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¾«¶«Ó°Òµ¾«¶«Ó°Òµ University Board of Trustees approved the updated ¾«¶«Ó°Òµ Complete College Ohio Campus Completion Plan as part of a state and institutional commitment to increase dramatically the number of college degrees awarded in Ohio. ¾«¶«Ó°Òµplan was approved during the Board’s regular quarterly meeting held May 22 at the university’s Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative.

¾«¶«Ó°Òµ remains committed to improving student success while keeping true to its mission of providing accessible education for the citizens of Ohio and beyond. ¾«¶«Ó°Òµuniversity supports and expands the state’s educational and workforce development initiatives in the broadest and most meaningful sense. As required every two years, the university has updated its completion plan and has received approval from the Board to submit the updated plan to the chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education.

¾«¶«Ó°Òµuniversity’s 2024 Campus Completion Plan provides an update on the progress made toward goals established in 2014 (including related completion strategies) and identifies the university’s goals to increase retention and persistence over the next two years. New completion goals align with ¾«¶«Ó°Òµâ€™s A Strategic Roadmap for a Distinctive ¾«¶«Ó°Òµ, as approved by the Board on May 25, 2022.

Since 2014, ¾«¶«Ó°Òµ has made significant progress toward these goals, including:

• ¾«¶«Ó°Òµretention rate on the Kent Campus is recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and is currently 79.7% compared to the 77.6% benchmark noted in the initial Campus Completion Plan.
• While Regional Campuses experienced a decrease in retention rate during the COVID-19 pandemic (53% in 2020), the 2022 retention rate is 56.6%.
• ¾«¶«Ó°ÒµKent Campus six-year graduation rate for all first-time, full-time students is 65.9%.

Completion goals established for the upcoming biennium align with ¾«¶«Ó°Òµâ€™s strategic roadmap and the Students First priority. These goals include:

• Implement student success tactics in the Academic Affairs strategic plan, ¾«¶«Ó°ÒµGolden Road to Student Success.
• Pilot Belonging Champions on the regional system to improve course outcomes and student retention/completion.
• Establish and implement coordination of student success initiatives to eliminate duplication and prioritize retention and completion action items.

Board Approves Fall Tuition, Room and Meal Plan Rates

Under Tuition Guarantee Model

¾«¶«Ó°ÒµBoard approved tuition, room and meal plan rates under the Tuition Guarantee Model for the student cohort entering fall 2024 at rates not to exceed those authorized by Ohio House Bill 33 of the 135th General Assembly. ¾«¶«Ó°Òµ¾«¶«Ó°Òµ Tuition Guarantee is designed to provide students and their families a predictable and stable model for planning for the cost of a college degree. It provides all eligible new undergraduates – including new first-year students and new transfer students – and their families the certainty that resident tuition, room and meal plan charges will not increase during the ensuing four academic years from their first enrollment as degree-seeking students.

Tuition for the new fall 2024 cohort at the Kent Campus will be $6,526.80 per semester, an increase of 3%, or $190.10 per semester, compared to the fall 2023 cohort. ¾«¶«Ó°Òµdouble room rate will be $4,030 per semester (an increase of 1.51%, or $60), and the most popular Blue meal plan will be $2,690 per semester (an increase of 5.49%, or $140). These costs will be frozen for four years for the fall 2024 cohort.

Not Under Tuition Guarantee Model

¾«¶«Ó°ÒµBoard also approved tuition and fees not covered under the Tuition Guarantee Model, effective fall 2024. ¾«¶«Ó°Òµincreases are needed to provide additional resources to preserve academic program quality and services to students as well as to provide additional resources for student financial aid. For continuing students who are not under the Tuition Guarantee Model, the state budget bill freezes undergraduate in-state tuition. ¾«¶«Ó°ÒµKent Campus annualized full-time undergraduate tuition for continuing students is seventh of the 13 Ohio public universities. This lower tuition rate and continued investments made in institutional financial aid reflect the university’s ongoing commitment to affordability.

Non-Ohio residents are assessed a surcharge in addition to tuition. ¾«¶«Ó°ÒµBoard approved an increase of 4%, or $189.40 per semester, in the undergraduate full-time rate effective for fall 2024.

To continue to offer quality academic programming and research opportunities, additional investments are needed in graduate programs. ¾«¶«Ó°ÒµBoard approved increases in graduate tuition (4%) and the non-Ohio resident surcharge (4%). ¾«¶«Ó°Òµimpact of these increases is $22.90 per credit hour for graduate tuition and $19.80 per credit in the non-Ohio resident surcharge.

Board Approves New University Budget for Fiscal Year 2025

¾«¶«Ó°ÒµBoard approved a $703.6 million balanced budget for Fiscal Year 2025. ¾«¶«Ó°Òµnew budget recognizes the importance of affordability and encouraging student success, addresses critical commitments and strategic investments and reflects the keen emphasis the Board and the university community have placed on effectiveness, efficiency and resource optimization. ¾«¶«Ó°Òµbalanced university budget is the result of dedicated leadership and strategic focus by all of ¾«¶«Ó°Òµâ€™s stakeholders.

¾«¶«Ó°ÒµFiscal Year 2025 budget is based on key revenue assumptions that include:

• State Share of Instruction is projected at $158.2 million, a decrease of $0.7 million from the prior year budget and consistent with the Fiscal Year 2024 forecast.
• Tuition and fee revenue is projected at $406.4 million, which is $16.9 million more than the approved Fiscal Year 2024 university budget and is the product of a conservative enrollment projection coupled with the fall 2024 tuition and surcharge rates.
• Auxiliary enterprises revenues are $2 million higher than the Fiscal Year 2024 budget due to modest fee increases and stable activity.
• Investment income of $15.1 million is dedicated to the current funds, unrestricted budget.
• All other major revenue categories are projected to decrease by $2 million, in the aggregate.

¾«¶«Ó°Òµbudget is also based on key expense assumptions that include:

• ¾«¶«Ó°Òµuniversity will continue to dedicate significant resources to fund scholarships, with particular focus on students with the greatest financial need.
• ¾«¶«Ó°Òµuniversity’s budget for employee compensation includes increases in accordance with collective bargaining agreements as well as a 2% salary pool for nonrepresented employees.
• Healthcare benefits expense is expected to increase by 10% due to the cost of inflation.

Board Approves Three Naming Actions

¾«¶«Ó°ÒµBoard approved naming a student meeting space within ¾«¶«Ó°ÒµJohn Elliot Center for Architecture and Environmental Design the Grunley Strategy and Study Center in recognition of the generosity of Ken Grunley in providing new gifts totaling $1 million to benefit the Construction Management Program in ¾«¶«Ó°Òµâ€™s College of Architecture and Environmental Design. Grunley, who earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from ¾«¶«Ó°Òµ in 1975, is the chief executive officer of Grunley Construction Company Inc., a construction firm based in Rockville, Maryland. His late wife, Virginia, earned a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education from ¾«¶«Ó°Òµ in 1974.

¾«¶«Ó°ÒµBoard approved naming a classroom in Crawford Hall the Tim Carlisle Classroom in recognition of his new gifts to the university totaling $250,000 to benefit the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship’s ongoing capital needs. A 1974 ¾«¶«Ó°Òµ graduate with a Bachelor of Business Administration, Tim Carlisle has generously supported the college through philanthropy and service by previously establishing the Professor Allan Twark Endowment to provide scholarships to finance students and serving as a member of the Department of Finance Advisory Board.

¾«¶«Ó°ÒµBoard approved naming the house where the Wick Poetry Center is located the Gaston Prentice House in recognition of the generosity of Paul and Eileen Gaston in providing a new gift of $100,000 to benefit the Wick Poetry Center at ¾«¶«Ó°Òµ. Paul Gaston served as the senior vice president and provost of ¾«¶«Ó°Òµ from 1999 to 2007. Upon stepping down from his administrative position, he received the honor of appointment as ¾«¶«Ó°Òµâ€™s sole Trustees Professor. ¾«¶«Ó°ÒµGastons have provided generous support to the Wick Poetry Center’s capital and programming needs for many years.

¾«¶«Ó°ÒµBoard also heard additional naming actions that have been approved by the university president, who has the Board’s delegated authority to approve philanthropic naming opportunities with a total value or cost under $100,000. ¾«¶«Ó°Òµpresident approved eight naming actions that recognize donors who gave in support of the Crawford Hall construction project and the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship’s ongoing capital needs:

• ¾«¶«Ó°ÒµJoseph and Francine Artiste and Family Office recognizes a gift from Joseph and Francine Artiste.
• ¾«¶«Ó°ÒµFastenal Sales Team Lab recognizes a gift from the company Fastenal.
• ¾«¶«Ó°ÒµMary L. Gregory Printing Room recognizes a gift from Allen Gregory to honor his mother.
• ¾«¶«Ó°ÒµFrank E. Vaughn Office recognizes gifts from the family and friends of Frank E. Vaughn.
• ¾«¶«Ó°ÒµBeverly S. Bogen Office, the Pami B. Bogen Office, the Robert H. Bogen Office and the Max and Rose Reisman Office recognize a gift from Curt P. Bogen to honor his mother, sister, father and grandparents.

Among other Board actions:

• ¾«¶«Ó°ÒµBoard approved the renovation of Suite 120 in the Kent Student Center. ¾«¶«Ó°Òµproject will build out 5,200 square feet of office and support space on the first floor of the student center adjacent to the bookstore and the Golden Flash Bistro. This new suite will provide convenient and accessible office and support space for Kent Student Center and Center for Student Involvement staff. Currently, these functions are spread throughout the building and are difficult for students and visitors to locate. This consolidation will allow the team to better support and serve the student population. ¾«¶«Ó°Òµrenovation will continue the installation of life safety measures, including the fire suppression system (sprinklers) to the newly renovated suite. ¾«¶«Ó°Òµâ€™s Division of Student Life has budgeted $1.6 million in local funds for this project, with construction expected to be completed by the end of the calendar year with full operations available for spring 2025.
   
• ¾«¶«Ó°ÒµBoard approved the vendor selection for a student search strategic partner. ¾«¶«Ó°Òµsole-source contract with EAB will be for a term of three years at a total cost of $2.07 million funded by the Division of Enrollment Management’s operating budget. A significant change in this contract compared to the prior one is having ¾«¶«Ó°Òµâ€™s Division of Enrollment Management take responsibility for creating and implementing a senior application strategy instead of contracting with EAB for those services. In the past, EAB provided support for lead generation, communicating with prospective students and soliciting application interest. ¾«¶«Ó°ÒµDivision of Enrollment Management will incorporate the application interest activities into its current operations, which will be accomplished by using new and existing operating resources to deliver annual savings of $300,000 per year.
   
• ¾«¶«Ó°ÒµBoard authorized changes in a variety of special program, course and other fees, including the elimination of 193 fees. University staff, including executive officers, extensively reviewed the changes to the program, course and miscellaneous fees for fall 2024 for compliance with statutory requirements and to ensure that all are in the appropriate amounts and are necessary to protect program quality.
   
• ¾«¶«Ó°ÒµBoard approved the following inactivations:
  • ¾«¶«Ó°ÒµCollege of Applied and Technical Studies will inactivate the Agribusiness major within the Bachelor of Science degree, effective fall 2024. ¾«¶«Ó°Òµcollege suspended admission to the major in 2023 due to low enrollment. Based upon low enrollment trends in the four years prior to the suspension as well as poor financial performance, faculty at ¾«¶«Ó°Òµ University at Tuscarawas, where the major was offered, voted to inactivate the program.
  • ¾«¶«Ó°ÒµCollege of Applied and Technical Studies will inactivate the Environmental Health and Safety major within the Associate of Applied Science degree, effective fall 2024. Offered at ¾«¶«Ó°Òµ University at East Liverpool and ¾«¶«Ó°Òµ University at Trumbull, enrollment in the program had declined significantly. No students have been enrolled in the program since fall 2021.
     
• ¾«¶«Ó°ÒµBoard authorized the sale of 8.477 acres of vacant land fronting on Summit and Cline Roads in Franklin Township, Ohio, for $75,000, an amount equal to the most recent appraisal value of the acreage. ¾«¶«Ó°Òµland has been identified as part of the surplus real estate assets by the university that are available for disposition in alignment with the Gateway to a Distinctive ¾«¶«Ó°Òµ facilities master plan, as approved by the Board at its December 2018 meeting.
   
• ¾«¶«Ó°ÒµBoard authorized the sale of 2.424 acres of land and improvements at 230 N. Lincoln Ave. in Salem, Ohio, for $345,000, an amount equal to the most recent appraised value of the building and the land. ¾«¶«Ó°Òµuniversity has determined that there is no current or future need for the property, known as the Salem City Center that was acquired by ¾«¶«Ó°Òµ in 2007 as an extension of the Salem Campus, and thus it is surplus real estate that is available for disposition. ¾«¶«Ó°Òµproperty includes four parcels. ¾«¶«Ó°Òµlargest parcel is occupied by a three-story building constructed in 1917. ¾«¶«Ó°Òµremaining three lots are used as surface parking, accommodating a total of approximately 60 vehicles.
   
• ¾«¶«Ó°ÒµBoard approved the recommended Fiscal Year 2025 internal audit plan. ¾«¶«Ó°Òµprofessional standards of the Institute of Internal Auditors require the Board to approve the internal audit plan. ¾«¶«Ó°ÒµFiscal Year 2025 internal audit plan has been reviewed by the Board’s Audit and Compliance Committee.
   
• ¾«¶«Ó°ÒµBoard approved the vendor selection for athletics medical services and sponsorship for ¾«¶«Ó°Òµ. Cleveland Clinic will serve as the medical services provider to support student-athlete health and safety. Medical services to be provided include physicians, athletic training, physical therapy, behavioral health services, sports performance services, medical scheduling and insurance processing. ¾«¶«Ó°Òµestimated annual value of the athletics medical services to be provided is approximately $1.6 million for the term of the multiyear contract. Cleveland Clinic will provide these services in exchange for a negotiated level of exclusivity as the official healthcare provider for ¾«¶«Ó°Òµ Athletics and specified sponsorship and marketing assets and opportunities. Negotiations are currently underway, and a final agreement must be completed in the coming weeks to ensure a timely transition to these services effective July 1, 2024.
   
• ¾«¶«Ó°ÒµBoard approved the vendor selection for comprehensive serials subscription services for ¾«¶«Ó°Òµ University Libraries for use in research and teaching. EBSCO Information Services LLC will provide new and renewal subscriptions to single or multiple addresses for domestic and foreign serials and periodicals in paper and other formats and related services. ¾«¶«Ó°Òµcontract will be for an initial term of five years at approximately $410,000 per year, with an option to renew up to two additional two-year periods at $410,000 each year, for a potential total contract duration of nine years.
   
• ¾«¶«Ó°ÒµBoard approved the vendor selection for furniture for residence halls on the Kent Campus. ¾«¶«Ó°Òµuniversity will enter into a contract with Sauder Education for the manufacture, delivery and installation of self-loftable beds and student room furniture for the Kent Campus. ¾«¶«Ó°Òµcost for these services is a five-year initial term of $500,000 per year, with the potential of three, one-year extensions at $500,000 each year for a total contract value not to exceed $4 million.
   
• ¾«¶«Ó°ÒµBoard approved the vendor selection for catering services for the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. ¾«¶«Ó°Òµvendors Laziza’s Ltd., Cedar Room Catering LLC, Bellacino’s Pizza and Grinders, and Mamacita’s will furnish options for grab-and-go premade meals, large group meals, meals for private and donor events at athletics venues, and dining options at the vendors’ locations for such things as meetings, prospective student recruiting and the recruitment of potential employees. ¾«¶«Ó°Òµcontracts with the preferred vendors will be for an initial term of three years with a total aggregate spend estimated at $1.6 million per year, with a university option to renew up to two additional one-year periods, for a potential total contract duration of five years.
   
• ¾«¶«Ó°ÒµBoard approved the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) preventative maintenance contract for ¾«¶«Ó°Òµâ€™s seven Regional Campuses. Gardiner Service Company will provide HVAC maintenance services at the Stark, Trumbull, Ashtabula, Salem, Tuscarawas, East Liverpool and Geauga campuses. ¾«¶«Ó°Òµcontract will be for a five-year term at an annual cost of $1.01 million, with a total contract value not to exceed $5.05 million to be funded by the regional campus facilities operating budget.
   
• ¾«¶«Ó°ÒµBoard elected the following officers for 2024-2025, effective July 1, 2024: Ann Womer Benjamin, chair; Donald Mason, vice chair; and Pamela Bobst, secretary. In addition, National Trustees Barry Fetterman and Sandra Volpe were reappointed to a second, three-year term. This new term will begin upon their current term's expiration, Sept. 1, 2024.
   
• In a routine action required by the ¾«¶«Ó°Òµ Constitution, the Board formally approved the annual election of President Todd A. Diacon, effective July 1, 2024. Diacon was elected as the 13th president of ¾«¶«Ó°Òµ effective July 1, 2019. ¾«¶«Ó°ÒµBoard recognizes his leadership and contributions to the well-being and advancement of the university.

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Photo Caption:
New ¾«¶«Ó°Òµ University graduates prepare to turn their tassels from right to left, signifying the earning of a degree, during a Spring 2024 Commencement ceremony held at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center.

Media Contacts:
Eric Mansfield, emansfie@kent.edu, 330-672-2797  
Emily Vincent, evincen2@kent.edu, 330-672-8595