Pay Increase Highlights Regents Actions

Sam Houston State University budgeted employees will receive a pay increase of up to 3 percent under authority granted Friday by the university's board of regents.

The Texas State University System Board of Regents approved the measure submitted by James F. Gaertner, SHSU president, in a regular quarterly meeting held on the SHSU campus.

Gaertner told the regents that an increase in fall 2003 enrollment, a $7 per semester credit hour increase in designated tuition effective in the spring 2004 semester, and income from various university auxiliary account sources will provide funding for the raises.

Gaertner informed employees at the beginning of the current academic year in August that there would be no pay increases at the beginning of the year but that efforts would be made to provide them in January, which is when the raises approved Friday go into effect.

The SHSU President's Cabinet will decide how the additional funds will be allocated.

In other business, the regents tabled a motion concerning a name change for Angelo State University. Proponents of the change to Texas State University-San Angelo said it would give them an advantage in marketing to potential students by including both the state and city name, neither of which is in the present name.

A number of individuals from various constituent groups of Sam Houston State University were interested in the regents' action and whether it might signal a move to change other system schools to generic names such as Texas State University-San Marcos.

The regents held a similar discussion and heard testimony on the proposed name change for the former Southwest Texas State University in February 2002, also during a meeting on the SHSU campus, and also tabled a motion regarding that proposed change. The name was later changed through action by a state legislator.

In other Sam Houston State University business, the regents awarded a contract to Turner Construction Company of Houston for a $6.25 million 37,000-feet Recreation Center Building addition to the Health and Kinesiology Center.

Construction on the new facility, which will include a new weight room, climbing wall, and multi-purpose room and pool, will begin in January with completion in the spring 2005.

A contract was also awarded to SpawGlass Construction Corp. of Houston for the $8.3 million Smith-Hutson Business Building Addition, with construction also expected to begin in January and completion also in spring 2005.

The new 46,781 square feet facility will have 14 new classrooms and 41 faculty offices.

The expenditure of $674,792 for the first phase of a campus-wide card access system was also approved. The new system using card access technology rather than old style locks and keys is expected to provide better security for students in its first phase, and later for all employees if the second phase is implemented.

A contract for installation of the new technology in university housing units could be awarded in January, with completion by the fall 2004 semester. The Bearkat OneCard, which was issued beginning this past summer, has the capability to be programmed for card access equipment.

Also approved were a $1.6 million renovation of Estill Hall, which will be done during the upcoming summer and fall semesters in time for the dorm's use in spring 2005, and offering of Master of Education and Master of Arts with major in Instructional Leadership distance learning degree programs.

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SHSU Media Contact: Frank Krystyniak
Nov. 21, 2003
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