The Central Michigan University Board of Trustees met on June 30 to approve a new operating budget and tuition prices for the 2022-2023 fiscal year.
Finance and Facilities Committee
The CMU Board of Trustees approved a 3.53% increase in lower-level undergraduate tuition rates.
President Bob Davies said tuition for undergraduate students will increase $15 per credit hour, or $450 per year. Rates for upper-level undergraduate, international, masters and doctoral students also will increase.
“Our goal is to be affordable and accessible to our students,” President Bob Davies said. “At the same time, we need to be in the position to have resources to have quality education. We work really hard at all levels to have that fine tuned balance.”
University funding for Maroon and Gold scholarships is also expected to increase next year along with tuition. Those scholarships are need and merit-based, tied to a percentage of tuition rather than a fixed dollar amount.
CMU is projected to have an increase in incoming students for the first time since 2014. President Davies said that is primarily based on people who have enrolled, signed up for orientation or signed housing contracts.
“I would say for the first time in eight, nine years, all of our indicators are green, meaning that they are above last year,” Davies said of enrollment numbers. “We are looking at noticeable increases.”
Davies said they are expecting lower revenues for the coming year, so some budget reductions were needed.
The approved $434.7 million operating budget includes allocations for student success including mental health resources, and investment in recruitment, enrollment and retention initiatives.
The budget also includes a 2% salary increase for non-unionized CMU staff. Davies said union workers have different rates of salary increases, but all are close to 2%.
According to the board, CMU is on track to have their largest year ever for research grants. This represents fundings from agencies like the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, and the US Department of Education.
Davies said the budget is flexible and adaptable, and adjustments may be necessary as the year progresses.
Academic and Student Affairs Committee
To better support students and curricular needs within the College of Education and Human Services, the Department of Counseling and Special Education is being split and reorganized. Counseling programs will merge with other areas to create the Department of Counseling, Educational Leadership and Higher Education. Special education will merge with other departments to create the Department of Teacher and Special Education.
CMU Global Campus has been restructured to create a new academic unit called CMU Innovation and Online, which was approved at the June meeting.
Elizabeth “Betty” Kirby was appointed as Vice President of the program. She joined CMU faculty in 2004, and most recently Kirby served as interim dean of the College of the Arts and Media. Kirby has previously served as dean of the College of Education and Human Services.
Other
Six faculty and staff members received emeritus status at the meeting, but Rumie Martinez was the only member able to attend. She has served students at the university for more than 38 years, most notably as an Academic Advisor for 15 years and a Student Service Advisor for 10 years.
“She has inspired thousands of students’ lives throughout their journey navigating their educational goals at the institution,” Trustee Regine Beauboeuf said as she bestowed Martinez with the emerita rank.
Following a traffic jam yesterday, parking enforcement is adding signage on campus, including stop signs. They will also be implementing license plate recognition technology.
A new ordinance says drivers can no longer back into a space on campus without a front license plate. The board approved the traffic ordinance and the new campus map.
The board said their priorities going into the 2022-2023 school year are focused on student success and academic quality as well as health, safety, compliance and critical infrastructure.
