The UA System board of trustees met Thursday and Friday in Tuscaloosa to approve items put forward by the three UA System universities. The previous board of trustees meeting took place on March 8. 

Notable items on the docket included tuition increases, new degree offerings and various construction projects across the Tuscaloosa campus. 

Construction 

Among the approved construction projects was the building of a house for Sigma Kappa, the newest APA sorority on campus, on the land currently occupied by Harris Hall and the old Alpha Gamma Delta house. The project is expected to cost upwards of $21 million dollars. Earlier this year, the board announced plans to build a new sorority house on this land, though the chapter receiving the house previously remained unknown. The Harris Hall demolition is set for mid-July. 

Other construction approvals included a new golf facility, which is expected to cost nearly $30 million. Further approvals were granted for the renovation of Oliver-Barnard and Toumey Halls, as well as the construction of an Innovation building and a new Fashion and Design building. 

Tuition increases 

For the 2022-2023 academic year, UA tuition will increase 3% for in-state students and 4% for out-of-state students. This amounts to an increase of $160 for in-state students and a $605 increase for out-of-state students. These increases were described as “necessary due to the cost of inflation” by the board. 

New degree offering 

Next year, the University will add a Bachelor of Science Degree in Neuroscience. The University must seek approval from the Alabama Committee on Higher Education before this degree is offered. Previously, neuroscience was only available as a minor. The University was the first public institution to offer educational neuroscience as a doctoral degree through the College of Education, but is one of the only SEC schools to not offer a degree in neuroscience.