The Illinois State University Board of Trustees on Friday approved a 5% tuition increase for new students arriving on campus this fall, with Chief Financial Officer Glen Nelson saying planners tried to minimize the impact of university cost increases on those students.
"If we actually were covering the entire cost next year of our expenses, the tuition increase would be even greater than 5%," said Nelson.
He said the general inflation rate on many expenses, plus an increased cost from a 3% pay raise for workers, means an $8.6 million jump in the cost to run the institution. The tuition hike, he said, will generate revenue to cover less than a third of that increase because it applies only to new incoming students and graduate students.
Illinois law freezes tuition rates for undergraduate students for four years upon entering a public college or university.
The total cost for undergraduates will be about $30,605 for most ISU students.
The board's student member also backed the tuition hike. Ryan Russell referenced the university talking point that ISU gets less aid per student than any other public campus in the state, and 47% less than the average per public university student.
"Without a more equitable state appropriation, our hands get forced into these difficult decisions," said Russell.
Gov. JB Pritzker’s proposed budget, which he outlined in his State of the State address this week, includes a 1% increase in funding for higher education, or less than the rate of inflation.
ISU president Aondover Tarhule told the board if lawmakers pass the proposal unchanged, ISU will receive an additional $822,000 and a total General Fund appropriation of more than $82 million.
State support for the Monetary Assistance Program [MAP] would continue. Tarhule said MAP helped about 7,000 undergraduate students in the current academic year. State appropriations amount to about 15% of ISU’s budget, he said.
‘We are grateful for the governor’s leadership and for the continued partnership of the General Assembly in advancing higher education,” said Tarhule. ‘We also recognize the significant fiscal challenges facing our state.”
This is the first across-the-board tuition increase in three years, although ISU did approve charging more for students in a few specific programs starting in fiscal year 2025.
Tarhule performance review
The board of expressed confidence in Tarhule’s leadership in his annual performance review, saying he “exceeded expectations.”
“I would like to personally thank president Tarhule for his continuing work on the goals that we’ve agreed upon by you and the board,” said board chair Kathryn Bohn.
The evaluation provided in board documents praised Tarhule for fundraising activity, finding new executive talent to fill vacant leadership positions, fiscal management and budget reform, his work on the university strategic plan and capital projects, and for maintaining a good working relationship with both the board and faculty.
The evaluation also said Tarhule demonstrated appropriate effort and commitment to the student experience and academic success. It also highlighted a goal.
“Despite this success, the president recognizes the need for more attention in the area of student retention particularly as it relates to the underserved, and to increase the four-year graduation rate,” said the evaluation.
ISU’s four-year graduation rate for first-time students who started in 2019 is 51.5%, according to university data. The graduation rate for transfer students was higher. Another commonly used metric is the six-year graduation rate. For that group of ISU students, the rate is 67.3%.
And ISU had an 81.3% retention rate for 2023-2024 returning students. That’s second among Illinois public universities behind only the U of I at Urbana.
Contracts/naming rights
Trustees also signed off on purchasing $3.2 million in new sound, lighting, and public address systems at the Center for Performing Arts, a new contract for supplemental security services, up to $11.1 million for three years of databases and electronic journals at Milner Library, and up to $1.5 million to repaint the interior of Watterson Towers that has 13 football fields worth of wall space.
The board authorized naming the two hitting bays in the Jim and Carole Mounier Golf Performance Lab at Weibring Golf Club for Sarah Loomis and for the [Rick] Percy family in recognition of financial support.
Also, the concourse in CEFCU Arena is now named for community business owners and philanthropists Bob and Julie Dobski, who also have their names on space in the Bone Student Center and College of Business building.
“I think your commitment, not just to Illinois State, but to the community as a whole, is truly admirable and very deeply appreciated. I thank you for your generosity, and we're very grateful to have you as supporters and partners,” Tarhule told the Dobskis at the meeting.
Organized labor push
In another matter, representatives from several labor unions asked trustees to change what they termed an “adversarial" relationship between the university administration and bargaining units on campus.
Chuck Carver, president of AFSCME Local 1110, noted the union that represents building service workers, campus dining workers, grounds workers and others has been working without a contract since July. There have been 26 bargaining sessions and the involvement of a federal mediator.
“Unfortunately, ISU responded with their last, best and final offer," said Carver. "We were angered to find out that the offer lacked key components needed to reach an agreement, and it was not something our bargaining committee would agree to. But before we could even put out a vote, ISU decided to put the contents of their last, best and final offer out on their public website.”
Carver said the proposal includes changes to differential pay rates for different shifts of work that are too small and that many jobs on campus do not offer a living wage.
“While you mentioned a one-time lump sum bonus of $350, what you failed to mention is that you are refusing to make a first-year wage increase retroactive, resulting in an employee losing hundreds of dollars in pay for no good reason. But the reason seems clear to us, we are being punished for trying to improve the wages, hours and working conditions of our members, your employees, we are being punished for being a union.”
ISU said in a statement it thinks its last, best, and final offer is strong and competitive.
“The university anticipates a third mediation session with the federal mediator. We are optimistic that the parties will reach an agreement to avoid a strike” said the administration.
Ben Mathews of the Illinois Education Association also spoke in support of the Lab School Education Association that organized nearly two years ago to represent those working with hearing and vision impaired students.
“Because the university decided to invest more money and resources and energy into fighting the union rather than working with the union, we just got to the bargaining table for the first time last month,” said Mathews.
He said he was disappointed with the strained labor management relationships that exist across campus.
