Mercer University Board of Trustees approved a proposal to increase the undergraduate tuition by 2 percent for the next academic year. It is considered to be the lowest raise in decades.
In addition, the board also gave a nod to hike tuition by an average 2.9 percent for professional and graduate programs.
However, Walter F. George School of Law students' tuition will remain unchanged for the next year.
Apart from discussing the fee structure proposal, the board agreed on a new mission statement for the university that reads, 'Mercer University's mission is to teach, to learn, to create, to discover, to inspire, to empower and to serve;' and passed a $222 million operating budget for 2013-14.
"The new mission statement captures the energy and vitality of today's Mercer, acknowledges our growing commitment to research and service and embraces our continued grounding in our faith tradition," Mercer President Bill Underwood said.
The $222,070,797 operating budget for next fiscal year, effective July 1, represents $11.9 million, or a 5.7 percent increase from the current budget.
Plus, they approved new majors and degree programs:
- The Tift College of Education, this fall, will introduce a master of education in independent and charter school leadership at Macon and Atlanta campuses,
- College of Continuing and Professional Studies will offer a master of science in rehabilitation counseling at Atlanta and a master of science in human services with a concentration on gerontology at the Henry County Regional Academic Center,
- Townsend School of Music will launch a bachelor of music with elective studies at Macon and
- A joint bachelor of science in technical communication and master of business administration program.
