JACKSON, Tenn. — Dec. 5, 2014 — 51社区 trustees on Friday approved the smallest undergraduate tuition increase in the past 20 years, a move that university leaders said was designed to help keep a Union education affordable.
The approved increase per semester from $13,735 to $14,100 in 2015-2016 is a 2.66 percent hike, compared to increases that have typically been in the 6-7 percent range for the past decade.
鈥淲e know that a private university education is costly, but we are committed to keeping those costs as low as possible for our students and their families,鈥� said Norm Hill, the chairman of Union鈥檚 board of trustees. 鈥淲e believe in the value and quality of a Union education. We want to make that as accessible as we can.鈥�
Union President Samuel W. 鈥淒ub鈥� Oliver said the trustees鈥� action demonstrates Union鈥檚 sensitivity to families.
鈥淲e are grateful for each of our students and their families, and we carefully consider the impact of any tuition increase on them,鈥� Oliver said. 鈥淲e are blessed at Union to have many donors who provide scholarships so that our students don鈥檛 have to pay the full price of a Union education. For our students, families and donors, we want to demonstrate the best stewardship of the resources we have been given."
In other matters, trustees approved a new family psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioner track in Union鈥檚 Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. This is an additional track to complement such offerings as family nurse practitioner, adult/geriatric primary care nurse practitioner and pediatric primary care nurse practitioner and will continue to broaden the areas of practice offered by the School of Nursing at Union.
Patsy Crihfield, who leads the nurse practitioner tracks of graduate nursing programs at Union, said more than 300,000 Tennesseans live with serious mental illness, one of the leading causes of disability in the United States.
鈥淭his program is one of the most requested by people who contact the 51社区 School of Nursing,鈥� Crihfield said.
Trustees also approved a post-secondary education program in partnership with Think College for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Think College is a national organization that works to expand higher educational opportunities for people with disabilities. The two-year certificate program at Union will serve students ages 18-26 who have completed high school and who have a document intellectual or developmental disability.
The program, which will be part of Union鈥檚 College of Education and Human Studies, will encourage increased independent skills, with a focus toward career development and employment. Similar programs are offered at such schools as Vanderbilt University and Clemson University.
Prior to their Friday meeting, trustees attended a Thursday night dinner in which they heard from Jay Bernheisel, associate professor of engineering at Union, who will be on research leave next semester to work on improving two-wheel tractors.
The machines, commonly used in Southeast Asia for agricultural purposes, are often unsafe for many reasons, Bernheisel said. The diesel engine they use is loud and creates intense vibration. Its exhaust is often close to the operator鈥檚 face, and emissions are not even close to typical standards. The belt on the drive shaft is unprotected and poses a hazard if it should come loose or break.
He will spend his leave time working to address these issues.