Highlights from the February Board of Regents meeting

February 19, 2016

Dear TWU Community,
 
We just finished a fast-paced meeting with the Board of Regents, and I wanted to share with you some highlights of actions taken today:
 
Tuition and Fee Increases — While one of TWU’s top priorities is to keep education accessible and affordable, we also must plan for an appropriate level of financial resources to address inflationary increases, student growth needs, program expansion and enhancement, as well as overall campus operations and maintenance needs. In keeping with these campus needs, the Board approved an increase in designated tuition of $7.94 per semester credit hour (SCH), a 3% increase for FY 2017, and an increase of $8.30/SCH (3%) for FY 2018. The additional funding generated by these increases will provide student scholarships, financial support for the university’s strategic plan implementation and academic program resource needs. It also will allow us to address faculty and staff recruitment and retention efforts, including salary considerations, across all three campuses. A newly approved differential tuition in Music will provide funds to improve and enhance space and faculty needs.
 
Other fee increases approved by the Board will allow the library to provide student support at a level comparable to our peers, provide a more secure card access system for our students, enhance student academic support and expand student services.
 
Housing Update — The Board accepted a report on a Student Housing Plan to address current housing constraints on the university’s Denton campus. Brailsford and Dunlavey, the firm hired to develop the plan, recommended the following:

• Change some of TWU’s existing policies to support development of new student housing on campus;
• Leverage student housing to support campus initiatives, including first-year and sophomore retention;
• Initiate operational changes to improve the efficiency of the housing system, such as a detailed schedule for rental rate increases, reallocation of expenses and a capital expenditure plan to reinvest in student housing assets; and
• Start implementing the Student Housing Plan with a series of immediate actions, including evaluating site opportunities and conducting a value-for-money analysis and a detailed assessment of public/private partnerships.

Campus Carry — The Board received, for consideration and review, a draft report related to the carrying of handguns by concealed license holders on TWU campuses, as required by Texas Senate Bill 11. The bill, also known as the “Campus Carry” law, goes into effect Aug. 1.
 
New Graduate Program in Informatics — The Board approved a new master of science degree program in informatics. This program will complement the undergraduate informatics program launched in Fall 2015. The program will be housed in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. Dr. Mari Tietze, associate professor of nursing, Dallas, was introduced as the new Doswell Endowed Chair in Informatics.
 
Golf Course — The Board passed a resolution asking the university to explore options to repurpose the golf course property so that it better aligns with TWU’s mission. The goal is to transition the use of the land and include the redesign as part of a new campus master plan.
 
The Business Hub for Entrepreneurial Women — TWU intends to help Texas become the top-ranked state in the United States for women-owned businesses. Dr. Tina Mims was named executive director of this new center, the first of its kind at any Texas university, public or private. It will feature a dynamic outreach program to build the state’s ranks of women entrepreneurs and women-owned businesses, while also engaging TWU students on all three campuses who intend to start their own businesses.
 
If you would like to read more about these Board highlights, and other matters that may be of interest, please visit Meeting Broadcast and Agenda for agendas, Powerpoint slides and an audio archive from the meeting.
 
My thanks to all of you who are helping to fuel TWU’s upward trajectory!