Oct. 13, 2001 – The University of the Virgin Islands board of trustees approved a resolution Saturday to increase UVI employee salaries and benefits with funding from a $3.2 million appropriation UVI is due to receive from the V.I. government.
The board unanimously approved the resolution, submitted by the Finance Committee, to allocate $3,273,933 from the university’s FY2002 appropriation for increases in employee salaries and benefits plus pay $550,000 in increased premiums for UVI’s group health insurance program.
The resolution specified that salaries for associate professors at UVI be raised to a minimum of $40,000 annually, according to a release from UVI.
The board also passed a resolution, submitted by the Student Affairs Committee, to add a new Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree to the university’s degree offerings. UVI Provost and Senior Vice President LaVerne Ragster, a member of the Student Affairs Committee, said the development of the A.A.S. degree is in response to suggestions by UVI stakeholders, who felt UVI needed to provide preparation for technical employment.
The addition of an A.A.S. degree advances the vision and goals of the university's Strategic Plan, Ragster said, by meeting the developmental needs of the Virgin Islands workforce.
The A.A.S. degree program will provide training in areas including the hospitality industry, allied health, information technology and processing technology.
The trustees also got an update from the Development Committee, which reported that the UVI Annual Fund surpassed by $1,000 its goal of $650,000 for the 2000-01 academic year and set a goal of $650,000 for the 2001-02 UVI Annual Fund.
The board also discussed the possible need to rezone the Sugden property on St. Croix, which the university owns, to use it as a telecommunications center to support the Research and Technology Park.
Eleanor Thraen and Alex Moorhead were re-elected to the board of trustees. Auguste Rimpel Jr. and Moorhead, the current board chair and vice-chair, were nominated as chair and vice chair for 2002.
Following its regular session, which was held at 9 a.m. at the UVI Sports and Fitness Center, the board moved into executive session.
Editor's note: For more on the University of the Virgin Islands, visit the website atwww.uvi.edu.
