Starting this spring Kent State students are paying more tuition after the Board of Trustees voted to add a $72 fee to expand Career Services to help undergraduates find jobs. 

Kent State University’s Board of Trustees voted to approve the fee on Sept. 13 for a total budget of $669 million for advancements around the campus for the 2017-2018 school year.

Kristin Anderson, director of external media relations at Kent State University, said the nine trustees including an Undergraduate Trustee, and one Graduate Student Trustee voted unanimously, as part of the consent agenda.

The approved budget provides for increased student scholarships, financial aid, increased salaries, and upgraded facilities/programming, such as Career Services according to a Board of Trustees press release on Sept. 15.

The money will pay, in part, for Internship and Cooperative Education programs by using the funding to assist with student travel costs, room and board and scholarships.

Cooperative Education is an academically focused program, which allows students to obtain professional work experience while still in college.

The increase in fees will also pay for online career resources to research local job opportunities, expansion in student/alumni networking and the Peer-to-Peer Mentoring programs.

“The Ohio Legislature approved the fee in recognition of value and importance of doing more to prepare students for the workforce,” Anderson said.

Students attending the main campus will be charged $6.00 a credit hour, capped at 12 credit hours per semester, totaling $72.00 a semester.

Regional campus students will be charged $3.60 a credit hour, also capped at 12 credit hours per semester, totaling $43.20 a semester.

“The fee will also expand student/alumni networking, micro-internships, exposure to nonprofit engagement, and experiential trip-based first-year courses available to all first-year students,” Anderson said.

Malcolm Murray, a senior public relations major, said as a student worker of Kent State himself and others should have received a pay adjustment as well and knowledge of the tuition increase.

“If I’m not mistaken I used Career Services to get my job at Kent,” Murray said. “But, I did not know that career services affected my tuition.”

Career Services currently aids in career counseling, workshops, assistance with internships, career fairs and career assessment tools with future plans to expand.

“Career Development is a priority of Governor John Kasich and the Ohio General Assembly,” said Anderson. “In alignment with that priority, the final State of Ohio Biennium 2018-19 budget allowed for the implementation of the fee to enhance career development services to students.”

Imani Fields is the jobs reporter. Contact her at [email protected]