Notes from the April 8, 2002 Regents Meeting

by George Zamora

SOCORRO, N.M., April 10, 2002 -- The New Mexico Tech Board of Regents has approved an average increase of 6.8 percent in tuition and fees for both undergraduates and graduate students attending the research university, raising tuition and fees for resident undergrads from the current $1,527 per semester to $1,637 per semester.

The boost in tuition and fees at New Mexico Tech, which works out to slightly more than $110 per semester, becomes effective at the start of the upcoming 2002-2003 academic year.

With the latest tuition increase, out-of-state students attending the university will pay an additional 8 percent in tuition and fees this coming fall semester (increased to $4,376 per semester for undergraduates and $4,978 per semester for graduate students).

With the approved increase, resident graduate students at New Mexico Tech will pay $1,695 per semester in tuition and fees.

During the board's April 8 meeting, New Mexico Tech President Daniel H. López informed regents that school administrators had previously discussed proposed tuition and fee increases with student leaders at the university and that " . . . a majority did begrudgingly support the hike in tuition and fees."

In other actions taken during its monthly meeting, the Tech Board of Regents approved support for a new training course titled "Managing Terrorist Bombing Incidents," which is being made available through the university's Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center.

The regents also approved several adjustments to the university's current budget, necessitated by revenues and expenses that were unanticipated at the start of the fiscal year.

In other official actions, the New Mexico Tech Board of Regents also approved the following measures:

• granting emeritus status to longtime Tech chemistry professor Donald K. Brandvold;
• appointment of Robert G. Ewing to faculty member with Tech's chemistry department;
• appointment of Alexander Panchenko to faculty member with Tech's mathematics department;
• appointment of Paul E. Pierce as New Mexico State Mine Inspector (subject to Governor Gary Johnson's approval);
• promotion of Robert L. Lee to professor of petroleum and chemical engineering;
• promotion of William X. Chavez to professor of geological engineering;
• granting tenure to Ivan G. Avramidi, associate professor of mathematics;
• granting tenure to Bhaskar S. Majumdar, associate professor of materials engineering;
• granting tenure and promotion to associate professor of petroleum engineering to Her-Yuan Chen;
• granting tenure and promotion to associate professor of hydrology to Brian J. O. L. McPherson;
• granting tenure and promotion to associate professor of biology to Snezna Rogelj;
• granting tenure and promotion to associate professor of psychology to Mark C. Samuels;
• granting tenure and promotion to associate professor of geophysics to Harold J. Tobin; and
• granting tenure and promotion to associate professor of electrical engineering to Kevin Wedeward.

During its meeting, the Tech Board of Regents also was given an overview of the university's various capital projects by Joe Galon, Tech's director of planning, with particular emphases on recently completed, ongoing, and planned construction projects on the university campus.