The Board of Governors of the State System of Higher Education will hold its quarterly meetings this Wednesday and Thursday at IUP’s Kovalchick Complex.
The agenda items for discussion Wednesday and voting consideration on Thursday include a calendar revision for the start of classes each fall. Currently, all of the State System schools start on the same day. The proposed revision would grant them a two-week window in which to begin their academic year. It comes at the request of several universities and the PSAC, the athletic conference of which all schools are members. The calendar change would also grant the schools flexibility in setting the winter break, from as little as three weeks to as many as five.
The agenda also includes a sweeping review of recommendations for setting tuition levels at the fourteen State System schools.
Another aspect of the annual fall meeting is the establishment of university budgets and the State System’s budget request for state funding. IUP is projecting a revenue decrease of two percent, from over $224 million to $219.5 million. Expenses are expected to increase 1.5 percent, to more than $227 million. Enrollment, already off 9.2 percent this year, is projected to fall by another 3.5 percent, to 9,768. Once the largest State System school in enrollment, IUP would fall further behind West Chester, which projects enrollment growing by 1.2 percent to 16,245.
Thursday’s voting meeting will be open to the public, starting at 9 AM.
