It was a first for undergraduates.

With the approval of a $500 fee for business undergraduates, the regents gave the Eller College of Business and Public Administration the authority to charge students more for their education, a funding strategy traditionally reserved for graduate programs.

But with the close 5-3 vote and the intense discussion that preceded it, regents and administrators sent a clear message: They don't want to see more program fees for undergraduates.

"No m‡s," said Regent Chris Herstam.

I confess I haven't been really comfortable with the fees -President Pete Likins

Despite his vote in favor of the business college fees, Herstam sent a warning out to everyone that undergraduate program fees would not become a norm.

Any new proposals for undergraduate fees would face a lot of skepticism, he said.

"I think it's a dangerous precedent. If you're not careful, the university will use (program fees) as an extension of tuition to generate revenue," he said.

Herstam's concerns were voiced by many, including most of the regents, the Associated Students of the University of Arizona and President Pete Likins.

"I confess I haven't been really comfortable with the fees," Likins said. "But because there was student approval · I said OK."

At the meeting, the regents and Arizona State University President Michael Crow justified a business program fee because they said graduates of business programs can earn higher salaries as soon as they graduate. In order to remain competitive for those job opportunities, Crow said the business colleges need to stay competitive in a market where business programs around the country are implementing fees to raise revenue.

While the business college was not the only undergraduate program to propose a fee, it was the only one that received the regents' approval.

The College of Nursing asked the regents to approve a $1,000 fee for undergraduates, but the regents denied the request even though the College of Nursing said they would only charge the fee if they received external funding to cover undergraduates.

It was a tie 3-3 vote with Regents Jack Jewett and Herstam abstaining, citing conflict of interest.

Although, according to the proposal, undergraduates wouldn't have faced a fee, some regents voiced opposition to a policy that they said could still open the door for nursing undergraduates to have to pay fees.

The fee would have left nursing students vulnerable to extra fees if external funding didn't come through, said Regent Robert Bulla, who motioned that the regents' vote against discussion of the proposal.

"I think the unintended consequences would be fewer students rather than more students," he said. "I think the perception that there are fees will send students to other places."

Herstam said he wants to avoid creating a situation where students choose a major based on immediate financial concerns.

"I'm concerned that lower economic students may be discouraged from majoring in academic programs," he said.

As next year's Board of Regents' President, Herstam said he hopes his statements discourage proposals for undergraduate program fees. But, he added, if more fees come before the board, the process, which some regents complained about, would invite more discussion.

This year, there was little discussion between regents and students about the program fees prior to last week's meeting because all discussion was overshadowed by a $1,000 tuition increase, Herstam said.

"There's not going to be another $1,000 tuition increase in the next few years, so individual fees will be more thoroughly discussed," he said.

But Likins said he wants guidelines from the regents that establish restrictions on undergraduate fees. If the board waits until archaeology comes before them to ask for undergraduate program fees, they're going to have a hard time saying no, he said.

Likins and Provost George Davis have both said they want to push graduate programs to a more market-based strategy where graduate programs stay competitive financially by implementing program fees.

On Thursday, the regents approved a number of program fees for graduate programs such as nursing and information resources and library science.

In an update released in January, administrators said they would also consider undergraduate fees "if circumstances warrant."

If the state keeps under-funding the university, undergraduate programs might consider implementing program fees, said Elizabeth Ervin, vice-provost for academic affairs.

"If the state doesn't fund us, then we're going to need to explore fees to more adequately fund our programs," she said.