LINCOLN — As surely as the sun will rise, room and board rates will go up in the University of Nebraska system.
The increases are generally modest, and only one institution’s room and board rates for 2019-20 were actually approved Tuesday by the NU Board of Regents. Those were for the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis.
The regents also accepted a written report on the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s 2019-20 room rate increases. Board is not included for UNO because few students eat on campus.
Room and board inflation for 2019-20 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the University of Nebraska at Kearney were approved a year ago, at the same time 2018-19 rates were approved.
Room and board at the Curtis campus will go up 2 percent, meaning a double room at Aggie West Residence Hall will rise to $1,422 per semester, up from $1,394. A 21-week meal plan will increase 2 percent from $2,315 per semester to $2,361 in 2019-20.
UNO will raise room rates by about 1.5 percent. For example, a nine-month payment plan at Scott Court will total $6,600 in 2019-20, up from $6,500.
The regents agreed to raise UNL and UNK room and board rates for 2019-20 last year, at the same time they raised their rates for 2018-19. UNL rates will go up in the range of 3.5 percent to 4.3 percent.
A double room at UNL with the most robust meal plan in 2019-20 will cost $11,830 for an academic year, a 3.5 percent increase from this year’s $11,430. Students returning to live in a traditional residence hall room at UNL will get a $250 to $500 discount.
At UNK, a double room with a meal plan called the Loper will rise to $9,942 per academic year, up 2 percent from $9,748.
In other action, the regents:
» Signed off on a $20 million renovation at the Durham Science Center at UNO and a $3.4 million renovation at UNL’s Hamilton Hall.
» Agreed to name the addition to UNO’s Strauss Performing Arts Center the John and Jan Christensen Addition to honor John Christensen’s service to UNO. Christensen retired last year after a decade as UNO’s chancellor.
» Confirmed the hiring of Marco Barker, who will be UNL’s first vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion. Barker will be paid $250,000. Regent Hal Daub, who asked for a job description, abstained from voting. Barker will start April 1.