Tuition and fees for the 2008-2009 college year were approved by the Board of Trustees of Iowa Lakes Community College at their meeting Tuesday afternoon in Spirit Lake.

Student tuition for Iowa Residents (and Minnesota Residents) will be $120 per credit hour -- up $7 per credit hour from last year. Non-Residents and International students will pay $122 per credit hour. Mandatory fees were not changed. There were some adjustments to fees for various programs. While the college received increased funding from the Iowa legislature this session, the amount was not the figure estimated earlier in the session and the increase wasn't enough to erase past losses in state funding. Had additional monies been received, the increase would have been more in the $4-$5 per credit hour range.

While discussing budgets, Chief Financial Officer Bob L'Heureux updated the Trustees on the status of current finances. The Trustees approved the financial report as well as monthly bills and verbally urged college administrators to continue to keep student recruitment as a top priority at Iowa Lakes and to take steps to achieve a balanced budget.

The Iowa Lakes report featured Joan McCulloch, RSVP Volunteer Program Coordinator for Dickinson County, who gave an overview of the 5 County Program sponsored by Iowa Lakes Community College. RSVP, a Senior Corps Program of the Corporation for National Service, has been active in the five-county area for 37 years providing people 55 and older with the opportunity to apply their skills and talents to meeting community needs. In 2007 there were 881 active registered volunteers serving 36,131 hours at 170 stations doing 230 different jobs.

"This program illustrates the giving spirit of our Older Americans as well as the Baby Boomers as they share the experience of a lifetime through volunteer service," McCulloch said.

The proposed wrestling facility for the Estherville campus was discussed. CMBA Architects of Spencer have completed the drawings and specifications for the proposed facility to be constructed on the east side of the main facility, just south of 'The Max' Student Center. The Trustees agreed to set Thursday, June 5 as the bid opening date and public hearing with a special board meeting immediately following to discuss the bids. Pending approval, the hope is to have the facility ready by Oct. 1.

Soccer was also discussed. Iowa Lakes is starting a soccer program for both men and women in the fall of 2009 located on the Spencer campus. The hope is to attract more full-time students at Iowa Lakes and provide those students with an opportunity to continue to play sports during college. Iowa Lakes will advertise for a coach in the near future so that the coach can begin recruiting athletes this fall.

The Trustees then approved a resolution to take additional action for issuing New Jobs Training Certificates not to exceed $670,000.

The next meeting of the Iowa Lakes Board of Trustees will be Tuesday, June 17 at the Spencer Campus of Iowa Lakes.