Filed Under: President's Post, Featured Articles

MTSU remained relatively flat year-over- year in enrollment this fall (.96 percent headcount and 1.98 percent full-time equivalent decrease). This slight decrease equated to an approximate $1.9 million revenue reduction. However, the two previous fall decreases were 4.82 percent and 5.96 percent respectively, so clearly our ramped-up enrollment efforts are working quite well. This slight decrease is even more impressive given that this was the first fall for the Tennessee Promise scholarship and mentoring program, which provides students a last-dollar scholarship, meaning the scholarship will cover tuition and fees not covered by the Pell grant, the HOPE scholarship, or Tennessee Student Assistance Awards funds. My thanks again to everyone on staff who works so hard on enrollment efforts at our University each and every day.

New revenues from tuition increases equated to approximately $5,270,000. Our net increase in state appropriations (outcomes formula adjustment and new funds for outcomes improvement) was $1,247,300. These new funds were allocated to the following:

• MTSU portion of two percent pool salary increase;
• faculty promotions;
• increased cost of software maintenance agreements;
• utility and operations/maintenance cost increases;
• scholarships, tuition discounts, employee fee waivers and dependent discounts, and graduate assistant fee waivers;
• funding for college deans’ requests for continuing improvements on the MTSU Quest for Student Success initiatives; and
• student tutoring/supplemental instruction and dual enrollment instruction.

Looking toward fiscal year 2016–17, MTSU’s share of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission’s outcomes formula adjustment will be a decrease of $1,021,100. However, THEC voted at its November 2015 meeting to propose new state funding totaling $40.9 million for the higher education formula institutions. MTSU’s share of the proposed new funding will be $3,908,400. Thus, MTSU’s state funding could actually increase by $2,887,300.

The commission also voted to recommend $12.54 million in capital maintenance funds for MTSU projects, which include Peck Hall HVAC, stairwell, and flooring restoration; Saunders Fine Arts HVAC updates; exterior building repairs to several buildings; domestic water-sewer systems updates; building automation system control panel replacements for several buildings; electrical updates; and energy recovery boiler repair. No MTSU capital project was proposed for new capital outlay funding for 2016–17.

THEC’s recommendations have been submitted to the Department of Finance and Administration for consideration in the proposed state budget that Gov. Bill Haslam will be submitting to the state legislature in the coming weeks. At that point, we will have more information regarding our likely 2016–17 state appropriation.

Salary

In September, 2015, the Tennessee Board of Regents took formal action to approve a two percent Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) across-the-board (ATB) salary increase for MTSU employees. The salary increase was distributed to all unrestricted and restricted regular full-time and part-time benefit eligible employees and participants in the post-retirement service program on the payroll as of June 30, 2015. Each eligible employee received an increase equal to two percent of their June 30, 2015 salary or $750, whichever was greater.

The minimum payment was prorated for part-time employees. Increases for grant employees were part of the salary adjustments, and their increases were charged to the appropriate grant (increases for auxiliary employees were funded from auxiliary revenues). All increases were effective in the October 2015 pay period but included retroactive pay to July 1, 2015. Unfortunately, due to limited funds available, those increases did not apply to adjunct faculty, temporary employees, graduate assistants, or student workers. It is my sincere hope that as resources become available, we will be in a position to address these very important groups of employees.

Please know how much I value each of you and appreciate your good work. I was grateful that we were able again to give some salary increases to our employees.