At its meeting today, the Board of Trustees of Coastal Carolina University approved a tuition increase of less than 3 percent for in-state and out-of-state students effective for the 2017-2018 academic year. In-state tuition will increase $162 per semester. Out-of-state tuition will increase $376 per semester.

The rise in tuition is largely due to an increase in funding for the state's pension, health and dental insurance that was recently passed by the S.C. legislature. For CCU, the net effect of the pension legislation, which passes the costs of the increase on to state institutions, is a significant increase in the University's operating budget, according to CCU President David A. DeCenzo.

"The costs incurred as a result of the state pension reform bill, combined with a 1.9 percent increase in the Higher Education Price Index [a measure of the inflation rate applicable to higher education in the U.S.], would require about a 4 percent increase in tuition to break even," said DeCenzo. "However, we were able to eliminate more than $2 million from our operating budget by cutting future nonfaculty positions. The budget cuts will not require any personnel layoffs or furloughs."

Housing fees will not increase for the next fiscal year or in the foreseeable future as a result of the property refinance plan initiated in 2014.

In his remarks to the board, outgoing chairman D. Wyatt Henderson said that tuition costs were "a primary consideration in every decision" made by the board during his tenure as chair.

"In 2011, tuition, fees, housing and meals for a full time, in-state student cost $17.500," said Henderson. "If you factor in inflation over the last six years, in today's dollars it would have cost $21,300 to attend CCU in 2011. In 2017, tuition, fees, housing and meals for a full time, in-state student cost $19.800. So it actually cost $1,500 less per year to attend CCU now than it did in 2011. A remarkable achievement. This board is to be commended for not only holding down the cost of higher education but actually reducing it."

The board approved lab fees of $35 for two specific chemistry courses and $70 for two specific biology courses. A fee of $20 per semester was approved for students who participate in fraternity or sorority life in order to support programming and resources.

Many of CCU's meal plan costs have been adjusted. Some plan costs will remain the same as last year; some will increase between $10 and $35 per semester depending upon the meal plan selected by the student; one meal plan will be offered at a reduced rate. Meal plans will be offered to faculty and staff for the first time. Aramark, the University's contracted food service provider, is the recipient of the meal plan fees.

The board elected new officers who will begin two-year terms beginning July 1. William S. Biggs was elected chairman of the board; Carlos C. Johnson was elected vice-chairman; and Charles E. Lewis was re-elected secretary/treasurer.

It was announced at the meeting that the accounting department in CCU's E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration will be named the D. Wyatt Henderson Department of Accounting, in honor of the outgoing chairman. A 1998 CCU graduate, Henderson has served on the CCU board of trustees since 2009 and was elected chairman in 2011. He is managing partner of Henderson Accounting in Greenville, S.C.

The board approved a $270,000 discretionary fund for CCU President David DeCenzo for fiscal year 2017-2018. The fund allows the president to pursue opportunities to promote the University and to raise funds for the institution.

Lease renewals were approved for classroom space at Litchfield Landing and at Horry Georgetown Technical College's Grand Strand campus, as well as to Winthrop University for the Small Business Development Center.