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WMU Trustees Hold Last 2015 Meeting

Sehvilla Mann
/
WMUK

At their last meeting of the year, Western Michigan University’s trustees pledged their support to students of Miller College, approved a rate increase for university apartments and appointed a new secretary. Longtime Board secretary Betty Kocher is retiring after 42 years with the university.

The Board recognized Kocher’s service in a proclamation Tuesday.

Highlights from the Board Meeting:

Miller College

The Battle Creek school has announced that due to financial difficulties it will close at the end of June. Western President John Dunn says officials with the college invited Western to talks on next steps for current Miller students. Dunn says Western has strong ties to the community the college serves.

“We also wanted to affirm again and in a very strong way, our commitment to Battle Creek, our commitment to those students, and to do everything we can to make sure they that they can continue on a path to success,” Dunn told the Board on Tuesday.

Miller College enrolls mostly returning students seeking to finish a bachelor’s degree. Many work full-time while they attend school. Western Board of Trustees Chair James Hettinger says a “teach-out” agreement with Western could allow some students who had nearly graduated to finish their degrees at the university.

University Apartment Rate Increase

Western Michigan University students who rent an apartment on-campus can expect to pay a little more rent next year. The trustees approved a 2.1 percent rate increase for unfurnished apartments beginning next fall. Vice President for Student Affairs Diane Anderson addressed the Board before the vote. She said the university tried to keep the hike as small as possible.

“The increase I bring to you today is based on our overall philosophy of minimal increases with the goal of simply covering operational costs. We also take into consideration the rates with our competitors off-campus,” she said.

The cost to rent an apartment at Western depends on the building and the number of bedrooms. A student renting an unfurnished one-bedroom unit in Goldsworth Valley would pay $663 a month under the new rates. That’s $14 more in monthly rent than under the current rate.

New Secretary

The Board has appointed Kahler Schuemann Board secretary beginning January 1, 2016. Betty Kocher’s resignation as board secretary takes effect at the end of December. Kocher’s full retirement from Western begins in June.

Credit Sehvilla Mann / WMUK
/
WMUK
Betty Kocher, right, is retiring after many years as Western's board secretary.

 

Sehvilla Mann joined WMUK’s news team in 2014 as a reporter on the local government and education beats. She covered those topics and more in eight years of reporting for the Station, before becoming news director in 2022.
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