The University of Tennessee Board of Trustees approved a nearly $1.35 billion budget for the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, campus Friday that included a zero percent tuition increase for the 2021–22 fiscal year.
UT’s 2021–22 budget includes $8 million in capital maintenance for building systems and HVAC improvements and an additional $265 million in recurring state appropriations, an increase of $17.5 million over the previous year, and funding for employee salary increases. Of that, $13.6 million will go toward a 4 percent salary pool for faculty and staff pay increases and raising minimum wage to $13 per hour for all regular full-time and part-time UT Knoxville employees, including those at the UT Space Institute and the UT Institute of Agriculture. The pool will be used for merit and market raises.
The board also took the following actions:
- Approved the granting of an honorary doctorate in humanities from the College of Arts and Sciences to Joy Harjo, former faculty member and 23rd poet laureate of the United States.
- Approved the modification to change the degree designation for students majoring in kinesiology in the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences from a Bachelor of Science in Education to a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology; and students majoring in recreation and sport management in the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences from a Bachelor of Science in Education to a Bachelor of Science in Recreation and Sport Management. Both modifications align with similar and aspirational peers in Tennessee and the nation. There are no costs associated with the changes.
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CONTACT:
Tyra Haag (865-974-5460, tyra.haag@tennessee.edu)