FY24 Budget & Tuition Adjustment

The below email was sent to all MGA faculty and staff on May 17, 2023.

I hope your summer is starting well!

I wrote to you at the end of March regarding our anticipated budget for the next academic year (FY24). At the time, I alerted you to an expected budget cut due to a $66M reduction in state appropriations for the University System of Georgia.

I am pleased to inform you that the Board of Regents (BOR) has made two significant financial decisions that will benefit learning at Middle Georgia State University in FY24:

• State appropriations cut to MGA was smaller than expected. MGA's overall state Appropriations for FY24 will increase by $800K compared to FY23, reaching a total of $51M. I believe this reflects our university's efficiency and effectiveness, allowing us to continue strategic investments. While State Appropriations account for 50% of our budget, it is crucial to maintain strong enrollment numbers (40% of our budget) by actively enrolling students for the summer and fall semesters. You are doing an excellent job with that work, and I know it will continue.

• Year two of the three-year tuition adjustment was approved. A year ago the BOR approved a three-year undergraduate tuition adjustment plan to align Middle Georgia State University’s tuition rate with other Georgia public state universities. Yesterday the Board officially approved the continuation of this plan, and in-state undergraduate tuition per credit hour will increase $19. The impact on student finances will be modest due to increased Pell and HOPE funding, along with additional scholarships. Our responsible spending, such as hiring more Academic Advisors and Success Coaches, has yielded positive results in terms of student retention and success rates. Retention increased by 6% for fall to spring over the previous year, and our NCLEX pass rates for BSN nursing students soared. Wise investments, targeted at student success, produce results. We will continue this approach in FY24, focusing on first-year experience, retention, military/veteran students, and enhancing technology for student success.

These major financial outcomes set a higher standard for MGA in FY24 and require continued improvement in our performance. Our track record of delivering results through wise investment of our resources has garnered confidence from the Board of Regents and the USG. I am grateful to Chancellor Perdue and the Board of Regents for their support, and I am certain that we will fulfill their confidence in us.

I would also like to express my appreciation to Governor Brian Kemp for his commitment to the livelihoods of State employees. Full-time employees at MGA will receive a base salary boost of $2,000 in FY24, making a tangible difference in the lives of our MGA community.

Within the next week, Vice President Amanda Funches and her team will work on finalizing the proposed budget based on the recent BOR decisions and data. We have a tight turnaround, and we must submit our proposed budget to the USG by next Thursday, May 25^th. I will provide another budget update later in the summer and during Convocation on Thursday, August 3^rd.

Thank you for being exceptional stewards of our resources and demonstrating our university value of Stewardship every day. The recent decisions by the Board of Regents highlight your commitment to this value.

Go Knights!

Chris