The Board of Trustees of Illinois State University approved a number of resolutions during the regular quarterly meeting on May 12. Full versions of the resolutions can be found on the Board of Trustees website.  

FY2024 Spending authorization 
The Board of Trustees authorized University officials to expend funds according to the FY2024 Spending Authorization by Object and Function of Expenditure until the Board takes further action on the FY2024 operating budget.   

State appropriations to Illinois State University for FY2024 are not formally approved by the Governor’s Office and General Assembly until May 31, or shortly thereafter, and this action allows the University to meet its financial obligations beginning July 1.    

Degree programs 
The Board approved new undergraduate majors in data science and engineering and authorized a new unit of instruction in creative technologies. The newly approved bachelor’s degree in data science is an interdisciplinary program administered through the Department of Mathematics. The major prepares students with the technical knowledge and computational skills to meet current and future problem solving and analysis of large data sets. Bachelor’s degree programs in engineering, mechanical engineering, and electrical engineering will be located within the College of Engineering, which is expected to enroll its first class of students in the fall semester of 2025.   

Tuition, fees, room and board rates 
The Board approved tuition, fees, and room and board rates for the 2023-2024 academic year. Trustees approved a 2.7 percent overall cost increase over the previous year, making the total cost of attendance for a full-time undergraduate student, including student health insurance, $27,047 before financial aid is applied.    

New undergraduate students from Illinois will pay $402.19 per credit hour in tuition for the 2023-2024 academic year, a 1.9 percent increase over the previous year. Under Illinois’s Truth-in-Tuition statute, new undergraduate students this coming fall will continue to pay this rate through summer of 2027. In-state tuition for graduate students will be $422.57 per credit hour. The Truth-in-Tuition statute does not apply to graduate tuition rates.     

The mandatory student fees for the 2023-2024 academic year will be $113.11 per credit hour for undergraduate and graduate students. This represents a 1.9 percent increase over the previous academic year.  

Students will pay between $2,985 and $5,104 per semester, depending on the type of residence hall room. Rates for Cardinal Court apartments will range from $4,576 to $6,401 per semester, depending on apartment configuration and occupancy. These housing rates represent a 4 percent increase over the previous year.  

Residential meal plans for 2023-2024 range in price from $2,404 to $2,582 per semester. The rates represent a 4 percent increase over the previous academic year. 

Room naming 
The Board approved the formal naming of six rooms on campus. Four are located in the newly constructed Nursing Simulation Center, one in Braden Auditorium, and one in Stevenson Hall. They include the Barb Dallinger Crew Room, the Pam and Dan Kelley Family Student and Staff Work Room, the Beth and Jay Mathews Innovation and Technology Room, the William and Betty Duff and Robert and Mary Neubrander Administrative Faculty Office, the Smith Family Conference Room, and the Seelinger/Trites Conference Room. Find out more.

Contracts, repairs, lease 
The Board authorized several contracts, including support for the Illinois Tutoring Initiative, property insurance coverage for fiscal year 2024, leasing of warehouse space to help facilitate the upcoming construction and renovation for the College of Engineering, deck repairs for DeGarmo Hall Plaza, an agreement for two-way radio support, a contract renewal for the ticketing system for sporting events, and a contract renewal for sports supplies.