Rao gets raise from Board

CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY — University President Michael Rao received a 5-percent raise and a glowing endorsement from the Board of Trustees Thursday.

The Operating Budget, however, did not.

Rao’s raise takes his salary from $200,000 to $210,000 and follows a series of pay increases for other CMU senior officers. It takes effect immediately.

What was not imminent was the amount of tuition CMU students can expect to pay in the fall.

At meeting time, state officials had not yet approved the budget for universities, leading the Board of Trustees to hold off on setting CMU’s operating budget and tuition increases until later.

The President’s best guess was that money would be tight.

“The state budget is likely to produce fairly low increases for universities,” Rao said.

The state budget, passed after the trustees meeting, allocated a 1.65-percent increase for CMU. The Board will meet at the end of July to set CMU’s Operating Budget.

“We deliver a very significant value to the students and the parents in terms of the education process here at this university,” Board of Trustees Chair Jerry Campbell said Thursday.

Other board action from the meeting included:

The Capital Budget was set for fiscal year 2002 at $1.96 million. A chart showing the capital expenditure breakdown is located at www.cm-life.com;
Approved $1.59 million annually and $200,000 one-time in funding for the Learning Initiative. The initiative sets up goals for technology enhancements for classrooms, supports a university course management system, an upgrade to the university network, and an expansion of the help desk support;
Approved $2 million for student technology projects;
Board approval was granted for funding requests for a regional concert series and a community arts project with minority women;
Changes in boards of directors for affiliated public school academies were approved;
The creation of a 501 (c) (3) corporation to raise funds for charter schools was approved;
William Strickler was reappointed to the Clarke Historical Library Board of Governors. He has been on the board since 1986;
The Board approved $419,000 in water pipe replacement costs for Beddow, Larzelere and Robinson halls;
Five scholarships were created/renamed, including two R.L. Kesseler Family Endowed Centralis Scholarships (changed), the Robert E. McCabe Music Scholarship in Memory of Robert Hohner (established), the Katherine Ardis Ux Endowed Award in Art (established), and the Ronald Zuverink Memorial Centralis Scholarship;
Adopted a new policy for naming opportunities, covering the naming of CMU buildings, professorships, chairs and other related areas. A copy of this new policy can be found at www.cm-life.com;
The speed limit on West Campus Drive between Broomfield Road and Preston Street was set at 30 mph.