The Board of Trustees met at IU Northwest June 16 and 17 to approve a $4 billion operating budget and several personnel appointments. The meeting occurred a day after faculty sent a letter urging trustees to reverse their earlier decision and recognize the graduate worker union.
The newly approved budget will include an average 3.5% increase for all IU employees next year. Record enrollment at IU Bloomington and an increase in state funds for IUPUI led to a general fund growth of $58 million, but the budget included a $70 million reduction to account for an increase in operating expenses.
The board approved Chief Human Resources Officer Todd Richardson, Vice President for Student Success Julie Payne-Kirchmeier, Dean of Jacobs School of Music Abra K. Bush and Dean of the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering Joanna Mirecki Millunchick.
Cathy Langham, Governor Eric Holcomb’s latest appointment to the board, was sworn in as a trustee at the meeting. The board did not discuss graduate workers or the faculty vote, according to the meeting agenda and recap.
Another topic of discussion involved recommendations from IU's Student Mental Health Initiative task forces. The task force plans to educate students, faculty and staff on mental health and expand the number of mental health professionals at IU, among other items that they hope to implement by fall.
IU will also repair facilities across its campuses with money from state appropriations and student fees. This includes phase five of a plan to reduce deferred maintenance at regional campuses, which involves work on seven buildings across five campuses.
The next Board of Trustees meeting will be on August 11 and 12 in Bloomington.
