The Temple University Board of Trustees approved the university’s 2019-20 operating budget on Tuesday, including a freeze on in-state undergraduate tuition and a two-percent increase to tuition for out-of-state undergraduates.
The Board also approved funding for the design of a building that will house programs in the Klein College of Media and Communication, Boyer College of Music and Dance and the School of Theatre, Film and Media Arts.
State Sen. Christine Tartaglione was appointed to the Board on Tuesday and will serve through May 2021. Tartaglione, who was not in attendance on Tuesday, will replace former Lt. Gov. Mike Stack.
2019-20 OPERATING BUDGET
This is the second time in eight years that the university froze in-state tuition, which will remain at $16,080.
Out-of-state undergraduate tuition will increase by $818, totalling $28,994.
In the 2018-19 academic year, 69 percent of students resided in state and about a third were out-of-state residents.
Mandatory fees for all students will remain $890. Graduate tuition will increase 2.9 percent for resident and non-resident students in the upcoming year.
President Richard Englert attributed the in-state tuition freeze to the two-percent increase in Commonwealth appropriations of $158.2 million.
The Board also modified allocations in the operating budget.
This includes a $.2 million increase to financial aid and $18.5 million increase to salary and $5.2 million increase to benefits. The Board also approved a $3.2 million increase in strategic investments, like support for new facilities, community relations efforts and intercollegiate sports.
The operating budget is reduced by $23.3 million with a $20 million reduction allocated to individual schools, colleges and offices. An additional $3.3 million will come from eliminating “merit salary increases for non-represented personnel above a certain salary grade,” according to operating budget documents.
PATRICK O’CONNOR’S FAREWELL
Patrick O’Connor led his last meeting on Tuesday as chairman of the board, which he has served for a decade. Trustee Mitchell Morgan will take his place on Aug. 1.
The Board surprised O’Connor with an endowed scholarship called the Patrick and Marie O’Connor Scholarship.
The scholarship, which totals more than $400,000, will be funded by gifts from trustees, administrators and the Cozen O’Connor Foundation, the law firm O’Connor founded.
“[O’Connor’s] leadership has guided our university to greatness, not just over the past 10 years, but since 1971, when he became the youngest Temple University trustee,” Englert said on Tuesday.
Trustees and attendees gave O’Connor a standing ovation.
“I want to thank you for your support and your advice during the ten years I was your chair,” O’Connor told the Board.
FACILITIES APPROVALS
The Board approved $16 million in architectural and pre-construction services for the “Klein-Boyer Broad Street Development” project, a mixed-use building on Broad Street.
The building aims to house the Klein College of Media and Communication and the Center for Performing and Cinematic Arts, which consists of programs from the Boyer College of Music and Dance and School of Theater, Film and Media Arts.
Klein College Dean David Boardman and Boyer College Dean Robert Stroker could not be immediately reached for comment.
According to project documents, programs in Klein College and CPCA are spread over 16 different buildings on Main Campus, limiting the schools’ operations. The new building could mitigate these problems and also include retail space.
The board also approved a $2.6-million lease agreement with The Nest, a new apartment building on Broad Street near Master. The university will lease 201 bed spaces effective Aug. 1 through July 31, 2020.
The university rate to live in The Nest will be about the same to Morgan Hall, said Bill Wilkinson, senior associate vice president of finance and administration.
Temple Police will also extend its patrol borders to include The Nest, Wilkinson added.
TEMPLE STUDENT GOVERNMENT
Student Body President Francesca Capozzi attended Tuesday’s meeting to discuss Temple Student Government’s goals and initiatives for the upcoming academic year.
Capozzi announced that TSG will continue Sexual Assault Prevention Week, which started in 2017. The event will be held in the beginning of the fall semester, Capozzi said.
Capozzi also announced that TSG will host a Pride Parade during National Coming Out Week to celebrate LGBT members of the Temple community.
TSG will also create caucuses for minority students on campus to ensure that all student voices are heard, she added.
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