ABOR to start tuition discussions

Arizona Board of Regents logo

Discussion of a decade of tuition decisions, the future of the Arizona Students’ Association fee and an at-will employment policy will take place during the Arizona Board of Regents meeting next week in Tempe.

The board will meet from 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7, in the Memorial Union at Arizona State University and from 8:45 to 11:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 8, in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at ASU’s downtown Phoenix campus.

Regent Anne Mariucci will kick off the two-day meeting with a history of board policy and tuition decisions at 9:45 a.m. Thursday. The board will consider the universities’ tuition proposals for the 2013-14 academic year at its April meeting in Tucson.

Mason Gerety, vice president for Advancement and NAU Foundation president, will join ASU and the University of Arizona foundation presidents for a presentation on the critical role of fundraising in higher education at 11:45 a.m.

The board will consider revisions to policy on the Arizona Students’ Association fee at 2:45 p.m. The current policy allows the association to use university processes to collect a $2 student fee. Students currently must request to opt out of paying the fee and receive a refund by submitting a request to the association via email, fax or letter. The proposed revision to the policy would require students to opt in to pay the fee. If approved, the revised policy will take effect in the fall.

The board also will consider a proposed policy of a university staff employment classification, which would be applicable to all non-faculty employees. The new classification allows for at-will employment in which the employer or employee could terminate the employment relationship at any time. If approved, the policy will go into effect July 1.

NAU President John Haeger has said that he will not implement the at-will employment policy.

NAU will seek the board’s approval for issuance of $72.6 million in SPEED bonds to finance construction of the new Sciences and Health Building on the Flagstaff campus.

The full meeting agenda is available online. Watch the meeting via live web stream on the board’s website.