The Board of Regents voted to extend University President Bob Jackson’s four-year contract for an additional year, including a salary increase of at least 3.3% on Friday, June 2. 

The board also unanimously voted to approve next year’s budget, which includes increasing tuition by 2.9%, a cost of living adjustment (COLA) of 3.3% to 5.5% and raising the minimum wage for student workers on campus from $7.25 an hour to $8 an hour. 

Jackson said creating a budget with no new appropriated funds was not an easy task, so the administration had to get innovative when addressing COLA adjustments. 

“I’m proud of all those who worked on them and are proud of the administration, faculty and staff who played a role in this tiered approach on cost of living adjustment,” Jackson said. “It was a recommendation from the Faculty Senate and we appreciate their recommendation in that regard. We are trying to adhere to that recommendation in its entirety.” 

In addition, Brian Bourke and Woody Leslie, members of the Murray Chapter of United Campus Workers of Kentucky, addressed the Board over lack of transparency from the administration.

Bourke, professor of post-secondary education, said it is important for employees to have a voice in the workplace. 

“They must be able to use that voice to express human concerns, even and especially when the organization’s leaving leadership might disagree,” Bourke said. “Too many workers are expressing fear of retaliation, and too many rumors are spread about workers being blacklisted or worse.”

Jason Youngblood, director of facilities management, and Angela Lampe,  associate director of facilities design and construction, presented an update on Curris Center construction and plans for the new nursing building. 

Construction on the Curris Center is almost complete, but the first floor Welcome Center will still be under construction at the beginning of the fall semester. 

The proposed start date for construction on the new nursing building will begin in March 2024 and be complete by January 2026. 

The proposed location of the building is the area north of Faculty Hall in between Alexander Hall and Blackburn Science Building, which currently serves as parking for faculty, staff and students.

Youngblood said he and his team are currently working to determine what will go in Mason Hall once the new building is complete. 

“We’re talking about a new dental hygiene program, so there’s a chance that the new dental hygiene program will be worked in Mason Hall,” Youngblood said. “We do have an executive committee meeting next week with our design team and some members on campus to talk through that plan and schedule and see where we are less for footages and the total budget passed.”