Photo courtesy of Michigan Tech

The Michigan Technological University Board of Trustees will meet in regular session at 9 a.m. Friday in the Memorial Union Ballroom. Among the items on the agenda is setting room and board rates for the 2026-27 academic year. The new room and board rates are expected to be approved to increase for the next school year by as much as three to six percent in certain areas.

On the academic side, the BOT will vote to establish a Department of Data Science within the College of Computing. The BOT agenda indicates the importance of the new department. “Early in its conception, the College of Computing identified data science as a key component of its growth strategy. Since that time, the College has been working to unify its data science and informatics programs and faculty, which are currently spread across the other two departments within the College,” the agenda states.

The Trustees will also rule on the elimination of four PhD shelved programs in Geotechnical Engineering, Propulsion Systems Engineerging, Sensing and Signal Processing Structural Engineering. The trustees are also expected to grant emeritus rank for three professors in the College of Business — Mari Windsor Buche, Gary L. Campbell and Sonia Goltz.

The board will act on approval of the Undergraduate Student Government constitution and hear reports on the University’s investments, research, advancement and alumni relations and the disposal of surplus property. The board will also approve degrees to be conferred at spring commencement.