“When I was running for the board I wondered if we needed (the retreat),” said Owen, who was elected to the board in 2006. “But it’s very good. It’s only two days, and we spend the whole day working. It’s just different getting away — you work harder, are more focused. I like it.”

Trustee Dorothy Gonzales said the retreat is a great opportunity to cover a lot of topics that would be rushed at a regular meeting.

“That’s why they call it a retreat, so we can just sit down and go through all of the issues,” Gonzales said. “We can pull out all of our folders, all the stuff we have to work on.”

Residence halls will be a hot topic at this year’s retreat, said Trustee Melanie Foster.

“The last dorm was built in the ’60s,” Foster said. “Forty years ago students’ expectations were significantly different than what they are today. We need to evaluate what we can do to make residence life more in tune with the 21st century.”

Vennie Gore, vice president of Housing & Food Services, is expected to make a presentation on upgrades that can be made, Foster said.

“I’m really excited about that,” Foster said. “That’s an area we can do a better job at, in terms of enriching the student experience.”

They will also use the time to evaluate the job MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon has done over the last year, Foster said.

New additions to the university, like the Skandalaris Football Center will be reviewed, as well as ways to limit future tuition hikes, said Trustee George Perles.

“We’ve got to find a way to keep tuition down, so these kids can go to school and not leave $50,000 in debt,” Perles said.

The board also will review how they can best control rising health care costs, Foster said.

They have to find a way to keep health care and tuition costs down while dealing with constrained budgets and less money from the state, she said.

“We have to find a way to make our university affordable,” Foster said.

“The same way the Big Three (automakers) have to evaluate their costs. Legacy health care costs are dragging them under. As a university we need to look at that.”