Regents approve 2004-05 budget, parking fee increases, holidays

The UNT System Board of  Regents approved 2004-05 budgets for both the university and the system during the board’s annual spring meeting May 20.

Among other actions, regents increased two faculty/staff parking fees and approved the completion of the new Chemistry Building.

In a unanimous vote, the board approved a $459,150,043 university budget for the 2004-05 academic year.

Although the newly approved budget is nearly $17.9 million below the budget for the current fiscal year, Phil Diebel, UNT vice president for finance and business affairs and UNT System vice chancellor for finance, explains that the reduction is due almost exclusively to a substantial decrease in construction costs. Construction aside, the budget increased almost $20.9 million.

The new monies are designated for faculty and staff merit raises, new positions, academic support, departmental operating expenses, student services, financial aid and scholarships, and physical plant needs.

Regents also approved a budget of nearly $13 million for the UNT System for the upcoming fiscal year. The system budget includes the UNT Dallas Campus, the Universities Centers at Dallas and funds to service debt on the first building at UNT-Dallas.

Regent action increased the costs of Reserved “A” parking permits from $275 to $300 per year and raised Faculty/Staff “D” permits from $117 to $140 per year. Both parking fee  increases become effective in August. According to Diebel, the increases will generate approximately $124,000 in additional revenue.

In approving the completion of the Chemistry Building, regents revised the original project cost from “not to exceed $28 million” to “not to exceed $26 million.” In November 2002, the board approved $19 million to construct the building and finish one-third of the space. This new board resolution calls for providing the $7 million for total completion by using Higher Education Assistance Funds in fiscal years 2005 and 2006.

In other actions, regents:

• Approved promotion and/or tenure for 31 faculty members. To view a list of those individuals, click here.
• Approved faculty development leave for 22 faculty members.
• Approved 12 holidays for 2004-05. In addition, regents approved closing the university three days — Dec. 31, 2004, and March 17 and 18, 2005 — in order to allow utility savings by keeping the university closed a full week at both the winter and spring breaks. Staff members will be required to use vacation or compensatory leave for those closure days.
• Approved selection of Carter and Burgess as the architect and engineering firm for the design of the UNT Tennis Court Complex that is to be funded by a gift to the university. A location for the complex has not been chosen.
• Approved authorization for the Student Union to execute a food service contract with Sodexho, a food and facilities management services company, to operate the Union food court.
• Authorized President Norval Pohl to negotiate the extension of Athletic Director Rick Villarreal’s contract through May 2009.

To view the UNT System Board of Regents agenda items in full, click here.

BY RODDY WOLPER rwolper@unt.edu

Other featured articles in this issue

• Eagle Drive construction to begin Sunday, slated to last all summer
• UNT students win morning radio show contest, will spend summer as Wild 100.3 apprentices
• College of Music receives $1.5 million for new organ in Winspear Hall
• Grad students offer online tales for tots
• Work dress code relaxes as temperatures go up at UNT
• UNT student and former librarian goes from ‘Super Shy to Superfly’ on TLC’s Faking It
• Faculty Senate elects officers for the 2004-05 academic year
• 31 students participating in first study abroad program in Hong Kong and China
• Staff Council reps elected

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