MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS
MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY
APRIL 3, 2009
1. Roll Call
Present- Ms. Elizabeth Bradbury, Governor
Mr. Ryan Childress, Student Governor
Mr. Michael Duggan, Chair of the Board
Mr. Gordon Elliott, Governor
Mr. Brian Hammons, Vice-Chair of the Board
Mr. Orvin Kimbrough, Governor
Ms. Mary Sheid, Governor (by conference call)
Ms. Cathy Smith, Governor (by conference call)
Ms. Phyllis Washington, Governor
Mr. John Winston, Governor
Also
Present- Michael Nietzel, President
Drew Bennett, Chancellor of the West Plains Campus
Earle Doman, Vice President for Student Affairs
Jim Baker, Vice President for Research and Economic Development
Ken McClure, Vice President for Administrative and Information Services
Brent Dunn, Vice President for University Advancement
Nila Hayes, Chief Financial Officer
Clifton Smart, General Counsel
John McAlear, Secretary of the Board
2. Presiding --- The presiding officer for the meeting was Mr. Michael Duggan, Chair of the Board of Governors. He called the meeting to order at 9:05 a.m. in the Senate Lounge in the State Capitol in Jefferson City, Missouri.
3. Approval of Minutes:
a. Board of Governors’ Meetings --- Mr. Duggan asked for a motion for the approval of the minutes for the open and closed meetings of February 20, 2009 and March 6, 2009. Mr. Winston so moved, receiving the second of Ms. Sheid.
Motion passed 8-0-1 (Mr. Kimbrough abstaining).
4. Consent Agenda --- Mr. Duggan noted that the next item of business on the agenda was the approval of the Consent Agenda for this meeting. The items included in the Consent Agenda are:
West Plains Campus
Approval of the Activity Report dated March 17, 2009 (West Plains Campus Activity Report No. 75-09).
Approval to remove Dennis L. Lancaster as a signatory on the bank accounts at the Community First National Bank of West Plains, commencing April 3, 2009 (West Plains Finance No. 31-09).
Approval to add Cheryl M. Caldwell as a signatory on the bank accounts at the Community First National Bank of West Plains, commencing April 3, 2009 (West Plains Finance No. 32-09).
Approval of actions concerning West Plains Campus academic employees (West Plains Campus Personnel No. 291-09).
Approval of actions concerning West Plains Campus non-academic employees (West Plains Campus Personnel No. 292-09).
Springfield Campus Purchases/Contracts
Approval of all reportable Procurement Services Office activity between February 20, 2009 and March 20, 2009 (Purchasing Activity Report No. 329-09).
Approval to extend the contract for student health insurance with Academic HealthPlans, Inc., for two additional plan years..2010-2011 and 2011-2012 (Purchase Approval No. 113-09).
Design and Construction Items
Approval of Activity Report for the month of February 2009 (Activity Report No. 195-09).
Intersection improvements at Broadmoor Street & Kansas Expressway (Bids & Quotations No. 1292-09); Hunter Chase & Associates, Inc., low bid of $99,451.25 for the base bid; total project budget set at $124,500.
Modifications to the third floor of the Professional Building (Bids & Quotations No. 1293-09); DeWitt & Associates, Inc., low bid of $169,980 for the base bid; total project budget set at $360,000.
Chilled water loop tie-in of the tunnel piping for Ellis Hall (Bids & Quotations No. 1294-09); Gold Mechanical Inc., low bid of $87,700 for the base bid and alternates 1, 2, and 3; total project budget established at $150,000.
Human Resources Items
Actions concerning academic employees (Human Resources No. 1283-09).
Actions concerning non-academic employees (Human Resources No. 1284-09).
Mr. Hammons made a motion to approve the Consent Agenda receiving a second from Ms. Bradbury.
Motion passed 9-0.
5. President’s Office --- Dr. Michael Nietzel, President, first commented that this is a historic occasion – it is the first time the Board has met in Jefferson City and the Capitol. He next distributed a resolution (Board Policies No. 55-09) approving the 2010 calendar year Board of Governors meeting schedule. He summarized that there are seven meetings with only one meeting outside of Springfield, that being a Mountain Grove meeting. Motion made by Mr. Kimbrough with the second being provided by Mr. Winston.
Motion passed 9-0.
Dr. Nietzel next commented that Ms. Hayes will be presenting the 2009-10 Fee Resolution later in today’s meeting with no increase in the basic tuition and fees for our students. He then mentioned that as part of the ongoing efforts to consolidate administration, we have combined the current positions of Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students into one position – Dr. Earle Doman’s new title is Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students.
Dr. Nietzel ended his report by announcing that, starting this coming fall, our full-time Freshmen, as well as transfers from West Plains who complete their Associate of Arts degree, will be eligible to receive a Study Away voucher in the amount of $500 for those who take a credit-bearing Study Away course. Students will be eligible for this voucher after completing one year of full-time study in good academic standing at the institution.
6. Educational:
a. Faculty Senate Report --- Dr. Pauline Nugent, Chairperson of the Faculty Senate, distributed the Revised Report to Faculty Senate from the Faculty Senate Committee on Public Affairs that helps ensure that the overall experience offered to Missouri State students has a greater emphasis on Public Affairs than they would receive at other Missouri universities. Three of the five recommendations in the report are going forward as Faculty Senate Actions to the Provost. The first recommendation is the new definition of Public Affairs – a much more tangible, concrete definition than we have had in the past. Three Public Affair components are emphasized: 1) Cultural Competence; 2) Ethical Leadership; and 3) Community Engagement. The second recommendation going forward has to do with matters for which we require the support of Deans and Chairs of Departments and we want to ensure that nobody is left out of the loop of implementation. The third recommendation going forward is, that not only do we want to spell out what the Public Affairs expectations are, we want to be able to tangibly assess the outcomes of the implementation.
Dr. Nugent next reported that the CGEIP Committee has agreed to require a General Education Financial Responsibility course to address a lack in students’ understanding of financial issues that affect them.
b. Report from the Provost’s Office --- Dr. John Catau, Associate Provost, first reported that the Provost Office strongly supports the Public Affairs thrust from the Faculty Senate. He also reported that David Vinyard, a former Citizen Scholar and a finalist as a Rhodes Scholar, is now at Princeton and he recently was awarded a National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship from the Army Research Office. This pays his full tuition and fees at Princeton and provides a generous stipend.
7. Research and Economic Development--- Dr. Jim Baker, Vice President for Research and Economic Development, reported that through February 2009, we are ahead of last year in terms of proposals submitted, dollars requested and dollars awarded. He next reported on the Summary of Missouri State Federal Appropriation Earmarks Fiscal Years 2004 through 2009. Over the six year period, we have received about $95 million.
Dr. Baker next reported that they had a meeting with Henan Institute of Finance and Economics – our strategic process in these associations is to be able to recruit 20 to 30 students each year from these different universities. He then presented a resolution (Agreement No. 235-09) that would ratify the agreement we have with Liaoning Normal University, our ongoing branch campus program. Mr. Elliott so moved, receiving the second of Mr. Kimbrough.
Motion passed 9-0.
8. West Plains Campus --- Dr. Drew Bennett, Chancellor of the West Plains Campus, reported that, since the last board meeting, they have continued their outreach efforts and conducted another High School Extravaganza, this time in Licking, Missouri. This is 11th high school visited this school year. He next reported that on March 12th, they conducted their first Community Caravan in Koshkonong, Missouri. He remarked that because of these programs, their initial indicators show a significant increase for the 2009 fall enrollment.
9. Student Affairs:
a. Report from the Student Body President --- Mr. Orlando Hodges, President of the Student Body, reported that the Student Government Association recently passed a resolution commending Student Governor Ryan Childress for his writing of a manual on policy debate that has been chosen by the National Forensic League to be the standard textbook on policy debate across the nation. He next reported that the students overwhelmingly approved a $2 per semester fee in a campus vote for the funding of campus sustainable projects. Mr. Hodges ended his report by commenting that the students are very excited about not having a fee increase for the 2009-2010 academic year.
b. Report from the Vice President of Student Affairs ---Dr. Earle Doman, Vice President for Student Affairs, first reported that freshmen applications are up 15%, transfer applications are way up, and graduate admissions are up. He next reported that they are continuing to visit on the Privatized Housing Project. He then indicated that students are excited about the Recreation Center Project – the location of the new building will be west of Blair Shannon where the tennis courts are now located.
10. Staff Senate --- Ms. Konya Knackstedt, Chair-elect of the Staff Senate, reported that the Staff Senate raised almost $10,000 for breast cancer research over September and October. She added that the Senate is looking at the idea of a smoke-free campus.
11. Financial:
a. Development Report --- Mr. Brent Dunn, Vice President for University Advancement, reported that we were down, respectively, about $357,000 and $262,000 in February and March, but that, overall, we are up through nine months of the fiscal year about $1.3 million, an 11% increase over our all-time record of last year.
b. Financial Report --- Ms. Nila Hayes, Chief Financial Officer, first presented a resolution (Fees No. 133-09) approving the 2009-2010 Fee Schedule. As Dr. Nietzel explained earlier, there is no increase over this current year. Mr. Winston added that the Finance Committee, made up of Mr. Kimbrough, Mr. Elliott, and himself highly recommends the approval of this resolution. Motion to approve made by Mr. Kimbrough with the second provided by Ms. Bradbury.
Motion passed 9-0.
Ms. Hayes then presented a resolution (Purchasing Activity Report No. 330-09) for Procurement Services Office activities from March 21, 2009 through April 2, 2009. Moved by Mr. Winston with the second being provided by Ms. Washington.
Motion passed 9-0.
12. Facilities and Equipment --- Mr. Ken McClure, Vice President for Administrative and Information Services, presented the following resolution for the Board’s consideration:
The renovation of the exterior of Hammons House (Bids & Quotations No. 1295-09); Bales Construction Company, Inc., low bid of $2,787,618 for the base bid plus alternate #2; total project budget established at $3,600,000.
Moved by Ms. Washington and seconded by Ms. Bradbury.
Motion passed 9-0.
13. Unfinished Business --- Mr. Clif Smart, General Counsel, presented a resolution that will be voted on at the May 14, 2009 Board of Governors meeting amending the Board’s Bylaws. He explained that the changes include those presented at the December 19th meeting and those brought up at the board retreat in St. Louis in March.
14. New Business --- Mr. Childress brought the Board up to date on the selection process of the next Student Governor. Fifteen applications were received by a committee chaired by Mr. Hodges. Nine students will be interviewed this Sunday. Three finalists will be selected after the interviews and those names will be sent to the Governor of Missouri, the Honorable Jay Nixon, on Monday.
15. Closed Meeting --- It was determined that the Board of Governors needed to meet in a closed session to consider items of business provided in the Revised Statutes of Missouri. Mr. Duggan asked if a resolution authorizing a closed meeting of the Board was prepared. Thereupon, the following resolution was presented for consideration:
BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Governors for Missouri State University that a closed meeting, with closed records and closed vote, be held immediately following this April 3, 2009 meeting of the Board of Governors to consider items of business pursuant to:
a. R.S.Mo. 610.021(1). “Legal actions, causes of action, or litigation involving a public governmental body…”
b. R.S.Mo. 610.021(3). “Hiring, firing, disciplining or promoting an employee of a public governmental body.”
c. R.S.Mo. 610.021(13). “Individually identifiable personnel records, performance ratings, or records pertaining to employees or applicants for employment,…”
Mr. Kimbrough moved the approval of the resolution and Ms. Bradbury seconded the motion.
A roll call vote on the resolution was as follows: those voting in favor – Governors Bradbury, Duggan, Elliott, Hammons, Kimbrough, Sheid, Smith, Washington and Winston; those voting against – none.
Mr. Duggan declared the resolution passed unanimously.
16. Date of Next Meeting --- The date of the next regularly scheduled meeting was set for Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. in the Plaster Student Union on the Springfield campus.
17. Adjournment--- Mr. Duggan adjourned the meeting at 10:40 a.m. on the motion of Mr. Hammons, the second of Mr. Kimbrough, and the unanimous vote of the Board.
John W. McAlear
Secretary