The NMSU Board of Regents met on Monday, March 6, in their first formal action meeting in over a month.

Provost Dan Howard started off with an introduction of the Interim Director of the new Center for the Academic Advising and Student Support, Dr. Jennifer Hodges.

“She began her career at NMSU in 2014” said Provost Howard, “Where she is currently the chair of the academic advising counsel and she’s also a member of The Board of Regents in the student’s success committee and the student life committee.”

A recognition was given to the former Chief of Staff of the Board of Regents, Dr. Janet Green and former chair of NMSU Employee Council, Monica Dunivan. A proclamation about Dr. Green and Dunivan was read during the meeting which highlighted and recognized their work at NMSU.

The Regents’ Financial Strategies Performance and Budget Committee, which met previously on January 27th, discussed staffing levels and the possibility of a tuition increase.

“It’s been reported previously with the state’s shortfalls that we do have some challenges ahead of us and we are taking a look at the sources, and the uses and needs.” Board member Kari Mitchell said, “What has been presented is a tuition increase that is being evaluated as well as a part of that crisis.”

Secretary Jerean Hutchison spoke on behalf of the Student Success Committee and their recent meeting which she mentioned also addressed the state’s shortfalls. “We talked about student outcomes and trends, tuition and fees as well as preliminary funding investments.”

“I think what was really instrumental as well is that the Students Success Committee has come up with some priority funding investments,” continued Member Hutchison, “which are strategically around the pillars and those were presented and discussed.”

Given that this is the time when the next Fiscal Year’s budget will be discussed, many would say this is an important time to follow what the Board of Regents will be announcing regarding a potential tuition increase.

Member Mitchell said that the Student Success Committee felt like the meeting was productive and helpful but that there are no immediate easy answers that are evident, given that there are hard decisions to be made.

Also during the meeting Andrea Tawney, Senior Vice President of the University Advancement touched upon Alumni participation.

“Our team has launched 10 new programs in the past year, all of those programs are to increase alumni participation” Tawney continued, “our student foundation is going amazingly well. You’ll see a student foundation launch during our campaign kickoff, where we are trying to get a key performer and artist out of El Paso.”

It will certainly be interesting to see how the next few months play out for the Board, who would have the sole authority to authorize a tuition increase for students.

The agenda of the March 6 Board of Regents and future meeting notices can be found at                   regents.nmsu.edu.

Be sure to follow TRU’s next few issues following Spring Break for all news regarding tuition increases and potential new action items that will be passed by the Board in the coming months, or by logging onto The Round Up’s website- nmsuround.net