Elon University trustees have approved 38 new faculty and staff positions and major new investments in instructional resources and financial aid as part of the 2005-06 budget. The board of trustees action came March 1 at a meeting held on campus.
For the first time, the university’s operating budget will top $100 million, while tuition, room and board levels will maintain a position well below the national average for private colleges and universities. Following are some of the budget details:
- The addition of 18 full-time faculty positions will allow Elon to maintain its low student/faculty ratio and make an adjustment in faculty workload, giving professors more time to develop and teach new courses, conduct research and mentor students, and provide service to the campus community. Additional faculty members will also teach more foreign language courses as Elon adds a new language requirement to its curriculum beginning with the 2005 freshman class. Elon has added a total of 78 new faculty positions since 2000, a 39 percent increase in just five years. This substantial investment has allowed the university to keep class sizes small and ensure the close faculty-student interaction that is a hallmark of an Elon education.
- Six additional academic staff members and 14 other staff positions will be added to maintain student services and program quality in a time of continued growth. Among the positions are new librarians, a business internship coordinator and staff for the new Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning, where faculty will develop and evaluate new methods of teaching and promote a greater understanding of the learning process.
- The budget funds the fourth year of Elon’s Technology Plan, including a special new investment for classroom equipment renewal and replacement. The fifth year of the Library Development Plan will continue expansion of Elon’s investments in books and electronic information resources.
- Financial aid for students will increase 11 percent, including funding for additional scholarships and enhancements to the Fellows programs.
- A growing physical plant and increasing utility costs will require new investments, and the budget also includes funding to maintain the university’s policy of no deferred maintenance on facilities.
Tuition and fees for 2005-06 will total $18,949 and room and board will be $6,422. Elon’s total cost next year will be 8 percent lower than the current national average for private colleges and universities. Elon’s tuition and fees are nearly $4,900 below the average for other top-10 private schools in the U.S. News & World Report Southern universities ranking.