The board of trustees met Sept. 21 in the Bryant Conference Center to confer about fiscal budget matters for the three universities in The University of Alabama System.

“Today was the annual meeting of the board of trustees,” Kellee Reinhart, spokesperson for The University of Alabama System and the board of trustees, said. “It’s a time of year in which the fiscal 1819 budgets are presented, when there is a report of a summary of the number of academic degrees conferred across our campuses and the election of the president pro tem of the board.”

There were decisions made to approve the next step for many projects for the three universities: The University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa, Birmingham and Huntsville.

Interim Chancellor Finis St. John gave a report about matters involving the three universities.

St. John was asked to serve as interim chancellor upon the retirement or transition of the former chancellor, C. Ray Hayes, who completed his tenure at the end of July.

The current president pro tem is trustee Ronald W. Gray from Huntsville. Gray was unanimously re-elected for a second one-year term.

A sitting trustee is eligible for three successive one-year terms as president pro tem, Reinhart said.

According to the presentation, 8,880 students graduated from the University during 2017-2018. This includes bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees.

“Educating Alabama students has always been our highest mission, and it will always be our highest mission,” St. John said.

The three campuses together produced almost 16,000 graduates.

“He [St. John] also said that we as a system must be accountable for every dollar we receive from the taxpayers, from the students, from our donors and that we have a responsibility to be fiscally prudent and treat that money that we receive with the respect it deserves and merits,” Reinhart said.

Across the three campuses, the University is educating more students now than ever before.

According to the Tuscaloosa News, state appropriations increased $5.8 million. The increase will cause the in-state tuition rate to remain the same as it was in the last fiscal year of 2018.

St. John said if Alabama universities want to reach their full potential, they should have students from every state. He said Alabama should work to make sure there are opportunities to keep out-of-state students here after graduation.

“Better opportunities will lead to better education,” St. John said.

St. John received applause from the trustees for his remarks.

The board also approved the renovations and additions to Bryant-Denny Stadium. The stadium renovations were among the biggest projects approved during the meeting.

According to the resolution presented at the meeting, the total project cost will be $75,463,448.

The next board of trustees meeting is in November.

“It will be The University of Alabama’s institutional meeting, which creates an opportunity for UA, the host campus, to showcase innovations and teaching research and service,” Reinhart said.