BOV raises tuition, fees

Latest increase is third in less than one year

Raising both tuition and monetary awards for faculty, the Board of Visitors made decisions last Friday impacting the future of JMU.

According to the Summary of Action by the board, tuition and fees will be raised to $5,058 for in-state commuter students from $4,458. In-state students residing on campus will have their tuition and fees raised to $10,794 from $10,026.

Out-of-state commuter students' tuition and fees will be raised to $13,280 from a previous $11,642. On-campus out-of-state students will now pay $19,016 compared to a previous $17,210.

This increase of money will be used to make up for the budget cuts this past year, according to Fred Hilton, director of university relations.

He said that $2 million of the increase will go to academic and financial aid programs. Of this $2 million, one million will allow JMU to hire 15 more faculty members.

Of the other million, $500,000 will go to the library, $300,000 for student financial aid and $200,000 for salary adjustments in order to keep faculty, according to Hilton.

Mark Warner, vice president of student affairs, said while he did not want to raise tuition and fees, it is "through them we will be able to add to the academic quality of the university."

President Linwood Rose agreed that the increase in tuition was necessary. "Without the tuition increase, the university would have been forced to make severe cuts in the operational quality of our academic programs," he said. "I do not think students or parents want to see the quality of the JMU education deteriorate."

The board also increased the monetary awards a faculty member received when getting tenure or a promotion.

According to the Summary of Action faculty members who are promoted to associate professor will receive an additional $3,500 instead of the prior $1,750. The financial increment for a promotion to full professor is now $3,500, higher than its previous $2,500 award.

Faculty who receive tenure will receive $3,500. Previously no award was given.

"The financial increments awarded to faculty on promotion had not been changed since they were established approximately 15 years ago," Rose said.

"I think this type of recognition is long overdue, and I would hope that we could do even more in the future," he added.

The board also approved allowing JMU police to have jurisdiction in areas with a high student population, according to the Summary of Action.

Hilton said that these police would work with the Harrisonburg Police Department and will be used for special situations like the first weekend of school and holidays.

Rose said, "The cooperative arrangement will help our students, our police department and the local police department in assuring a safe environment."

The city of Harrisonburg must approve this request before the cooperation between the two can begin.

According to the Summary of Action, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia approved a Master of Physician Assistant Studies program for JMU.

Rose said that JMU has high-quality graduate programs, and that this additional masters will not impact the graduate enrollment dramatically because JMU focuses on its undergraduate programs.

The board also announced that a new athletic performance center will be built. According to a release from university communications, the $9.8 million state-of-the-art athletic performance center will be ready in early 2005.

Most of the funds for the stadium are coming from private donations, according to university communications. Seven million dollars is coming from private gifts, and the remaining $2.8 million will be from JMU fees and reserves.

Hilton said that no money for this stadium will be coming from taxes.

Construction is expected to start in July and will include a "sports medicine complex, a strength training area, a new football locker room, meeting rooms and coaches' offices," according to the release.

According to the Summary of Action, the board voted to name the stadium after Robert E. and Frances W. Plecker of Harrisonburg.