JOHNSON CITY (April 2, 2020) — During a called meeting of East Tennessee State University’s
Board of Trustees Finance and Administration Committee on Wednesday, a motion was
passed to not increase tuition and mandatory fees for the 2020-21 academic year contingent
on the approval of the Governor’s budget. The ETSU Board of Trustees will vote on
the recommendation at its quarterly meeting on April 24.
The recommendation was brought before the committee following discussions among shared
governance bodies at the university, including the Student Government Association.
ETSU is the first locally governed institution (LGI) in Tennessee to announce plans
for tuition and fees to remain unchanged for the 2020-21 academic year.
“This recommendation is based on what is best for students and their families during this time of economic uncertainty,” said ETSU President Brian Noland.
The committee also discussed the proposed salary pool that was recently reduced from
2.5% to 1.5% in Gov. Bill Lee’s amended state budget. Funding a 1.5% salary pool would
require the university to generate $801,960 in new tuition/fee revenues to cover its
share of the salary increase, explained Dr. B.J. King, chief financial officer. She
suggested that the bulk of the state salary pool be placed into a reserve account
so the committee could meet later to determine how to best utilize the funds based
on the final state budget and fall 2020 enrollment.
The Finance and Administration Committee approved a motion to place the 1.5% salary
increase for 2020-21 in a reserve account. The motion will also come before the Board
of Trustees for a final vote on April 24.
Dr. B.J. King also outlined the proposed 2020-21 budget, but no action will be taken
until the next Board of Trustees meeting. More information about the Board, including
future meeting dates and agenda materials, is available at www.etsu.edu/trustees.