BOG increases tuition, determines contracts and approves project costs for upcoming year

Breaking News: BOG increases tuition, determines contracts and approves project costs for upcoming year.

The Truman State University Board of Governors met today at the Student Union Building to discuss financial and business matters for the upcoming 2011-2012 academic year.

The Board unanimously passed a resolution to increase tuition 4.7 percent for in-state undergraduate students and 3.8 percent for out-of-state undergraduate and graduate students.

Tuition for out-of-state and graduate students has risen on an average of 2.8 percent during the past three years, while in-state undergraduate students have experienced a 1.6 percent increase, said Dave Rector, director of institutional research/budgets.

He said the tuition increase is intended to help compensate for the probable 7 percent budget cut from the state.

"When you put together the projected revenue from the tuition increase against what we are losing from the state, we still haven't reduced the budget for next year," Rector said.

In comparison to other Missouri public colleges' average 5-6 percent increase, Truman's tuition increases are relatively modest. Missouri Western State University recently increased their tuition by 9.5 percent for the upcoming school year.

University President Troy Paino wanted to keep the increases below 5 percent, Rector said.

 "We are trying to keep it as affordable as possible for students," Rector said. We are hoping that the cuts are over and that they will level out."

The Board also unanimously passed a resolution to extend the University's dining services contract with Sodexo for five years.

Treat America and Fresh Ideas competed with Sodexo for the University contract, Rector said.

Rector said that decision to continue with Sodexo was because of their "high quality and reasonable price" and the other companies never had handled clients Truman's size.

There will be a 3.7 percent increase in the price of food for the 2011-12 academic year.

"In the room and board rates that we already set for next year, we allowed an amount in that same vicinity," Rector said. "From the student perspective, there will not be a dramatic change. "

The Board passed a resolution to make Follett the new University bookstore contractor. Follett will replace Barnes and Noble, which has had a contract with Truman since 1987.

"They [Follett] focus a lot on rentals and the thought was that they would help students out with lower prices," Rector said.

The Board approved three money motions for various University projects.

The first motion approved $2.9 million for general maintenance in the SUB and Pickler Memorial Library. Projects will include re-sealing windows, masonry work and re-roofing.

The Board approved $120,000 for new cooling towers for McClain Hall, Violette Hall and Pickler Memorial Library.

The Board approved $33,000 for the purchase of a disk storage system and $99,000 for a dual-emission x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), a machine used to evaluate bone density. The Health and Exercise Sciences Department will use the machine for undergraduate studies in the Pershing Building's newly constructed south wing.