Trustees approve degree conferral at November meeting

In its final meeting of 2025, the East Carolina University Board of Trustees approved conferral of degrees for 1,863 graduates at ECU’s fall commencement on Dec. 19 in Minges Coliseum.

Meeting topics for trustees included ECU athletics, successful food drives, tuition and university branding.

The day before a nationally televised football game between two of the top teams in the American Conference standings, Chancellor Philip Rogers focused his remarks on how collegiate athletics serves as the “front porch” of a university and how the nation had access to the ECU brand on three of four consecutive Thursday nights this season. Television ratings data showed that over 890,000 viewers tuned in to watch ECU’s home win over Army on Sept. 26.

“When our teams compete on a national network, they represent not just themselves to a broad audience, but they represent all of ECU. These moments bring attention to gameday experiences, our facilities and the local community,” Rogers said.

Board of Trustees Chair Cassie Burt asks a question during a meeting of the ECU Board of Trustees. (Photo by Rhett Butler)

Rogers cited an October Boston Globe article focused on students from the Northeast choosing to attend Southern colleges. Incoming ECU student Casey McManus was pictured in the article wearing an ECU T-shirt and said that she chose ECU for its physician assistant program and school spirit. Rogers noted that ECU’s school spirit, which often spans generations, is a way for current students to develop a connection to campus.

“College students who feel connected to the campus and who develop a supportive network are more likely to persist, graduate and become proud alumni,” he said. “Whether it is through the arts, a club, a degree program, a sorority or fraternity, athletics, or some other shared experience on campus, the connective tissue matters.”

The area benefits from ECU athletics, which generates over $100 million in annual economic impact in Pitt County, according to a 2023 study.

With the world of collegiate athletics rapidly changing and cost containment being a major challenge, Rogers feels that this gives ECU a chance to lead the way.

“As the pressures continue to grow, this is an opportune moment for innovation — and we’ll be intentional about strategically evolving in this changing landscape to remain competitive, while at the same time staying true to who we are as a university,” he said.

In his remarks to the board, Student Government Association President Daniel Walker highlighted the work that the organization has done to combat food insecurity on campus through both the Swipe Out Hunger campaign and the Food For Fines initiative. During the Nov. 6 Swipe Out Hunger campaign, 280 guest meals were donated by 117 students. As part of Food For Fines, students could donate non-perishable food and hygiene items to offset a parking citation. Over 800 pounds of food were collected and donated to ECU’s Williams-Ross Purple Pantry.

Tuition and Fee Changes

Trustees approved a 3% increase in tuition for undergraduate new students enrolling at ECU for the 2026-27 academic year, pending approval by the UNC System Board of Governors. Current students would not see their tuition rise under the system’s fixed tuition policy. This is the first undergraduate tuition increase since fall 2017. Tuition and fees at ECU remain among the most affordable among UNC System schools, ranking second-lowest out of 12 peer institutions.

In-state undergraduate students would pay $133 more per semester and out-of-state undergraduate students would pay an additional $622 per semester.

Undergraduate tuition for each semester would total $4,585 for North Carolina residents and $21,351 for nonresident students.

An expected $2.1 million in revenue from the tuition increase would be used to hire professional student advisors to transition faculty out of advisor roles; to hire additional faculty members for high-demand programs enabling growth; for technology advancements; and for other fiscal initiatives.

Brody School of Medicine students would see a 3.26% increase or $725 per semester for in-state students and $1,651 for out-of-state students. The medical school’s tuition currently ranks second from the bottom among peer institutions.

In addition, the board approved the following increases in fees: dining, 2.5%; transit, 4.3%; education and technology, 5.8%; School of Dental Medicine housing fee for fourth-year students during rotations at community service learning centers, 7.8%.

The new student orientation fee will decrease by 1.9% and will be consolidated with a housing fee for people who stay on campus during summer orientation for a total cost of $185.

Taking Up Residence

The Budget, Finance and Infrastructure Committee also approved site selection for a new chancellor’s residence in the College View Historic District behind the Dail House on Fifth Street. The home would face South Jarvis Street with a rear entrance off South Summit Street. The full board voted approval as part of the consent agenda.

ECU has secured a certificate of appropriateness from the Greenville Historic Preservation Committee to build the residence, which will be funded by the ECU Foundation. Upon completion, the residence will be gifted to the state by the ECU Foundation and designated by the board as the official chancellor’s residence. The UNC System requires institutions to provide an official residence for chancellors. The Dail House will remain a campus venue for chancellor-sponsored meetings and events.

As part of the consent agenda, the board also:

• approved the dissolution of the formal institute designation of the East Carolina Heart Institute. Clinical and research operations will not be impacted.
• approved increasing debt capacity by the issuance of bonds for Jones Residence Hall renovations
• approved the lease of three properties by ECU Physicians
• approved an amended lease for Intersect East
• approved Moseley Architecture as the designer for West End Dining Hall renovations
• approved capital project authority for building repairs at East Carolina Heart Institute
• approved advanced planning for the construction of a boardwalk and pier at the Coastal Studies Institute

In Other Business

Trustees in the Strategy and Innovation Committee received a marketing and branding presentation. Marketing consultants with the SimpsonScarborough agency worked with University Communications at ECU to develop a refreshed brand platform focused on consistent brand representation across the university. The presentation included a creative concept that aims to strengthen current ECU imagery and brand positioning.

In the University Affairs Committee, Provost Chris Buddo discussed the UNC System’s performance reporting requirements across student success, affordability and efficiency, and community engagement. Chief Innovation and Engagement Officer and Interim Chief Research Officer Sharon Paynter reported that the university continues to contribute to the nation’s research and development competitive advantages. While federal investment in higher education research is functionally decreasing, the business sector continues to pour money into R&D.

“Over the last five years, we have submitted more proposals at greater value than ever,” she said, and partly as a result, the university has enjoyed growth in research enterprises.

“Health is one [sector] where ECU has a place to put a purple flag deep in the ground,” Paynter said.

Director of Athletics Jon Gilbert provided trustees on the Athletics and Advancement Committee with an update on ECU Athletics and the landscape of intercollegiate athletics.

Gilbert shared highlights of the recent national exposure for ECU football. Television viewership is up 39%, with an average of 726,000 viewers per game. ECU is ranked second in the American Conference in viewership.

“While those Thursday nights are challenging from a tailgating and ticket perspective for people to make it to the game on Thursday night, I do think our viewership numbers and the exposure the institution gets from those games is really unparalleled,” Gilbert said.

ECU’s football team is bowl eligible for the fourth time in five seasons. The positive momentum of a winning season has led to an average of 37,000 ticket holders in attendance and 66% growth in student attendance, with an average of 9,700 students per game.

“When you win, positive exposure comes,” Gilbert said.

Gilbert also recognized that 324 student-athletes have earned all-conference academic honors.

The next meeting of the ECU Board of Trustees is scheduled for Feb. 12-13 in the Main Campus Student Center.

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