Notes from the March 2000 Regents Meeting

SOCORRO -- The New Mexico Tech Board of Regents has approved a 6.5 percent across-the-board tuition increase for the next academic year at the research university, as well as a 4.5 percent increase in other fees collected from students attending the state-supported school.

Last week, during the board's March 27 meeting, Tech administrators informed regents that tuition and fee increases had previously been discussed with student leaders and that a majority did support the hike in tuition and fees, particularly since funds beyond a 4.5 percent tuition increase which was mandated by the state legislature will be used to increase teaching assistant salaries by ten percent.

Tuition at New Mexico Tech for full-time resident undergraduates will increase from $800 to $852 per semester; while full-time tuition for out-of-state undergraduates will increase from $3,300 to $3,515. Resident graduate students will now pay $901 per semester, up from $846. Non-resident graduate students will now be charged $3,716 each semester, up from $3,489.

"Ninety-three percent of all Tech students receive some sort of financial aid," New Mexico Tech President Daniel H. López said, "so in conjunction with the tuition increases, financial aid packages will be adjusted accordingly."

In other actions taken during its monthly meeting, the Tech Board of Regents approved a request for proposal to purchase new furniture for the university's newest residence hall, a 144-bed housing unit which is currently under construction and is scheduled to be completed this fall.

The regents awarded the purchasing contract to Adden Furniture Company of Lowell, Mass., which submitted a bid of $251,515 to provide and install the residential furniture.

The New Mexico Tech Board of Regents also elected new officers during its meeting.

Installed as the new President of the Board of Regents was Randall E. Horn, who succeeds Robert E. Taylor in the position. Horn also currently serves as the Adjutant General of the New Mexico National Guard.

In addition, Kathryn Wavrik was elected by fellow board members as the Secretary/Treasurer of the New Mexico Tech Board of Regents. Wavrik is a full-time student at New Mexico Tech.

In other official actions, the Tech Board of Regents granted emeritus status to three Tech employees: Robert H. Neil, longtime director of the Environmental Evaluation Group (EEG), a research group which conducts an independent technical evaluation of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Project; George S. Austin, senior industrial minerals geologist at the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources (NMBMMR); and Charles P. Campbell, professor of English and chairman of the university's humanities department.

"These gentlemen have all provided long and distinguished service to New Mexico Tech in their respective capacities," said President López in support of conferring emeritus status to the three soon-to-be-retired Tech employees.

The regents also voted to appoint Susan L. Field to the full-time tenure-track position of assistant professor of English with Tech's humanities department and to designate University of New Mexico professor David S. Gutzler as the newest member of the New Mexico State Weather Modification Commission.

Richard P. Ortega, director of Tech's Office for Advancement, gave the regents a brief update on a capital campaign feasibility study which will be administered by Cargill and Associates, a Dallas/Ft. Worth firm which specializes in fundraising services.

In another report given to the New Mexico Tech Board of Regents, Carl J. Popp, Tech's vice president for academic affairs, gave the regents an overview of efforts being made at Tech to identify low-producing academic programs and to allocate resources accordingly as spelled out by specific metrics included in the university's Strategic Plan.

W. Dennis "Denny" Peterson, vice president for finance and administration at New Mexico Tech, also briefed the regents on plans and assessments which are being used to guide the allocation of funds and resources, in line with the directives of the Strategic Plan, including a newly introduced form which academic and support divisions at the university will be required to submit for allocation of funds.

In other matters deliberated during the meeting, the Tech Board of Regents also heard from Claire Fenton, Tech's coordinator of distance education technologies, on the possibility of offering some of the university's Master of Science Teaching (MST) elsewhere through arrangements with Instructional Television (ITV) facilities in Carlsbad and other areas throughout New Mexico.