewett halls, Maxwell said.

Both Maxwell and Payseur stressed that they are committed to utilizing the money as expertly as possible.

“The most important message for students is that we are doing everything we can to use the dollars that are entrusted to us as effectively, and as efficiently as possible, to be responsible stewards of their money,” Maxwell said. “We know that students and their parents and their families work hard to get that money.”

Payseur agreed.

“There is an extremely strong sense of fiscal stewardship at Drake University,” she said. “The institution is focused on spending dollars to benefit the students and to enhance their educational experience.”