MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS
MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY
AUGUST 5, 2011
8:00 a.m.
1. Roll Call
Present- Ms. Elizabeth Bradbury, Chair of the Board
Mr. Michael Duggan, Governor
Mr. Gordon Elliott, Vice Chair of the Board
Mr. Brian Hammons, Governor
Mr. Orvin Kimbrough, Governor
Ms. Mary Sheid, Governor
Mr. Brandt Shields, Student Governor (arriving at 8:35 a.m.)
Ms. Cathy Smith, Governor
Mr. John Winston, Governor
Absent- Ms. Phyllis Washington, Governor
Also
Present- Clifton Smart III, Interim President
Drew Bennett, Chancellor of the West Plains Campus
Frank Einhellig, Interim Provost
Earle Doman, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students
Ken McClure, Vice President for Administrative and Information Services
Leslie Anderson, Interim Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion
Jim Baker, Vice President for Research and Economic Development
Stephen Foucart, Interim Chief Financial Officer
Brent Dunn, Vice President for University Advancement
Penni Groves, Interim General Counsel
June McHaney, Director of Internal Audit
Kyle Moats, Director of Athletics
Paul Kincaid, Chief of Staff
Tammy Jahnke, Dean of the College of Natural and Applied Science
John McAlear, Secretary of the Board
2. Presiding --- Ms. Elizabeth Bradbury, Chair of the Board of Governors, called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. in Room 300, Ballroom West, of the Plaster Student Union on the campus of Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri. Since she will be cycling off the Board in the near future, she asked that Mr. Gordon Elliott, Vice Chair, preside over this special board retreat. Mr. Elliott asked Interim President Clif Smart to proceed with his presentation
3. Discussion on the 2011-12 Implementation Plan for Fulfilling Our Promise-Long-Range Plan for 2011-16 --- Mr. Smart began his presentation by reminding the Board that the new long-range plan, Fulfilling Our Promise, that they approved at the June meeting was the culmination of about 17 months of work by many people. He mentioned that at their July 11 retreat, the Administrative Council focused on those important plan goals in which significant progress could be made this year. The key parts of that day-long discussion are what we will be discussing today, organized by the six strategic directions of the plan.
a. Access to Success --- Missouri State will expand access to educational opportunities and prepare students for successful citizenship and careers in a globally competitive world.
Mr. Smart reported that over the next few years, the University will be challenged to sustain enrollment growth due to factors that include changing demographics, increased competition, reduction in federal and state student aid, and incentives for students to begin at community college. Because of this, we will reconstitute the Executive Enrollment Management Committee (in place from 1993 to 2006) to work toward increasing overall enrollment, as well as the enrollment of students from historically excluded groups, nontraditional students, and international students. It was discussed that it was important to include some marketing expertise on this committee.
Mr. Smart next indicated that we will aim to make progress on both alternative delivery options of courses and on course re-design this year.
He next mentioned the planned action item in today’s regular meeting regarding the leasing of buildings 1 and 5 of the Brick City project. Consolidating the remainder of the Art & Design Department at Brick City will open up approximately 20,000 sq. ft. of space in Ellis Hall, the Morris Center for Continuing Education, and Hill Hall. Quality academic space is at a premium on campus and this action could help much in addressing this need. Today’s action was based on an opportunity to partner with a private company to lease 1½ floors of building 1. This company would hire our graduates, allow for internships and collaborations, and create 30-40 new high-paying jobs in Springfield. However, this company decided yesterday they were not ready to commit to the venture given the economic uncertainty at this time; so, this resolution will be pulled from today’s agenda. He added that he is very optimistic that we will bring this action back to the Board when this or another partner commits to the project.
Mr. Smart then summarized the improvements that are being made in academic facilities – four teaching laboratories on the fourth floor of Temple Hall are being renovated and the Carrington Hall auditorium is being transformed into a large teaching classroom with 375 seats.
Discussion in this area also focused on tracking our graduates on whether they are successful in obtaining employment and continuing with our satisfaction surveys to ensure that we are meeting the needs of our students.
b. Public Affairs Integration --- Missouri State will equip and inspire graduates to engage in global policy issues and creatively apply their education to identify solutions to pressing worldwide challenges.
Mr. Smart explained that we are continuing the work on revising the General Education Curriculum. This has always been understood to be a three-phase project. Phase 1 has been completed this past year and it included reading and researching trends in general education programs across the country, soliciting input from students and faculty through surveys and open sessions, and drafting a General Education mission statement. Phase 2, to be completed this year, includes completing the mission statement, beginning the structural design of the revised curriculum, soliciting proposals for courses to meet the learning goals and mission, and designing an assessment plan. Phase 3 will be completed in the 2012-13 academic year and will focus on course approval.
He also reported that the University will move forward on approval and initial implementation for three major new academic program actions: 1) Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP); 2) Ed.S. in Counseling and Assessment; and 3) M.S. in Sports Medicine and Athletic Training. The DNP action is a transitioning from a very successful M.S. in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner Specialist. This is required by the fact that the accreditation process, as of 2012, requires doctoral-level preparation of these students.
c. Engaged Inquiry --- Missouri State will pursue research and scholarly activities that enrich the learning experience of students and are responsive to the needs of the region and state.
Mr. Smart next informed the Board that we intend to promote a balance of research/scholarly activity, teaching, and service as complementary priorities. He added that in FY11, external funding dropped to $18.7 million, the first time in five years that we have dropped below $20 million. Our goal is to get back to the $20-million level as well as increase the number of proposals, as this number also dropped last year.
He also mentioned the formation of a task force to evaluate the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning and to redirect and change as necessary.
d. Partners for Progress --- Missouri State will be actively involved in and serve as a catalyst for positive change as an essential partner in improving the quality of life for Missourians and enhancing the economic vitality of the region and state.
Mr. Smart stated that the estimated cost of demolishing and rebuilding Jordan Valley Innovation Center (JVIC) Building #4 is about $10-$15 million. He indicated that they are evaluating the desirability of selecting a private developer to complete this project. We could even end up leasing space back from the developer.
He added that the University is preparing for the PharmD Program to begin. We already offer the pre-pharmacy need (the 2-year component), but the 4-year pharmacy program will not be able to accept its first MSU class until the fall of 2014 because accreditation must be sought and achieved. The PharmD program will have significant space needs which might be addressed by either JVIC or the Robert W. Plaster Center for Free Enterprise and Business Development.
e. Valuing and Supporting People --- Missouri State will value and support faculty and staff in the context of a dynamic University setting that engages their full potential in an environment of inclusive excellence.
Mr. Smart reported that the number-one priority of the entire Administrative Council is to come up with an across-the-board salary increase for our faculty and staff this year...perhaps in two phases, with the first phase starting in January 2012. He added that we are in our third year without an across-the-board raise. The Board fully supported this priority, but with state appropriations being reduced even further, it was discussed that this would need to be addressed strategically. Mr. Smart responded that this would need to be funded primarily through reallocation. It was also discussed that a 2012 across-the-board raise was only a short-term action, and that a long-term plan on raising salaries to market was much needed.
He also commented on the goal of increasing the diversity of our workforce using a number of initiatives. In FY11, 7 of 37 new faculty hires (19%), and 16 of 135 new staff hires (12%) were non-Caucasian. A new Diversity Faculty and Staff Incentives Program has been initiated to identify and select promising students with demonstrated background and skill in working with diverse populations who could be incentivized to seek graduate and/or doctoral degrees and who will be committed to return to MSU to serve as faculty or professional staff. He added that there could be opportunities for endowments in this area.
4. West Plains Campus --- Mr. Smart indicated that, due to time constraints, he would switch from the strategic directions of the long-range plan to the West Plains Campus as he had promised Chancellor Drew Bennett that he would cover some important West Plains matters. He further explained that Chancellor Bennett has asked the question: “Is West Plains receiving its fair share of the state appropriations allocated to the Missouri State University System?” Mr. Smart has promised him that this would be reviewed.
He also announced that we plan to develop a plan to fund/complete a facility to house distance learning completion programs on the West Plains Campus. With funding from a potential donor and reserves from both the Springfield and West Plains campuses, we hope to jump start the Gohn-Wood project in spring 2012 and have the renovated structure open by fall 2013. This facility will house West Plains students taking distance learning courses from the Springfield Campus.
5. Adjournment--- Mr. Elliott adjourned the meeting at 10:50 a.m. on the motion of Mr. Duggan, the second of Mr. Kimbrough, and the unanimous vote of the Board.
John W. McAlear
Secretary