UW Board of Trustees to Meet Sept. 14

The University of Wyoming Board of Trustees will consider a proposal to move to a block tuition model for most UW students during the board’s regular meeting Wednesday-Friday, Sept. 14-16.

The meeting will take place in person at the Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center. Public sessions of the board and its committees may be observed by the public at https://wyolinks.uwyo.edu/trusteessep/.

Under the administration’s proposal for block tuition, starting in the 2023-24 academic year, undergraduate students taking 12-18 credit hours per semester would pay the same amount of tuition. That would be a change from the current practice of full-time students -- those taking at least 12 credits per semester -- paying tuition on a per-credit basis.

The change also would apply to graduate students taking 9-12 credit hours.

Under the proposal to be considered by the board, exceptions to the block tuition policy would include: students in official university-sponsored activities, primarily student-athletes; students with disabilities or health issues; graduating seniors who need fewer than 15 credits or fewer than 30 hours in their final academic year; students studying abroad; students completing internships; students limited to fewer than 15 credits due to curricular structure; and students who are under contractual agreements that limit enrollment to fewer than 15 hours.

Among other reasons, the change is proposed to encourage students to take at least 15 credits per semester and thereby graduate in four years, potentially reducing student loan debt; increase graduation rates; and provide more transparency and predictability regarding the cost of a degree.

Separately, the Board of Trustees will consider a proposal to follow its current tuition policy and increase base resident and nonresident tuition rates by 4 percent for the 2023-24 academic year. A separate proposal calls for some increases for students in professional and differential graduate programs, which would be excluded from the block tuition policy.

During its first meeting of the 2022-23 academic year, the board also will hear a variety of annual reports, on topics ranging from fall enrollment to the president’s accomplishments.

Several committees of the board will meet Wednesday in the Gateway Center, starting with the Facilities Contracting Committee at 11 a.m. and the Academic and Student Affairs Committee at 11:30 a.m.

Thursday’s meeting of the full board will begin at 8 a.m. with an executive session. The public session is expected to start at 9:30 a.m.

The board will accept public testimony on any topics at 11 a.m. Thursday. Those wishing to offer verbal testimony should go to www.uwyo.edu/trustees/public-comment/web_form.html to fill out the web form. The deadline is 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13.

Friday’s meeting begins at 8 a.m. with another scheduled executive session, with the business meeting set to start at about 9 a.m.

The complete agenda, along with a report that includes background information on agenda items, is available at www.uwyo.edu/trustees/2022-meeting-agendas-materials-and-minutes/september_16-18_2022_meeting.html.