Bowling Green State University Trustees approved the 2009 fiscal year budgets, including a $275.7 million educational budget for the main campus and a $13.5 million educational budget for BGSU Firelands, when they met Wednesday (June 25).

BOWLING GREEN, O.—Bowling Green State University Trustees approved the 2009 fiscal year budgets, including a $275.7 million educational budget for the main campus and a $13.5 million educational budget for BGSU Firelands, when they met Wednesday (June 25).

Bowling Green has held the line on the cost of tuition and fees. Annual tuition and fees for an entering first-year student remains at $9,060 for the third year in a row.

Sheri Stoll, vice president for finance and administration and chief financial officer, said the University is “pleased and appreciative” that the governor and state legislature have maintained their pledge of support for higher education in Ohio.

During the coming fiscal year, state support for Bowling Green’s main campus is projected to increase by $7.3 million or 9.5 percent.

The educational budget contains a 1.5 percent increase in the salary pool for faculty, administrative and classified staff as well as a $500,000 pool for promotion, tenure and market-pool adjustments.

For the first time in many years, public higher education in Ohio was spared a midyear reduction in fiscal year 2008, while other state agencies did see their budgets trimmed due to the difficult economic times.

“The state is doing what it can to help our students and their families afford a college education, and we are deeply appreciative. We share the same goal, and that is to enable more families to send their children to college,” Stoll noted.

She warned, however, that the national and state economic situation remains uncertain. The greatest challenges facing the university, Stoll said, are keeping salaries competitive and dealing with increased costs for health care and purchased utilities, primarily natural gas and electricity.

In addition to the educational budgets, the trustees approved $34.7 million for general fee and auxiliary budgets, $29.9 million for residence halls, dining halls and the Residential Computing Connection, and $15.3 million for other miscellaneous budgets for the main campus.

Among special fees okayed by the board is a $10 annual increase, from $70 to $80, for auto registration. Revenue generated by the increase will fund parking repairs and cover greater operating costs for the University shuttle system.

Also, a new, $50 vending fee per semester, equivalent to approximately $3 per week, will provide residential students with unlimited laundry service. The pre-paid laundry fee eliminates coin collection and expensive capital outlay for electronic point-of-sale devices and ongoing transaction fees associated with that equipment, while enhancing convenience for students.

Modest fee increases for residence hall and dining services for the 2008-09 academic year were set by the Board of Trustees in February. Students continue to have a variety of options to choose from, with rates depending upon the options selected. Room rates increased by an average of 2.83 percent, while meal-plan rate went up an average of 4.73 percent.

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(Posted June 25, 2008 )