5/11/2007 - Jackson, Miss.

The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) will hold its regular monthly meeting Wednesday, May 16, 2007, beginning at 1:30 p.m., and Thursday, May 17, 2007, beginning at 8:30 a.m., in the IHL Board Room in the Universities Center, 3825 Ridgewood Road, Jackson, MS, 39211. The full Board will convene at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 and will then conduct business as a committee of the whole. The Board will then reconvene at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 17, 2007, and will again conduct business as a committee of the whole. The Board meeting will be available for real-time viewing via live webcast on the IHL website, www.mississippi.edu.

Various Board committees, including Real Estate and Facilities; Educational Policies and Programs; Budget, Finance, and Audit; Legal; Governance; and Strategic Planning will meet as part of the Board meeting. An executive session may be held in accordance with the Open Meetings Act.

As part of the meeting, the Board will hear presentations by each university regarding their specific facilities needs for the upcoming year. The Board will also discuss the allocation of FY 2008 state appropriations for education and general funding to the institutions, as well as the tuition rates for the upcoming Fall 2007 academic term.

According to the Educational Policy Institute, Mississippi is among the five most affordable educational jurisdictions in the United States. Last year, the Board approved in-state tuition increases ranging from 4.5 to 5.5 percent; however, last year's national average for public four-year institutions was a 7 percent increase. Taking it to the gridiron, nine of the 12 Conference USA institutions charge more in tuition than Southern Miss, and rivals University of Georgia and the University of Arkansas, as well as eight other SEC institutions, charge more in tuition than either Mississippi State or Ole Miss. Of the 10 institutions that comprise the Southwestern Athletic Conference, only three charge lower tuition than Mississippi Valley State University, and 11 Gulf South Conference institutions charge more in tuition than Delta State University. The state of Mississippi offers many comprehensive financial aid programs, like the Mississippi Resident Tuition Assistance Grant, the Mississippi Eminent Scholars Grant, and the Higher Education Legislative Plan for needy students.

Under the leadership of the Board of Trustees, IHL governs the public universities in Mississippi, including Alcorn State University; Delta State University; Jackson State University; Mississippi State University including the Mississippi State University Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine; Mississippi University for Women; Mississippi Valley State University; the University of Mississippi including the University of Mississippi Medical Center; and the University of Southern Mississippi.

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