FEE INCREASES DROPPED
BOT swears in new members
The East Carolina University Board of Trustees voted to retract previously approved student fee increases for the 2020-21 fiscal year during a video conference meeting May 12. Tuition and student fees will remain unchanged for the upcoming academic year.
Increases to non-mandatory fees were requested and approved by the BOT for housing, dining, parking, and 1 Card charges during its November meeting but were retracted in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. There was no need to revise a request for tuition and athletics fee increases as the UNC Board of Governors did not approve those requests.
“COVID-19 has imposed hardship on all of Pirate Nation and ECU is doing all that we can to lessen the burden,” said Interim Chancellor Ron Mitchelson. “In addition to no increase in tuition and mandatory fees, ECU will not increase fees for housing, dining and parking. We appreciate the board’s support as we try to keep student costs in check. It’s the right thing to do given our collective circumstances.”
The BOT also welcomed three new members who were sworn in during the meeting — Van Isley, Scott Shook and Tucker Robbins.
Isley was appointed on April 17 by the UNC Board of Governors to fill the unexpired term of Phil Lewis. This term will expire on June 30, 2023, at which time Isley will be eligible for appointment to a full term.
Shook was appointed on May 1 by the N.C. House of Representatives to fill the unexpired term of Robert Moore. This term will end in 2023, at which time Shook will be eligible for appointment to a full term.
Shook and Isley will be eligible for a second full term following the first full term, for a total of 11 years of service on the board if they get reappointed.
Robbins was recently elected president of the ECU Student Government Association and will represent the student body as a member of the BOT through spring 2021.
Isley earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from ECU in 1985. In 2003, he founded Professional Builders Supply and is the CEO. Isley serves on the ECU College of Business advisory council and is a past recipient of the Outstanding Alumni Award. Isley and his wife Jennifer are the primary benefactors of the Van and Jennifer Isley Innovation Hub, a space where business, engineering, technology and art students can collaborate on product innovation and entrepreneurship.
Shook graduated from ECU in 1993 with a Bachelor of Science in economics. He has worked in banking and securities, and is currently a financial advisor and vice president at BB&T Scott & Stringfellow. He serves on the ECU Board of Visitors, ECU Educational Foundation – Pirate Club, and Greenville-Pitt Chamber of Commerce. He also spent 11 years as a member of the city of Greenville’s Board of Adjustment, where he served as chair for five years.
Appointed to the N.C. community college board by the governor in 2013 and again in 2019, Shook served two terms as chair. He led the board through two presidential searches — an experience he plans to draw upon as he works with ECU trustees in the search for a new chancellor.
Robbins is a senior majoring in industrial distribution and logistics with a minor in industrial technology management. He is a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity and has served as philanthropy chair and president of ECU’s chapter. Robbins is also a member of the Phi Kappa Phi academic honor society.
In other business, the board was informed that the athletics fiscal sustainability working group, which was formed in January, has submitted its report to Mitchelson. Mitchelson and Athletics Director Jon Gilbert will review the report before submitting its findings to the BOT and public.