Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette Michigan Technological University President Rick Koubek makes remarks during Friday’s Board of Trustees meeting.

HOUGHTON — The Michigan Technological University Board of Trustees approved a general fund budget and set tuition rates for the coming year at Friday’s meeting.

The $221 million general fund budget is up 7.9% over the 2022 fiscal year, including a 15% increase in financial aid scholarships and fellowships.

“We really had to weigh a lot of different factors this year, what the state is going to do, being very mindful of the impact of the tuition hikes on students, and at the same time recognizing there are inflation factors” as well as priorities such as aligning the budget with the university’s Tech Forward initiatives, Trustee Andrea Dickson said during her finance committee report. “But we feel very proud of what our 2023 budget looks like.”

Operating revenues were projected to increase 9.2%, driven by a 10.3% increase in revenue from tuition and fees. That rise comes both from higher tuition rates and an expected growth in enrollment.

Undergraduate tuition for lower-division students with 12 to 18 credits will be $8,648 per semester for residents and $19,628 for non-residents, a 3.9% increase.

Upper-division tuition is divided into three tiers, corresponding to majors. Residents will pay between $9,565 and $10,501. Non-residents will pay between $20,890 and $21,929.

For graduate students, the standard per-credit rate will be $1,395 for engineering or computer science, or $1,228 for all others.

In other action, the board:

— Recognized Jacqueline Huntoon for distinguished service as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs for the past seven years. The board also granted Huntoon a period of professional leave from July 1 through December 31. Dean of College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science Andrew Storer will serve as interim provost. The university will launch a national search this fall.

“Jackie, your impact on campus is immeasurable: onboarding a new president, launching the Tech Forward initiatives, starting a new College of Computing, navigating a pandemic and helping to plan for the future of 2035,” said President Rick Koubek. “Any of those alone would have marked a successful provost career, and you’ve done them all and more.”

— Approved a Bachelor of Science degree in business analytics. The program is a collaboration between the Department of Mathematical Sciences and the College of Business.

— Approved a Master of Science degree in sustainable communities.

— Approved a Bachelor of Science degree in policy and community development.

— Eliminated several programs that had been shelved by the university for at least five years: Undergraduate certificates in International Sustainable Development Engineering, Chinese and Area Studies, Media, Modern Language, Writing, Global Technological Leadership (CGTL), and Hybrid Electric Drive Vehicle Engineering and the Ph.D. in Engineering Physics.

— Approved amended board policies, including moving the selection of chair and vice-chair from the end of the fiscal year to the end of the calendar year.

— Approved the firm Plant & Moran to conduct interim audit work for the fiscal year needing June 30.

— Recognized Robert Baratono for 40 years of service. Baratono is a research engineer at the Keweenaw Research Center.

— Approved promotions from assistant professor without tenure to assistant professor with tenure: Bo Chen, Computer Science; Rebecca Ong, Chemical Engineering; Lei Pan, Chemical Engineering; Jeremy Bos, Electrical and Computer Engineering; Roohollah Askari, Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences; Sajjad Bigham, Mechanical Engineering – Engineering Mechanics; Lesley Alexandra Morrison, humanities; Angela Carter, Social Sciences.

— Approved promotions from associate professor without tenure to associate professor with tenure: Carsten Kuelheim, College of Forest Resources & Environmental Science; Fengjing Liu, College of Forest Resources & Environmental Science; Tatyana Karabencheva-Christova; Chemistry.

— Approved promotions from associate professor with tenure to professor with tenure: Manish Srivastava, College of Business; Chee-Wooi Ten, Electrical & Computer Engineering; Molly Cavaleri, College of Forest Resources & Environmental Science; Tarun Dam, Chemistry: Shane Mueller, Cognitive & Learning Sciences; Qinghui Chen, Kinesiology & Integrative Physiology; Ramy El-Ganainy, Physics; Jared Anderson, Visual & Performing Arts; Patricia Helsel, Visual & Performing Arts; Joel Neves, Visual & Performing Arts.

— Approved emeritus appointments: Dr. Jiann-Yang (Jim) Hwang, Department of Materials Science and Engineering; Dr. Patricia Sotirin, Department of Humanities; Dr. Stanley Vitton, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering.