The Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees today approved a 2017-18 tuition and fees schedule. The combined average cost for full-time resident undergraduates will be $5,280.50 per semester, an increase of $237.50 per semester from last year’s rate. NMU will maintain its longtime rank of having the second-lowest tuition and fees among Michigan’s public universities and the lowest in the Upper Peninsula. Northern’s rate also adheres to the tuition restraint language in preliminary state budget proposals. If the final higher education appropriation bill includes a revised dollar cap, NMU will adjust accordingly.

“The university is going through a transformation led by our strategic plan, which focuses on investment and innovation,” said Gavin Leach, vice president for Finance and Administration. “There’s a positive vibe about NMU throughout the region and state. We want to keep that excitement and our strategic plan moving forward by investing in new academic programs and initiatives. This recommendation will ensure that we have the resources to do that while continuing to be a great investment for students.”

Nonresident undergraduate tuition will increase by the same amount and graduate tuition will increase by $24 per credit hour. Course fees will not increase.

The board also agreed that the budget for university operations be continued at the 2016-17 level until a new general fund budget is approved, except for increases required by existing or newly negotiated union contracts.

An executive committee recommendation to amend President Fritz Erickson’s contract gained unanimous approval, with several trustees expressing their support for the direction he is leading the university. Erickson’s base salary will increase by 5 percent to $262,000. The contract will be extended by one year to June 2020. Deferred compensation was increased by $15,000 per year for the first two years, with another $35,000 the final year if Erickson remains at NMU for the duration of his contract.

In other action, the board:

-Approved the following capital and long-term maintenance projects, each with a cost of $250,000 or higher: Center/Summit Street Apartment demolition; Dining Services Marketplace renovation; forensic research laboratory; Luther S. West Science Building nursing simulation lab; Lynn H. Halverson Hall demolition; Superior Dome field lighting replacement/energy savings project; and a PEIF satellite recreation center close to the residence halls in repurposed Quad II space. Old furniture from Halverson Hall valued at about $26,000 will be donated to Marquette County Habitat for Humanity in advance of the building’s demolition.

-Approved the following new academic programs: bachelor’s degrees in applied workplace leadership, embedded systems and anthropology; associate degrees in paralegal and insurance/risk management; and certificates in assistant behavior analyst, automotive maintenance and manicure.

-Deleted the following academic programs: bachelor’s degrees in psychology/grad school preparation, athletic training, public administration interdisciplinary, art history, early childhood and accounting/financial planning; associate degree in applied child development; and graduate certificate in public management.

-Approved a lease agreement with U.P. Rehab Services LLC for the Legacy Building, located north of the new hospital site. NMU’s Health and Human Performance department will occupy a portion of the facility to create and monitor exercise and rehabilitation programs for cancer patients.

-Authorized property transfers to grant the City of Marquette additional right of way for the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Wright and Lincoln Streets.

-Approved the sale of a university-owned house at 300 Waldo Street

-Approved $22,000 in maintenance and improvements at Kaye House

-Agreed to a restructuring that will transfer responsibility for classroom audiovisual technologies and classroom furnishing from Academic Information Services-Instructional Design and Technology to the Learning Resources Division-Audio Visual to reduce redundancy and improve workflow.

-Approved two departmental name changes: Psychology will now be called the Department of Psychological Science; and Modern Languages and Literatures will be called the Department of Languages, Literatures and International Studies.

-Revised the naming policy for facilities, buildings, spaces, programs and other properties and functions.

-Renewed NMU’s contract with South Pointe Scholars Charter Academy for five years, from July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2022.

-Appointed the following individuals as board members for public school academies, with terms expiring June 30, 2020, unless otherwise noted: Evelyn Bumstead (June 2018), Bradley Pringle, Kara Batho and Nicole Causley, Bahweting Public School Academy; Michelle Fisher, Martin Doorn and Christopher Gearhart, East Shore Leadership Academy; Valerie Emerson (June 2018) and Catherine Kretz, Francis Reh Public School Academy; Lisa Bey-Knight, George Crockett Academy; Mary Meshigaud, Nah Tah Wahsh Public School Academy; Lorana Jinkerson and Robert Kinney, North Star Academy; Mark Horvath, Rebecca Szetela and Kristie Beckon, South Pointe Scholars Academy; and Maria Carl, Walton Public School Academy.

-Canceled the June 15-16 meeting and added a July retreat

-Participated in a focus discussion on the expansion of NMU’s Educational Access Network, which is bringing high-speed educational broadband to communities across the Upper Peninsula. For more information, visit http://www.nmu.edu/ean.