The Board of Trustees unanimously approved increases to student fees and room and board rates Thursday.

Because DeKalb is in the Chicago pricing area, the pricing is within reason, NIU President John Peters said.

Room rates will increase by an average of 8.93 percent, with no increase in board pricing (dining dollars).

Student fees will increase 8.95 percent overall, with the largest increase coming in health insurance costs.

“Unfortunately, Huskie Bus Line and health costs are spiraling,” Peters said. “The requests are always much higher initially because of what student groups on campus want. We had negotiated health last year, but we expected the rates to go up 50 to 60 percent. We switched carriers, but it’s still at 23 percent.”

President Peters was given a retroactive pay increase of 4 percent to his base salary and a year-by-year contract extension for when his contract expires June 30, 2010.

The board voted unanimously to give Peters a 3 percent pay raise in July and 1 percent pay raise in January, the same increase given to faculty and staff.

“I did not ask the board for a raise,” Peters said. “I really am humbled, but all the progress comes down to the spirit of the faculty, staff and students of NIU. It may be a vote of confidence for me, but it’s more of a vote of confidence for the spirit of NIU.”

Peters said he realizes the board is looking ahead when it comes to the extension of his contract and partly because of the tough times higher education currently faces.

“I am getting in retirement age by then,” Peters said. “But being president is not a life-long job.”

Peters said his health would be one of many factors he would look at if he decided to continue as president after 2010.

Peters announced he and his wife would be starting an endowment, the John and Barbara Peters endowment for public service.

“We both went to school on loans, scholarships and grants,” Barbara Peters said. “We are very excited about this. We didn’t want to contain it to one area. We tried to keep it so it’s some dimension of public focus.”

New women’s basketball head coach Carol Owens was introduced at Thursday’s meeting.

Owens told the board that one of her main goals is to provide a great experience for the current and future players in her program.

“This was a place I was developed as a person, student and athlete,” Owens said. “I’ve had a lot of opportunities to move on earlier [from Notre Dame]. I just can’t tell you how excited I am to be back in DeKalb.”

The board discussed personnel, litigation and property matters during their hour-and-a-half executive session, which was closed to the public.

NIU Foundation President Mallory Simpson reported they have raised $5.8 million, one million more than last year for the same time period.

The next full BOT meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. June 16 in Altgeld Hall, Room 315.