As Grady College of Jour-nalsim and Mass Commun-ication officials decide whe-ther to add a differential tuition fee, the college’s 850 students aren’t the only group interested in the outcome.

With the University facing massive budget cuts, which total an almost $50 million decrease since last year, other colleges may be looking to hike their tuition fees as well.

“I think it’s almost certain that other colleges will follow Grady’s lead,” said journalism professor Conrad Fink, a member of the committee discussing the proposed hike, which will cost journalism students about $364 a semester.

“All the colleges on campus face the same problems Grady faces,” he said.

So, when Grady students meet with Dean John Soloski Wednesday at 5 p.m. in the South PJ auditorium to discuss the proposed tuition hike, more may be at stake.

Meanwhile, in preparation for the hike, Soloski announced the start of the “Grady Challenge” fundraiser.

He and alumnus Dick Yarbrough each personally donated $10,000, putting their money where their mouth is by paying what would amount to almost 30 students’ one-year tuition raises.

Currently, other University schools use differential tuition, but with the exception of the bachelor of landscape architecture program in the College of Environmental Design, they are all graduate programs.

Requirements from the State Board of Regents, which will make the ultimate decision about a differential tuition hike, state that only “professional” schools may call for differential tuition, said Budget Director Ryan Nesbit.

“There’s some very specific criteria that have to be met before the tuition can be assessed,” he said.

Schools that fit that criteria, like the Terry College of Business, are considering such a hike, said Terry Associate Dean Sandra Gustavson.

“We’re looking at it now, but we haven’t made any firm decision yet,” she said.

Soloski said he called for the differential tuition because 96 percent of Grady classes are full and budget cuts wiped out the possibilities of hiring adjunct professors.

The tuition hike, which could be covered by the HOPE Scholarship, would pay for 18 adjunct faculty members, provide a $240,000 fund for equipment and hire more technical support staff.

Soloski tries to deter concerns by pointing to what he calls the proposal’s guiding principle — “no student shall be denied an education in Grady because of an inability to pay the differential tuition,” he said.