Elon's board of trustees has set next year's budget and costs, making new investments in programs, personnel and facilities.
Letter to Elon students and parents from President Leo M. Lambert:
Following yesterday’s approval by the Elon University Board of Trustees of the 2014-15 budget, I am writing to share information that will help you plan for next year and to let you know about exciting new investments that the university is making to benefit all students.
Again this year, trustees had a sharp focus on keeping the tuition increase as low as possible and maintaining Elon’s position as one of the nation’s best values in private higher education. With that framework in mind, trustees approved an undergraduate tuition increase of 3.69 percent to $30,848. This is the fourth year in a row that Elon’s tuition will increase by less than 4 percent. The typical cost for room and board will rise by $436, with much of that increase due to a decision by the North Carolina legislature to levy a 6.75% sales tax on meal plans – a change that took effect for this spring semester. Student fees will remain unchanged.
Elon’s total 2014-15 cost of $41,914 is more than $10,000 below the average for private universities in the Northeast and between $5,000 and $15,000 lower than most of Elon’s peer universities. For the eighth consecutive year, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine recognized Elon among the nation’s best-value private universities, with a #13 ranking in total costs and a #22 ranking on the overall best-value combination of academic quality and affordability.
Our time in Elon’s history
The 125th anniversary of our founding provides a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the proud history of the university and envision the future we are building through initiatives of the Elon Commitment strategic plan. Today’s investments in academic and student life programs, as well as the expanding campus, are truly historic and demonstrate the student-centered and learning-centered values that have been Elon’s hallmark for generations.
Next year’s budget will fund 16 new full-time faculty positions, an important step in our initiative to further reduce the use of part-time instructors toward a goal of no more than 15 percent. In addition, we will add 14 new staff members, including several new student life staff members who will support our major initiative to transform the residential experience. And as we open several new facilities, we are adding 11 physical plant positions that are essential to the maintenance of Elon’s outstanding campus.
Major investments in academic excellence include additional funding for engaged learning opportunities, including the first year of a three-year plan to increase scholarships for international study and Study USA experiences; new investments in software and technology support; and the second year of increased funding for the campus-wide Writing Excellence Initiative, which will emphasize writing skills as a key dimension of an Elon education for all students.
In support of the goals of the Elon Commitment, we will continue a decade-long plan to expand financial aid resources in order to help keep the university affordable and recruit and retain excellent students.
Opening soon…
I hope you have had a chance to see the major investments we are making in new campus facilities. Next fall we will open 400,000 square feet of new facility space, most notably in the Global Neighborhood residential complex adjacent to Lakeside Dining Hall. Two residential buildings opened there last fall, and by August we will open three additional residence halls and the expansive commons building, which will feature a Great Hall, classrooms, the new headquarters of the Isabella Cannon Global Education Center, a café with a global foods menu, a media room, group meeting and study spaces, and much more. It will be a model facility to integrate residential and academic experiences.
Currently under construction and scheduled to open this summer is Scott Studios adjacent to Arts West, which will provide expanded rehearsal and recital space for our performing arts and dance programs. On the former Moseley Center parking lot, the Inman Admissions Welcome Center is taking shape as a beautiful new facility that will introduce families to the university and anchor a new quad that will provide a pedestrian-friendly connection to the Koury Business Center and the Colonnades and Danieley residential neighborhoods. Completion is scheduled for spring 2015. Meanwhile, on South Campus, renovation work is under way to prepare a new home for the psychology and human service studies academic programs. That project will be complete for fall semester.
Our community’s special treasure
The busy spring calendar contains one special 125 anniversary event that I know will inspire every student, alumnus, parent and faculty/staff member. At Spring Convocation on April 2, beloved President Emeritus J. Earl Danieley ’46 will share his reflections on Elon’s past and his hopes for our future. This is his 72 year of association with Elon, including his time as a student and service as faculty member, dean of the college, development officer and 16 years as president. Dr. Danieley is a legendary educator of national stature, and he put in place the foundation for the modern Elon. As he nears his 90 birthday this summer, Dr. Danieley continues to teach chemistry courses, mentor students, attend daily events on campus, rally the crowd at basketball games with his traditional towel wave, and serve as a model of distinguished leadership and service for all of us. He is a link to Elon’s proud past and has a unique perspective on the growth of the university. Please plan to attend this special event or follow it online.
There are many other exciting activities and events taking place on campus this spring, including a performance by the Moscow Festival Ballet, a talk by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas, our annual Spring Undergraduate Research Forum and the weeklong Celebrate! festival, featuring student achievements in the arts and academics. I hope that every student takes advantage of all that Elon has to offer.
We encourage students to be fully engaged with their studies and the intellectual life of the community, to work closely with faculty and staff mentors, and to take steps every day to plan and prepare for their future – choosing a major, pursuing research, planning a global study experience, developing a professional network and finding a good internship, and preparing a plan for launching their career or applying to graduate school.
Elon faculty and staff are dedicated to helping students achieve all of these things, and your continued involvement and support is vital.
Sincerely,
Leo M. Lambert
President