In addition to voting to increase tuition 11.9 percent and joining the Mountain West Conference, the Board of Trustees Friday approved a $248 million budget for the 2004-05 academic year. 

Tuition was increased to help the university pay for the $18 million budget increase, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Don Mills said. 

"There was a long discussion about the budget for next year, and with that, discussion of tuition increase," he said. 

The expansion of the budget will be used to support many aspects of the university's operation, including: 

• $4.5 million added to scholarship and financial aid. More money may be allocated after examination of whether this amount is sufficient to help students out with the tuition increase. 
• $3.1 million allocated to improving academic excellence at the university, including hiring 16 new faculty members, upgrading technology, adding to the library, extending faculty development grants and supporting academic programs. 
• $2.1 million to improve parking and increase bus service to remote parking and housing areas. 
• About $750,000 to support student services such as University Career Services, orientation and Frog Camp. Chancellor Victor Boschini stressed the importance of hiring new faculty. 

"This will reinforce our students' educational experiences by enabling them to engage in research with faculty either directly or in the classroom," he said in a press release. 

"Additional faculty also means smaller learning environments, a critical component in teaching and mentoring." Boschini said the Board spent a lot of time discussing Vision in Action, a strategic plan for the future of TCU. 

"That was probably the biggest item," Boschini said. "Talking about how TCU might look five years from now, 10 years from now." Vision in Action is a new planning initiative to improve TCU's standing in various areas including athletics, diversity, community connections and technology improvements. 

"VIA will clarify our students' educational experiences, opening doors to creative learning and leadership opportunities that are global in scope, real-life connections in the community and world, and adventures in ideas that exceed the boundaries of thought," Boschini said. 

Other topics the board discussed include an increase in student body size by 2 percent over last spring's enrollment numbers and resolutions honoring former chancellor Michael Ferrari and the late Cecil Green, a TCU trustee. 

"We're doing everything we can to make the university better," said Malcolm Louden, a trustee. "That's the overriding thing." Louden said he wants the best for TCU, since he attended the school, his oldest son attended his school, his younger son is a freshman and he hopes his daughter will also attend the school. 

"I voted to pay it (the tuition) myself," Louden said. Mills said he was not surprised by any decisions made by the Board because each issue had been discussed for some time before the meeting. "The real work of the trustees is done in committees," he said.