Staff Report

The Board of Regents authorized a tuition and mandatory fee increase of 4.5 percent for the next fiscal year in a special session this Friday.

Dr. Davies, who worked closely in the creation of the new model, said the increase was in order for Murray State to compete with other regional universities and in reaction to the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education setting a flat cap on tuition increases at $432.

The new tuition model will do away with the 130 percent web premium charge for online classes.

State cuts will also be effecting current staff positions on campus, as Davies said there are 12 currently filled positions that will be eliminated, though these cuts will be made as ethically and humanely as possible. Davies said the administration will be trying to find those displaced by the cuts other places on campus as available and within reason.

“Looking at the long-term viability of our university, it is the right thing to do.” Davies said. “It is also the ethical thing to do in many cases.”