The University of Tennessee Board of Trustees approved a nearly $1.35 billion budget for the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, campus Friday that included a zero percent tuition increase for the 2021–22 fiscal year.
The board also approved a 2% increase to tuition and mandatory fees at UT Chattanooga, which equates to $176 for students enrolled prior to fall 2019 and $192 for all other in-state undergraduates. A 1.7% increase to tuition and mandatory fees was approved at UT Martin, equating to a $164 increase. The increases for both campuses are within the up-to-2% range set by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.
UT System President Randy Boyd’s annual evaluation was also approved by the board. Boyd’s performance was measured against the goals identified in the 2019-2025 strategic plan, with special consideration given to his leadership during the novel coronavirus pandemic that abruptly suspended in-person instruction and moved all learning to a predominantly virtual environment. In 2020, the UT System experienced a record 1.9% increase in overall enrollment, as well as record increases in first-year students and degrees conferred.
“Throughout the pandemic, the critical work of the University continued,” Compton said. “Under the leadership of President Boyd, the University demonstrated its resilience, revival and resurgence—students learned, research advanced and outreach expanded. He provides visionary leadership not only in good times, but when hope and optimism is most needed.”
UT’s 2021–22 budget includes $8 million in capital maintenance for building systems and HVAC improvements and an additional $265 million in recurring state appropriations, an increase of $17.5 million over the previous year, and funding for employee salary increases. Of that, $13.6 million will go toward a 4 percent salary pool for faculty and staff pay increases and raising minimum wage to $13 per hour for all regular full-time and part-time UT Knoxville employees, including those at the UT Space Institute and the UT Institute of Agriculture. The pool will be used for merit and market raises.
The board also took the following actions:
- Approved the granting of an honorary doctorate in humanities from the College of Arts and Sciences to Joy Harjo, former faculty member and 23rd poet laureate of the United States.
- Approved the modification to change the degree designation for students majoring in kinesiology in the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences from a Bachelor of Science in Education to a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology; and students majoring in recreation and sport management in the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences from a Bachelor of Science in Education to a Bachelor of Science in Recreation and Sport Management. Both modifications align with similar and aspirational peers in Tennessee and the nation. There are no costs associated with the changes.