During its bimonthly meeting, the University of Illinois Board of Trustees approved new tuition rates, renamed a department and awarded construction contracts.
The meeting, held at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on Thursday, also discussed changes in student fees and housing rates. The next board meeting will be held at the same location on March 28.
For new undergraduate students living in Illinois, the board approved no increases in tuition for the upcoming school year. For nonresident students, the board approved a tuition increase of about 2%, depending on the student’s major.
For all incoming students, the board approved a 5% increase in the University’s undergraduate housing. University-operated apartments will have their prices increased by 1% to 1.6%.
After several years of a tuition freeze, these increases help the University manage growing inflation rates while keeping affordability in mind for students, according to a document from the meeting.
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The board approved a redistribution of student fees, which will not increase their total cost. The general fee will increase by $8, with a $3 decrease in the service fee and a $5 decrease in the maintenance fund.
Furthermore, the board approved a name change for the University’s Department of Atmospheric Sciences, renaming it to the Department of Climate, Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences.
The name change is intended to better describe the background of the department’s faculty, who have a mixture of climate, meteorological and atmospheric work in their portfolios, according to another document from the meeting.
This change would also increase the visibility of the department’s meteorology programs, the document said. The inclusion of climate sciences in the department’s title also helps differentiate the University’s program from programs at other universities.
Additionally, the board approved and awarded construction contracts at the meeting.
In March 2023, the board of trustees approved a budget of about $15 million for the complete replacement of the Illini Union’s roof.
Because of an increase in construction costs, the board approved a $6.3 million increase in the project’s budget during Thursday’s meeting. The board awarded the contract to construction company CCC Holdings Inc.
Due to failing expansion joints in Memorial Stadium, the board agreed on a $3.75 million budget to replace them. The replacement prevents water from getting into the joints and rusting the structural steel.
The project, awarded to Berglund Construction Company, will also paint the steel on the east ramp and upper balcony to prevent rust.
For those interested in watching Thursday’s meeting, the board of trustees hosts video and audio recordings of past meetings on its website.
CORRECTION: In a previous version of this article, the location of the meeting was incorrectly stated to be Springfield, although it was held on the Champaign-Urbana campus.
