Virginia Tech’s Board of Visitors approved a 2.9% increase in tuition for undergraduate and graduate students at their meeting Tuesday. Comprehensive fees and room and board will also increase in the fall.
The board also discussed the process of searching for a new president.
At the meeting, President Timothy Sands briefly addressed his upcoming retirement, which he announced last week would happen as soon as the board selects a replacement.
“For now, I’m committed to supporting the university and the new president through the coming transition,” Sands said. “So in the meantime, there’s plenty of work to do."
Rector John Rocovich said the board plans to hire a consulting firm to help with the search for a new president. The search committee will include board members, a representative from the alumni association, and possibly someone nominated by Governor Abigail Spanberger.
“I’ve spoken with the governor about the subject and asked her if she had any people she’d like to like to add to committee, and she is still thinking about it,” Rocovich said. “And she is going to get back to me when she makes up her mind.”
The board postponed a vote on another issue connected to on-campus housing. Members were considering ending Virginia Tech’s living-learning communities so they can reallocate all available on-campus residential hall beds to first-year undergraduate and transfer students.
Blacksburg’s mayor Michael Sutphin has spoken out against the resolution, saying it could have a negative impact on the town’s housing market if enrollment continues to grow.
Students also spoke out in favor of keeping the living learning communities.
“As it cannot be understated that in today’s learning environment, learning does not happen exclusively in the classroom, and the living learning programs are critical to attracting and retaining talent and enhancing the Hokie experience, making it feel like the home that it is,” Thomas Feely said at the meeting. Feely is the undergraduate student representative to the board.
The Board of Visitors will revisit whether to keep living learning communities at their next meeting in June.
