By Christian Bell

News Editor

The Board of Trustees of Calvin College wrapped up its February meeting by making appointments in the academic department and approving the 2002-2003 budget, which includes a 5.9 percent increase in tuition.

President Byker presented the decisions of the Board to faculty and staff members on Monday, highlighting the major decisions and announcements to come out of the winter gathering, which he called ``largely a routine meeting.''

The increase in tuition was higher than anticipated. The increase originally proposed to the Board was only 5.4 percent; however, after reviewing the budget the Board decided to adjust the tuition increase amount.

``There was one item that we zeroed out to be able to make 5.4 percent work, and the Board didn't want that zeroed out,'' said Vice President for Enrollment and External Relations Tom McWhertor.

That one item was a guarantee of money to the Physical Plant Fund. Typically the college renovates one residence hall per summer, and the Physical Plant Fund provides the money for that.

``There is money built into the operation budget for some of that, but the Plant Fund is where the extraordinary stuff comes from,'' McWhertor said.

Previously the college has used excess money from the budget to structure the fund.

``You're at the mercy of having surplus funds if you do that,'' McWhertor said, ``and [the Board] decided they wanted at least that much money.''

The half-percent increase in student fees makes the final price for attending Calvin next year $15,750 for tuition and $5,485 for on-campus room and board, giving a total of $21,235. The 5.9 percent increase amounts to a $100 increase per student over the originally proposed 5.4 percent increase.

``When you look at Calvin relative to other institutions, we are quality surpassing many institutions that are far more expensive,'' McWhertor said. ``Because we're priced the way we are, we don't have the ability to do some things we ought to be doing.''

The subject of the budget as a whole was a significant item of discussion during the Board's meeting. The 2002-2003 budget has several variances from previous budgets, and a result of several unforeseen expenditures. Among those were the costs of implementing the new core curriculum and taking on the Nursing department full time.

Byker reported that the Calvin Fund was up $300,000 but that business pledges were down slightly, and more importantly, money drawn from the college's endowment was down by almost half, from $2.2 million last year to $1.2 million this year.

However, Byker also reported that the members of the Board of Trustees had single-handedly contributed $3.6 million dollars for endowments and gifts, and that there would be more still coming.

Other items filled the February agenda as well. One of the ``highlights'' of the Board's February meeting is interviewing faculty members for tenure appointment or a first-time reappointment to teach.

The Board of Trustees granted 10 faculty members tenure. They were Randall Buursma (Communication Arts and Sciences), Mark Gustafson (Classical Languages), Susan Hasseler (Education), Clarence Joldersma (Education), Robert Keeley (Education), Douglas Koopman (Political Science), W. Harry Plantinga (Computer Science), Otto Selles (French), Frans van Liere (History), Katherine van Liere (History) and John Witvliet (Music).

``Faculty interviews are such a wonderful thing for the Board,'' said Ed Blankespoor, secretary of the Board. ``It really is amazing to talk with faculty and get a sense of not only their passionate Christian commitment, but also their remarkable academic expertise and gifts. The faculty interviews are probably the Board highlight for the entire year.''

The board also appointed 25 faculty members to a reappointment and ratified six administrative positions. Additionally, the Board granted an unprecedented 27 sabbaticals and 14 Calvin Research Fellowships to faculty this year, which the administration attributes to a younger base age among faculty members and a stronger institution-wide dedication to scholarship.

Among other items on the Board's agenda were two presentations by external consultants to the college.

The first consultant addressed an upcoming capital campaign that the college has been planning for several years. The capital campaign would be a major 3-5 year push by the Development office and the President to secure money for the college's endowment. In light of current economic conditions, however, the consultant recommended the college defer the start to prepare for the campaign.

``I wouldn't say we've delayed it,'' ``I would say we've expanded the preparation phase in light of the economy.''

The second consultant addressed the staff portion of the Gender Climate study that was conducted earlier this academic year.

``Almost every category was overwhelmingly positive,'' Byker said of the report.

Additionally, the Board voted to allow the college to establish regional councils of alumni, ``most of whom are leaders in their field,'' according to Byker, in order to get them more actively connected to the college.

The Faculty members who attended Byker's meeting raised questions regarding the financial support of faculty scholarship. Part of the college's increasing commitment to scholarship includes more endowed faculty positions and the establishment of academic centers such as the Paul Henry Institute. However, the college has not seen the amount of financial dedication to this cause that it wants, and Byker lamented that it appears that the Board is still unwilling to step up and serious funding to this issue.

``I reported to the Board that we're operating very lean,'' Byker said of his proposal to the Board on behalf of the faculty.

``We've highlighted every imaginable piece of this,'' Byker said. ``It's going to be tougher than we expected.''

The Board also gave the final go-ahead to Calvin's new Five-Year strategic plan.

``They approved it enthusiastically,'' Byker said.