May 5, 2023
Dear Colleagues:
I write to share a few highlights from today’s meeting of the Board of Trustees.
During the meeting, Alan Finn, the vice president for business affairs and treasurer, presented to the Board an update about the General Assembly’s biennial budget. The state budget was approved by the General Assembly on April 28 and now goes before Governor Holcomb for his signature.
Under the terms of the new budget, our University will, over the next two years, receive the largest increases in our annual operating appropriation in nearly a decade. This information will enable us to prepare our recommended operating budget for fiscal year 2024, which will be presented to the Board on June 16, 2023.
Our University will also receive $81 million from the state to renovate several of our academic buildings as part of the North Campus Building Renovations project.
I am grateful to members the General Assembly for their increased investment in higher education. I am also grateful to members of the Indiana Commission for Higher Education for their ongoing work of transitioning to a new funding methodology that incentivizes and rewards all institutions to achieve the policy objectives established by the General Assembly.
As a result of the state’s approval of our principal capital request, today the Board approved the scope and budget for our North Campus Building Renovations project. This project will support improvements that need made to several academic buildings including University Theatre, the Hargreaves Music Building, the Arts and Communication Building, and the Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning Building.
In addition to the functional needs of these buildings, the renovations will address programmatic issues that are curtailing the success and future growth of academic programs housed within these facilities.
Based upon my recommendation, the Board also approved the reappointment of Jim Lowe as a member of the school board governing Muncie Community Schools.
Jim has served on the board since the partnership between MCS and our University began in 2018. He is our University’s associate vice president for facilities planning and management, and he is also a graduate of Muncie Central High School.
I am grateful to him for his valuable contributions to the MCS board and for his commitment to continuing to serve on behalf of students and families of MCS.
At the end of today’s Board meeting, I made a few comments. In my remarks, I described the search process for our new provost. If you would like to see who is serving on the screening committee, view the roster. If you would like to read my remarks, please visit the website.
It is a privilege to serve with you, and I hope you enjoy some time this Summer with family and friends.
