Ball State, ISU Approve Budgets
Trustees also approved a 1 percent room and board rate increase for the 2017-2018 academic year.
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowTwo Indiana colleges have approved 2016-2017 budgets. Ball State University and Indiana State University’s spending plans include employee raises and tuition or fee increases.
Ball State’s board of trustees has approved a tuition rate increase of 1.6 percent for fall 2016. The school says the increase, which is the same as the bump approved for fall 2015, is its lowest in 39 years. The university is freezing additional fees at the 2014 rates.
The Muncie school is receiving an additional $2.2 million from the state for the next academic year, as part of an increase approved in the last state budget. The school says the funding is helping it launch the new College of Health, which will offer seven degree tracks and 19 clinics, centers or labs. The board has also approved a $1 million increase in student financial aid and $2.4 million in additional faculty and staff salaries.
ISU’s board approved a $175.8 million budget, which is a 2.7 percent increase over the previous fiscal year. The budget includes a 2 percent increase pool for salaries, and 2 percent increases in student wages and university scholarships.
The board has also authorized the school to secure more than $20 million in financing for Cromwell Residence Hall, which is part of the Sycamore Towers complex renovation project. The facility is expected to open in August 2017.