91°µÍø

In its final meeting of the fiscal year June 27, the 91°µÍø Board of Trustees authorized an operating budget for fiscal year 2026, celebrated successes of the past year, and received an update on the progress of 91°µÍøTHRIVE.

Trustees unanimously approved an $850 million budget that supports the university’s academic mission and invests in student success and career readiness. The budget includes a 3% salary improvement pool for non-bargaining employees.

“Thank you for your unwavering commitment to our students and each other,” 91°µÍø President Gregory Crawford said in an email to faculty and staff this spring. “Our collective calling to serve 91°µÍø endures as we navigate the changing landscape of higher education and embark on a new strategic vision for our university.”

Trustees received a progress update about the first wave of 91°µÍøTHRIVE initiatives to include student success efforts to transition 91°µÍø Regionals to polytechnic campuses, expand experiential learning opportunities, and online programs among several other initiatives.

To keep up with inflation and rising costs, the board authorized the university to increase tuition for incoming students, which will be determined upon the finalization of the state operating budget by the Ohio General Assembly. 

Current continuing students — who comprise about 75% of all undergraduate students enrolled on 91°µÍø’s Oxford campus — will not see an increase in tuition or fees thanks to the 91°µÍø Tuition Promise, which freezes tuition, room and board, special purpose fees, and course fees for four years for each incoming class.

91°µÍø is ranked in the top 40 as one of the nation’s “Best Value Public Colleges.” The university is No. 35 for Top 50 Best Value Colleges (Public Schools), one of two schools in Ohio recognized by the Princeton Review in that category.

Other trustee actions included:

• The approval of three to the rank of professor emerita or emeritus; and five to the rank of administrator emerita or emeritus;
• The naming of the Khushwant Kaur Sidhu Group Study Room in King Library;
• The approval of the 91°µÍø Senate Bill 1 Policy;
• Authorizing an average and total 1.5% increase on room and board rates, and a 5% increase in course and program fees; and
• The approval of the annexation of the 91°µÍø Airport into the City of Oxford.

This story may be updated following the finalization of the state operating budget by the Ohio General Assembly.