During its meeting today, the Coastal Carolina University board of trustees announced that tuition for in-state students will not increase for the 2022-2023 academic year. Tuition for out-of-state students will increase by 4%. On average, room rates and meal plan rates will increase by 3% and 8.6%, respectively, depending on the type of plans selected. This marks the fourth consecutive year that tuition for in-state students has not increased, while this is the first time in four years that out-of-state tuition has increased. Room rates had been held flat since 2015-2016.

The board also approved two new degree programs: the Bachelor of Science in mathematics education (ME) and the Bachelor of Arts in history and social studies education (HSSE).

The two new degree programs must be approved by the South Carolina Higher Education Commission and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools before being officially added to the University curriculum.

“The Spadoni College of Education and Social Sciences is making changes to the way we prepare students for secondary teacher certification,” said Holley Tankersley, dean of the Spadoni College of Education and Social Sciences. “Right now, students who wish to teach high school earn a four-year B.A. or B.S. in a content area and are then required to complete a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT). With the addition of the B.S. in mathematics education and the B.A. in history and social studies education, students will now be able to earn initial licensure in four years at the undergraduate level. This will enable students to take their content and pedagogy courses at the same time, creating integrated knowledge and practice that will strengthen teacher preparation. It also helps us to get appropriately certified teachers into our classrooms one year sooner, helping to alleviate the ongoing teacher shortage crisis.”

The ME program will provide foundations in both mathematics and education practices and is designed to attract students who will use these skills as mathematics educators at the high school level. Students who wish to teach at the middle school level will be able to obtain licensure with an additional exam. This program is an alternative to the four-year degree plus master’s degree, which is gradually being phased out. This new degree is being offered jointly by the Department of Mathematics and Statistics and the Spadoni College of Education and Social Sciences.

The HSSE program will provide students with the content background and initial licensure credentials necessary to become history and social studies educators at the secondary level. Graduates will be ready to serve the region and state upon completion of the four-year program, with courses in education and history. This program is an alternative to the four-year history degree and MAT combination program now offered. This new degree is housed in the Department of History and heavily supported by the Spadoni College of Education and Social Sciences.

Both new programs eliminate 14 months of coursework, which will help students enter the classroom as fully certified teachers one year sooner than previously possible.

In other action, the board approved the Education Capital Improvements Sales and Use Tax Act (penny sales tax) Memorandum of Agreement with Horry County Schools and Horry-Georgetown Technical College. The penny sales tax supports educated-related construction and renovation projects, and debt service. The board also approved a $350,000 discretionary fund for President Michael T. Benson for the 2022-2023 academic year, which allows the president to pursue opportunities to promote and raise funds for the University; two, one-year leases that are renewable for two additional years; renewal of a one-year lease; and a feasibility study to enhance the Burroughs & Chapin Center for Marine and Wetlands Studies and BBB parking lots to include paving, curbing, lighting, stormwater drainage, and other necessary infrastructure improvements.

The board’s next scheduled meetings are Aug. 11-12, 2022.