Board raises summer tuition

The Board of Visitors addressed many budgetary issues at last Friday's meeting with the board approving amendments that allow JMU to request money from the Virginia General Assembly.

To help offset the increasing costs, the board agreed to raise summer tuition and fees.

The increase is from $69 to $80 per credit hour for in-state undergraduates and $303 to $350 per credit hour for out-of-state undergraduates. Tuition and fees rose from $149 to $175 per credit hour for in-state graduate students and $503 to $575 for out-of-state graduate students.

Charles King, senior vice president for administration and finance, said he would like to request $18.8 million from the general assembly for basic funding, faculty salaries, operations for new facilities and enrollment growth.

While he does not feel JMU will get all of the requested amount, he said, since this is a negotiating process, he would like to request this dollar amount in the fiscal year 2006.

The board approved his request.

The board also approved King's amendment request to allow JMU to create more recreational fields, as well as a parking deck.

"We haven't decided yet where the [parking deck] site would be yet," King said.

"We have built parking on every square inch we can find," he added.

King estimates the new deck will cost about $13.6 million, based on figures from the University of Virginia's and George Mason University's recent parking projects, and will not begin construction for another two years.

King also explained Virginia Gov. Mark Warner's proposed 2004-'06 budget.

"The governor's going on record saying universities need to raise tuition to pay [for some of the new budgeted money]," King said.

The damage to the Financial Services Building last November because of a fire still is being assessed, according to King. People are "still putting together a list of property lost" for insurance, he said.

There also are conflicting professional opinions on whether it would be cheaper either to reconstruct the building or tear it down and start from the beginning, King said.

Meredith Gunter, chair of the Education & Student Life committee, reported that her committee sees a need for JMU to have a masters of science in nursing. Students would have two options — pursuing a career as an adult or gerontology nurse practitioner or become a nurse educator with a specialty in adult health.

The request was passed unanimously and now will go in front of the State Council for Higher Education for Virginia in Richmond.

Gunter also addressed the need to have more students run for the board's student position. She said there have been fewer candidates every year.

The board approved reducing the requirements from having a 3.0 grade-point average to being in good academic standing, which is a 2.0 GPA, at the university.

They also tabled the idea of having the board select the member after an application and interview process. This would change the current practice of having students elect the representative, which was implemented in 2000.

In other matters, Bill Jasien, chair of the Finance & Physical Development Committee, said the university still is discussing ways to deal with illegal file sharing. He said there have been some requests to remove the illegal material, but there have been no subpoenas.

He said they would continue to monitor this issue.