The Board of Trustees (BOT) voted for an increase in tuition of 3.75 percent for undergraduates and 3.74 percent for graduate students.

The average tuition for undergraduate students going full time will be $11,108. The cost of tuition for graduate students is $14,820. They increased tuition for the William Beaumont School of Medicine by four percent.

When discussing the budget, some trustees expressed their concerns over state funding.

“What I get fearful about every year with lack of state funding is that it gets more difficult to balance the budget,” Trustee Ronald Robinson said. “The state, our leaders, or so called leaders, are holding us to a metric that they basically refuse to fund.”

Trustee Mark Schlussel encouraged students and their families to get involved.

“If the universities in the state looked at the political clout of their students and their students’ families, we’d carry enough power to begin to dictate that we deserve more money than do the prisons of the state of Michigan,” Schlussel said.

Appointees

Betty J. Youngblood was appointed interim university president.

“I think most people are familiar with Betty. Betty has been doing outstanding service for Oakland for the last four years,” said Board Chairman Michael Kramer. “She’s been helping with our outreach program in Macomb County. She comes with a wealth of experience.”

Past president, Gary Russi, who has been scheduled to leave August 1, was not in attendance.

The new Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost is James Lentini. He will join OU July 8.

“I’ve had the pleasure of meeting with Dr. Lentini on several occasions,” Kramer said. “Not only is he an academic stand out, he’s a very personable guy.”

Kevin Corcoran was appointed the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Other Matters

The BOT discussed a few other matters:

Approved the construction of a parking structure for P-32 and Library Drive Extension, Upper Fields Athletic and Recreation Complex and Facilities Management Building.

A 10-year agreement has been put in place to create an Oakland University Credit Union with the backing of Michigan State University Federal Credit Union.

They approved a proposal for Jordan Development Company to explore the Rose Township property for natural gas. Oakland will receive a royalty.

Benjamin Eveslage and Jessica Drogowski were recognized for their services as student liaisons to the BOT.