New academic degree programs among the resolutions approved by board of visitors

At its regular quarterly meeting held Monday in Torgersen Hall, the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors took action on several academic and administrative issues .

The Virginia Tech Board of Visitors has set tuition and fee rates for 2006-07academic year, pending action by the Virginia General Assembly. Mandatory tuition and fees for Virginia undergraduates will rise $595 from $6,378 to $6,973 annually. Non-Virginia undergraduates not living on campus will pay $19,049 annually, up from $17,837. Total cost for Virginia students living on campus will rise from $10,834 to $11,739 annually, an increase of $905. Total annual cost for non-resident students will rise from $22,293 to $23,815, an increase of $1,522.

The board also approved resolutions to establish a School of Construction and create three new academic degree programs—a Bachelor of Arts Degree in humanities, Science and environment in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences; a Ph.D. in geospatial and environmental analysis in the College of Natural Resources; and a Ph.D. in rhetoric and writing in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.

The board also approved a resolution to replace the Ph.D. in environmental design and planning with the Ph.D. in architecture and design research and the Ph.D. in planning, governance, and globalization, all in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies.

All academic resolutions will now be forwarded to the State Council of Higher Education for review and final approval.

To help the university remain competitive in the recruitment and retention of high quality graduate students, the board approved a resolution to increase the graduate student stipend scale by three percent and increase the university’s support for the graduate health insurance program by moving the percentage of the annual covered premium cost from 70 to 75 percent.

The board named College of Engineering Professor Richard Goff by the W.S. “Pete” White Chair for Innovation in Engineering Education. Seven professors were honored with emeritus status.

The next regular quarterly meeting of the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors will be held June 11-12 at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Danville, Va.

==> Please note: Board minutes, resolutions, and other background information may be found at the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors website.