Post Date:
Tuesday, August 11, 2015 - 2:23pm
Regarding: EKU campus-wide renovations and student fee
Dear Student:
Thank you for choosing Eastern Kentucky University.
Whether you are just beginning your journey with us or a returning student, our pledge is to provide you with not only a world-class education but also the best possible college experience outside our classrooms and laboratories – one that makes your short time with us memorable and positively shapes you and your future in every imaginable way.
In order to do that, we need an environment and facilities that equal the high quality of our academic programs and faculty and match the level of our commitment to your academic success and personal growth.
As you probably know, the University is in the midst of a campus-wide revitalization, a comprehensive renewal that will transform the way we learn, live and work together and even change the way others perceive us. You see evidence of that everywhere you turn – for example, construction of Phase 2 of our New Science Building and the numerous landscaping projects designed to enhance our curb appeal. Not only are your best interests at the heart of all these improvements; you are playing an active part in some of them.
This past spring, the EKU Student Senate approved (and the Board of Regents and Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education ratified) a fixed special-use fee of $150 per semester that will go toward improving, renovating and/or constructing student-centered facilities. Two projects have been identified as the more immediate priorities: a new, much larger recreation and wellness center and a renovated student union facility. Because these are student facilities funded with student dollars, you will have a voice in determining the features that best serve you and your fellow classmates. For more details about these and other projects and plans, follow @EKU Builds on Twitter or at ekubuilds.eku.edu.
This special-use fee is applied to all full-time undergraduate and graduate students and pro-rated for all part-time students based on number of credit hours. Part-time undergraduates will be assessed $12.50 per credit hour; part-time graduate students will pay at a rate of $16.67 per credit hour. The fee is applied regardless of where or how you take your classes, so our online and regional campus students are sharing equally in the cost. In the interest of fairness, no appeals or exemptions from the fee assessment will be considered.
Just as you have big dreams for the rest of your life, we are making no little plans for our University. A combination of factors suggest our time is now to take bold and visionary steps to ensure a brighter future for the University and for you and all the students who follow in your footsteps. Your investment via this fee is an investment in the future value of your EKU degree. As alumni, you will continue to benefit from a strong and vital Eastern Kentucky University.
Again, thank you for trusting your future with Eastern Kentucky University and for your continued support. Together, we will reach our goals and achieve our dreams. Go Colonels!
Sincerely,
Michael Benson
President
