By MATT BROWN, Multimedia Director.
Right in step with Spring, the Board of Trustees looked to breathe new life into campus and held their first meeting during the Spring/Summer semester, which ran on Tuesday, May 12. Treasurer Debra Lutz called the dinner meeting to order, saying there was, “a lot of information to cover.”
Lutz began by describing the 2015-2016 Tuition and Fee recommendation formulated by the Budget Cabinet. Their work included: “review of the effectiveness of the existing tuition and fee structure, comparison of Delta’s tuition and fees to other Michigan Community Colleges, and the analysis of alternative current and future strategies to raise additional tuition and fee revenue.”
“I want to clarify,” said Lutz, “although the Budget Cabinet has for a couple of years been talking about the need to raise our tuition…this will still keep us below the state average.”
The Budget Cabinet’s recommendation includes the following components:
- An increase in the in-district tuition of $2.00/credit hour, from $94.50 to $96.50/credit hour.
- An increase in the technology fee of $2.00/credit hour, from $12.00 to $14.00/credit hour, with the increased revenue ($380,000) used to establish an annual Technology Life Cycle Replacement allocation used to fund a Plant Fund reserve account for the ongoing life cycle replacement of the College’s IT infrastructure including the Delta Center services, licensing, switches, storage, backup, the wireless network; and all components which are well documented and have become critical and essential to the student college and instructional experience.
- Increases in out-of-district and out-of-state/international tuition of $5.00 and $10.00 per credit hour. Delta’s out-of-district tuition lags other Michigan Community Colleges considerably, particularly those closest geographically.
- An increase in the excess contact hour rate at the same level as the increase in tuition. Excess contact hours are hours of instruction required beyond the credits granted for the course and typically cover extra hours of instructions, labs, etc. In recent years, the college has maintained the methodology of charging 67 percent of the standard tuition rate for these hours, thereby providing a discount of approximately 33 percent for its students.
- For many students eligible for financial aid, these increases will be covered by Pell Grants.
According to the reports, in total this will generate new revenue of approximately $860,000, with $380,000 for IT equipment recycling.
“Our 19 year average shows we’ve increased tuition $2.20 per year,” continued Lutz, “We are raising tuition to make up for the $300,000″ the school lost after Michigan legislation dropped Michigan Public School Employees Retirement System (MPSERS) funding.
Lutz then moved on to the 2015-2016 Budget Plan Overview, which utilized the tuition and fee increase, reminding the board that “all of these numbers are estimates.” The budget cannot be finalized until the State votes on funding.
“We decided that we should use 190,000 credit hours [when budget building],” said Lutz. This is a 5 percent reduction from the original forecast. Weighing all of the adjustments, Lutz urges that Delta will, “break even.”
Board Vice Chair, Michael Nash, moved the meeting upstairs, and called the meeting to order due to Michael Rowley’s absence. Kimberly Houston-Philpot was also absent from the meeting.
The Treasurer report continued from dinner, as Lutz covered two unfinished items. The first is a 5-year simple forecast. The board anticipates a 3 percent increase in tuition each year, a 1.5 percent increase in funding each year and a stable 190,000 enrollment rate. The forecast did not, however, include estimated figures from the unbuilt Saginaw center.
As the board prepared to vote on the tuition and fee schedule, Board Member Earl Selby commented, “I like to be optimistic, but increasing tuition is inescapable.”
“Delta has been responsible,” urged Board Member Robert Emrich. “We are modest in our increases, the public needs to know that. I will responsibility support.”
The board unanimously voted in favor of the 2015-16 tuition and fee schedule.
Nash then moved to vote on a new Associate in Applied Science Degree: Mechatronics. “The merging of all skill trades into one,” chimed Selby.
Dave Peruski, Dean of Teaching & Learning, continued that, “mechatronics is a field that is emerging that draws on several fields such as computers, electronics, and then maybe robotics, or different things.” The program combines several different fields because “with tech the way it is people now have to have multiple skill levels within different areas.”
In an unanimous decision, the board approved the Associate in Applied Science in Mechatronics.
The board then moved onto discuss approval on the award of a design build agreement for the STEM Explorer Vehicle (not to exceed $505,000). The bus fits 17 students. The outside of the bus is designed and the modules for inside have been decided, though equipment is still needed. The back end of the vehicle is going to have different racks available, which will be designed to be interchangeable.
Jennifer Carroll, Director of Corporate Services, continued the meeting, presenting on Delta College’s Summer Camps. These STEM camps are fairly new, with 59 additional camps since 2012. Occurring from June 22-August 13, camps are a full day event, from 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Most are held on main campus, with some in Bay City. More information on the STEM camps can be fount at: http://www.Delta.edu/summercamps.
Ending the meeting, the board voted to enter a closed session to discuss faculty salary negotiations with two “I guess so’s” from Selby and trustee Dee Dee Wacksman, with the remaining voting “yes.”
