East Tennessee State University raises tuition for salary increases
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — East Tennessee State University’s (ETSU) board of trustees unanimously voted to increase tuition by 5.25% beginning in the fall. University leaders said this increase is due to federal legislation.
The vote to change tuition and fees was one of the first pieces of new business in ETSU’s board of trustee meeting, Friday. Members received a presentation on the proposed 5.25% increase in tuition. This comes out to a little more than $220 additional money added on tuition.
According to data provided in the meeting, a projected number of 14,040 students will be enrolled in the university this fall.
Changes have been made to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) increasing the minimum salary threshold from around $35,000 to $43,888 on July 1.
Environmental group has major concerns about Eastman Chemical’s plastic recycling process
But, before the vote, member Tony Treadway shared with the room.
“This was brought on by unfunded information from the [FLSA], by the federal government,” said Treadway. “It had nothing to do with the state of Tennessee, but is being pushed on us and eventually to the student’s backs.”
Treadway, along with other members of the board, voted to approve the recommended increase. The board noted that the average annual increase of tuition and fees over the past five years has been around 2%.
“The commitment that the board made was all of the revenue generated from the fee increase, 100% of that would be directed toward faculty and staff salary increases,” ETSU President Dr. Brian Noland said.
The federal legislation has another salary increase on January 1, 2025, to $58,656.
But Noland wants to do more work on salary. He presented to the room comparisons of faculty and staff salaries to university competitors.
“We’re not where we need to be,” Noland said. “So, as we move through the year, this is our focus. Our focus is creating opportunities to make investments in faculty and staff salaries, and to restructure through a classic compensation revision in a manner in which staff salaries are allocated.”
As for the second increase with the FLSA in January, Noland said the university is putting together a comprehensive review of how to approach the salary increase.
Changes to campus infrastructure
Various project updates were discussed in the board of trustees meeting.
The university has money to complete the first phase of renovations to Brown Hall. Noland said phase two of the project was the board’s number one capital priority going into this last legislative session, but there were limited funds for capital construction in the state budget. He said the board plans to resubmit the project for funding next legislative session.
PREVIOUS: Million-dollar ETSU projects underway to upgrade campus buildings
Site preparation continues for the new Academic Building.
Plans are in place to expand the University Commons by mid-September.
The strategic facilities master plan progress for a parking study, new building site options, residence halls, the Greek village, and more, will be presented to the board of trustees in September. That’s when, Noland said, the board will take action on the plans.
Also on the agenda, the demolition of the ETSU smoke stack.
“That’s an iconic piece of the university’s capital portfolio,” said Noland. “But, it’s a piece of the university’s history that isn’t operable anymore.”
Noland said the university no longer uses coal to power the campus and the bricks at the top of the smoke stack are beginning to crumble, and it’s now a safety hazard.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather.
