Regents Approve Amendments To Articles Of Incorporation; Authorize 7.8 Percent Increase In Tuition And Fees

The Baylor University Board of Regents at its Homecoming meeting today set tuition and fees for 2006-07 and approved amendments to the institution's articles of incorporation that will reduce the size of the board from 36 members to 16 members over a nine-year period.

Tuition and mandatory fees will increase by 7.8 percent next year, from $21,070 to $22,714. Tuition and required fees for graduate students will also increase by 7.8 percent and George W. Truett Theological Seminary students will experience a 6.3 percent increase. All law students in fall 2006 will see a 12.5 percent increase. Room and board rates for undergraduates will increase by 7.6 percent and 3.1 percent, respectively.

Interim President William D. Underwood told the regents that the recommended tuition and fees increase was needed to increase faculty and staff compensation after three years of no or limited salary increases; to restore capital budgets for classroom, lab and office equipment, which have been cut in recent years; and to catch up on deferred building maintenance. The university also is dealing with an increase in annual energy costs of $2.4 million.

"The increase is necessary to ensure that Baylor continues to deliver the best possible educational experience to its students and to maintain progress on implementation of Baylor 2012 - our 10-year vision - in a fiscally responsible manner," Underwood said. "Continued progress on this vision will enhance the value of a Baylor degree."

Included in the revisions to the articles of incorporation are:

? A requirement that the board reduce its size from 36 Regents to 16 over a nine-year period. The maximum number of years of consecutive service on the Board would be dropped from nine consecutive years to six.
? While special telephonic conference calls will continue to be permitted, regents will not be permitted to participate by telephone at the regularly scheduled meetings of the board without the consent of the chair and vice chair of the Board of Regents.
? The elimination of the chair-elect position. The only board officer positions that would remain are the chair and vice chair positions.
? A lowering of the number of required regular board meetings each year from five to four. This would not prevent the board from continuing to hold five meetings a year.
? The elimination of the Committee on Regents and creation of a new committee, the Committee on Board and Administrative Affairs, which will consist of one-half of the board's membership. The committee would have responsibility over the matters previously handled by the Committee on Compensation and Management Review and the Committee on Regents.

In other action, the regents approved a new joint degree program between the Army-Baylor graduate program in healthcare administration at Fort Sam Houston and the Hankamer School of Business.

The master of healthcare administration/master of business administration degree (MHA/MBA) will give graduate students an opportunity to gain additional skills, including those provided in an MBA program, to operate effectively and more efficiently in a military healthcare environment.

Since its beginning in 1947, the Army-Baylor program has evolved from a three-month certification program to a nationally recognized healthcare administration program. The program will continue to be for military officers only and selected civilian personnel from the federal sector. The MHA program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education. The MBA program is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

The Board of Regents meets again Feb. 2-3, 2006.