June 20, 2008

1. Roll Call
Present- Ms. Elizabeth Bradbury, Governor
Mr. Ryan Childress, Student Governor
Mr. Gordon Elliott, Governor
Mr. Brian Hammons, Governor
Ms. Mary Sheid, Chair of the Board
Ms. Cathy Smith, Governor
Mr. John Winston, Governor

Absent- Mr. Michael Duggan, Vice-Chair of the Board
Ms. Phyllis Washington, Governor

Also
Present- Michael Nietzel, President
Drew Bennett, Chancellor of the West Plains Campus
Jim Baker, Vice President for Research and Economic Development
Brent Dunn, Vice President for University Advancement
Kent Kay, Chief Financial Officer
John McAlear, Secretary of the Board

2. Presiding --- The presiding officer for the meeting was Ms. Mary Sheid, Chair of the Board of Governors. She called the meeting to order at 1:00 p.m. in Faurot Hall, Room 101 on the campus of Missouri State University in Mountain Grove, Missouri.

3. Approval of Minutes:
a. Board of Governors’ Meetings --- Ms. Sheid asked for a motion for the approval of the minutes for the open meeting of May 15, 2008. Mr. Winston so moved, receiving the second of Ms. Bradbury.

Motion passed 6-0.

b. Executive Committee Meetings --- Ms. Sheid next asked for a motion for the approval of the minutes for the open Executive Committee meeting of June 3, 2008. Mr. Elliott so moved, receiving the second of Ms. Smith.

Motion passed 6-0.

4. Consent Agenda --- Ms. Sheid 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:

June 3, 2008 Executive Committee Meeting
Roof repairs at Hammons Student Center (Bids & Quotations No. 1268-08); Queen City Roofing & Contracting Company, Inc., low bid of $314,950 for the base bid plus alternates 1 & 3; total project budget set at $400,000.

The Phase II.A renovation of the Roy Blunt Jordan Valley Innovation Center (Bids & Quotations No. 1269-08); DeWitt & Associates, Inc., low bid of $3,092,000 for the base bid plus alternates 1, 3, 4, and 5; total project budget established at $4,525,000.

Approval to increase the project budget for the Phase II Renovation of the Roy Blunt Jordan Valley Innovation Center (Bids & Quotations No. 1270-08). This $50,000 increase brings the total project budget to $4,350,000.

Approval of purchases exceeding $100,000 from May 15, 2008 through June 1, 2008 (Purchasing Activity Report No. 315-08).

President
Approval of Addendum to Employment Contract of Arthur R. Hains (Human Resources No. 1260-08).

West Plains Campus
Approval of the Activity Report dated June 3, 2008 (West Plains Campus Activity Report No. 70-08).

Approval of the Purchasing Activity Report dated June 3, 2008 (West Plains Campus Purchasing Activity Report No. 26-08). This report includes the renewal of the contract with the City of West Plains to lease the West Plains Civic Center for certain University functions for the period from July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009.

Approval of actions concerning West Plains Campus academic employees (West Plains Campus Personnel No. 279-08).

Approval of actions concerning West Plains Campus non-academic employees (West Plains Campus Personnel No. 280-08).

Springfield Campus Purchases/Contracts
Approval of purchases exceeding $100,000 between May 15, 2008 and June 6, 2008 (Purchasing Activity Report No. 316-08).

Extension of Third Party Administrator (TPA) Services with Med Pay, Inc., for one additional year – January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009 (Purchase Approval No. 112-08). The estimated 2009 expense under this extended contract is $394,212.

Design and Construction Items
Approval of Activity Report for the month of April 2008 (Activity Report No. 185-08).

Approval of Activity Report for the month of May 2008 (Activity Report No. 186-08).

Renovation of Siceluff Hall (Bids & Quotations No. 1271-08); Carson-Mitchell, Inc., low bid of $6,798,347 for the base bid plus alternates 1 through 8; total project budget established at $8,385,545.

Human Resources Items
Actions concerning academic employees (Human Resources No. 1261-08).

Actions concerning non-academic employees (Human Resources No. 1262-08).

Mr. Hammons made a motion to approve the Consent Agenda receiving a second from Mr. Winston.

Motion passed 6-0.

5. President’s Office --- Dr. Michael Nietzel, President, first reported that, this week, Governor Matt Blunt released the three percent holdback from the lottery funds which amounts to about $230,000 in one-time funds for the University.

He then presented a resolution (Finance No. 1000-08) approving the Fiscal Year 2009 Internal Operating Budget. The overall budgeted FY09 expenditures total about $244.2 million. The FY09 anticipated total revenues are approximately $248.4 million. This will result in about $4.2 million in recurring reserve above our expenditures. Since the Educational and General Fund portion of the budget was reviewed at the May meeting, Mr. Kent Kay, Chief Financial Officer, next briefed the Board on the Auxiliary System Fund and the Missouri State University-West Plains budget. Mr. Winston, Chair of the Board’s Finance Committee indicated that all three members of the Finance Committee unanimously agree that this budget is very conservative, very fiscally responsible, and should be approved by the Board. With that, Mr. Winston moved to approve the budget as presented, receiving the second of Mr. Elliott.

Motion passed 6-0.

Dr. Nietzel then presented a resolution (Agreement No. 215-08) – a twelve-month extension of the consultation agreement with Jerry Burch as legislative consultant. A four percent increase raises his 2008-2009 compensation to $78,849 (for the year September 1, 2008 through August 31, 2009) plus an additional $9,000 for the training and supervision of legislative interns. Moved by Ms. Bradbury and seconded by Mr. Hammons.

Motion passed 6-0.

He then presented a resolution (Human Resources No. 1263-08) requesting the approval of the employment contract for Head Men’s Basketball Coach Cuonzo Martin. Moved by Mr. Elliott and seconded by Mr. Winston.

Motion passed 6-0.

Dr. Nietzel next presented a resolution (Human Resources No. 1264-08) for the approval of the employment contract for Head Women’s Basketball Coach Nyla L. Milleson. He explained that the average attendance incentive payment had been lowered by 500 (head-count attendance) per category than what was included in the advance board packet. Moved by Mr. Hammons. Seconded by Ms. Smith.

Motion passed 6-0.

He finished his report by presenting a resolution (Human Resources No. 1265-08) for the approval of the FY09 Overview of Salaries and Benefits for Athletics Administrators and Coaches. Motion made by Ms. Smith with the second by Mr. Winston.

Motion passed 6-0.

6. Educational:
a. Academic Affairs Committee Report --- Mr. Hammons commented that they had a report this morning on the Voluntary System of Accountability. He indicated that they also discussed the plus/minus grading system that is to be proposed in today’s meeting. They also touched on some of the cooperative research that the Mountain Grove Campus is doing with universities in China.

b. Faculty Senate Report --- Dr. Pauline Nugent, Chair for the Faculty Senate, reported that an ad hoc committee has made recommendations to revise our course repeat policy which was approved by the Senate and will move forward.

c. Report from the Provost --- Dr. John Catau, Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education, first introduced Dr. Melissa Burnett, Professor of Marketing, and the University’s Advertising Team. The University’s team was one of three teams selected to present to the American Public Transportation Association in Washington, D.C. Their campaign was aimed at encouraging 18-25 year-olds to help the environment by using public transportation. Our team was selected as the winner of the national competition. The Ad Team then presented their campaign for the board and the audience.

Dr. Catau next presented a resolution (Curriculum No. 318-08) approving the Graduate Certificate Program in Homeland Security and Defense. Moved by Mr. Hammons and seconded by Mr. Elliott.

Motion passed 6-0.

Dr. Catau next presented a resolution (Faculty Policies No. 115-08) approving a plus/minus grading system. Mr. Orlando Hodges, President of the Student Body, was given the opportunity to comment on this proposal. He first thanked the faculty for listening to students on this proposal – he commented that students at other universities don’t get the opportunity to be included in these types of discussions. He summarized that the student recommendation on this topic is that some type of pilot project be undertaken in the Spring of 2009 before this is implemented in the Fall of 2009 – this would allow the time to work out the “kinks’ that arise in this grading change. Mr. Childress added that they could ask faculty members who plan on using the plus/minus system to participate in a pilot so an evaluation could be performed after the semester and before full implementation in the Fall. Dr. Nietzel responded that this type of pilot is not the thing to undertake – plus/minus grading has been in effect for a long time and we understand what the issues are. He added that we need to move forward with the proposal from Academic Affairs. Dr. Catau commented that this type of grading is being used by most campuses in the United States. He added that the computer system which will be in place in the Spring of 2009 will not enable plus/minus grading – the Banner system needs to be in place before we initiate the plus/minus grading system. Mr. Hammons moved to adopt Faculty Policies No. 115-08. Ms. Smith provided the second to the motion.

Motion passed 6-0.

Dr. Catau then presented the following resolutions for the Board’s consideration:

Approval of a Memorandum of Understanding between Missouri State University and Northwest A&F University, People’s Republic of China (Agreement No. 216-08).

Approval of a Memorandum of Understanding between Missouri State University and Xinjiang Agricultural University, People’s Republic of China (Agreement No. 217-08).

Moved by Ms. Bradbury and seconded by Mr. Winston.

Motion passed 6-0.

7. Research and Economic Development --- Dr. Jim Baker, Vice President for Research and Economic Development, reported that for the second time in our history, we have exceeded $20 million in sponsored program revenues. He then presented a resolution (Agreement No. 218-08) approving a subcontract between Missouri State University and Unidym, Inc. Moved by Mr. Elliott and seconded by Ms. Smith.

Motion passed 6-0.

He then presented the following resolutions for the Board’s consideration:

Approval of a Cooperative Agreement between Missouri State University and the Missouri Department of Conservation (Agreement No. 219-08) to study effects of prescribed burning on forest flora.

Approval of a Cooperative Agreement between Missouri State University and the Missouri Department of Conservation (Agreement No. 220-08) to study the propagation of endangered native mussels for research and recovery.

Moved by Mr. Hammons and seconded by Ms. Bradbury.

Motion passed 6-0.

8. West Plains Campus --- Dr. Drew Bennett, Chancellor of the West Plains Campus, introduced Dr. Craig Klein – the new Dean of Academic Affairs at the West Plains Campus. He also reported that this summer session is the third consecutive semester where we have double-digit percentage increases in enrollments at the West Plains Campus.

He then presented a resolution (West Plains Personnel No. 281-08) approving the FY09 Salary and Benefits Overview for Missouri State University-West Plains Athletics’ Coaches. Moved by Ms. Bradbury and seconded by Mr. Winston.

Motion passed 6-0.

9. Student Affairs:
a. Report from Student Body President --- Mr. Orlando Hodges, President of the Student Body, reported that SGA is planning on lots of big events for the Fall semester and as we get closer, he will report on these events.

b. Report from Vice President for Student Affairs --- Dr. Earle Doman, Dean of Students, reported that although freshmen applications and admits are down a little, the SOAR programs are almost maxed out and our residence hall contracts exceed capacity. He added that he just returned from Michigan where he and others have been looking at privatized housing.

10. Staff Senate --- Ms. Kelly Barnts, former chair of the Staff Senate, reported that they are making very nice progress on scholarships for staff and staff member dependents. The new leadership in Staff Senate for next year are: Casey Comoroski – Chair; Konya Knackstedt – Chair elect; Lenord McGownd – Secretary; and Cathy McFall – Parliamentarian.

11. Finance:
a. Development Report --- Mr. Brent Dunn, Vice President for University Advancement, reported that at the end of eleven months of the year, total gifts received are about $12.8 million – a new record and there is one month remaining in the fiscal year.

He next presented a resolution (Human Resources No. 1266-08) for the approval of additional fringe benefits for certain employees funded by either the University or the Missouri State University Foundation. Moved by Mr. Elliott and seconded by Mr. Winston.

Motion passed 6-0.

He then presented a resolution (Agreement No. 221-08) for the approval of rental rates for space in the Kenneth E. Meyer Alumni Center for various departments and university-related offices. Moved by Ms. Bradbury and seconded by Mr. Elliott.

Motion passed 6-0.

b. Financial Report --- Mr. Kent Kay, Chief Financial Officer, first presented a resolution (Policies & Procedures No. 130-08) approving an increase in transaction thresholds for the various methods of procurement in the Office of Procurement Services. Moved by Mr. Elliott and seconded by Mr. Hammons.

Motion passed 6-0.

He then presented a resolution (Purchasing Activity Report No. 317-08) for purchases exceeding $100,000 from June 6, 2008 to June 19, 2008. Moved by Mr. Elliott and seconded by Ms. Bradbury.

Motion passed 6-0.

12. Facilities and Equipment --- Mr. Ken McClure, Associate Vice President for Administrative Services, first presented a resolution (Agreement No. 222-08) for the approval of an Intergovernmental Agreement for Law Enforcement Services between the City of Springfield and Missouri State University. Moved by Mr. Winston and seconded by Ms. Smith.

Motion passed 6-0.

He then presented the following resolutions for the Board’s consideration:

Site concrete and the asphalt paving for the JQH Arena (Bids & Quotations No. 1272-08); DeWitt & Associates, Inc., low bid of $879,200 for the base bid along with the Harrison Street alternate.

Site precast concrete at the JQH Arena (Bids & Quotations No. 1273-08); Prestressed Casting Company, Inc., only bid received of $74,905.

Site masonry at the JQH Arena (Bids & Quotations No. 1274-08); DeWitt & Associates, Inc., only bid of $75,300 for the base bid and the limestone rock alternate.

Moved by Mr. Hammons and seconded by Mr. Elliott.

Motion passed 6-0.

Mr. McClure ended his report by presenting a resolution (Agreement No. 223-08) for the approval of a sublease agreement with the Ozarks Transportation Organization for general office space in the Park Central Office Building. This sublease is for the period July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009 for 1,168 demised square feet and common areas at a rate of $997 per month for an annual income $11,964. Moved by Mr. Elliott and seconded by Ms. Smith.

Motion passed 6-0.

13. Unfinished Business --- Ms. Sheid requested a motion on the resolution (Human Resources No. 1267-08) approving an addendum to the Employment Contract with Dr. Michael T. Nietzel as president of Missouri State University. She mentioned that this has been discussed in the past and the new Endowed Chair was approved last month. Moved by Mr. Hammons and seconded by Ms. Smith.

Motion passed 6-0.

Ms. Penni Groves, from the Office of General Counsel, next presented a resolution (Bylaws No. 18-08) amending the Board’s bylaws. This amendment allows the board committees to vote to go into closed session if they need to do so. Moved by Mr. Winston and seconded by Ms. Bradbury.

Motion passed 6-0.

14. New Business --- Ms. Sheid reminded the Board of the invitation they received from Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Giedd for a July 8, 2008 event with the JVIC corporate affiliates. She also mentioned the Founders Club Dinner which will be held on Friday night, June 27, 2008.

15. Date of Next Meeting --- The date of the next regularly scheduled meeting was set for Friday, August 1, 2008 at 9:00 a.m. on the Springfield Campus. The Board will meet for a retreat from July 17 to 19, 2008 at the Chateau on the Lake in Branson, Missouri.

16. Adjournment --- Ms. Sheid adjourned the meeting at 3:00 p.m. on the motion of Ms. Bradbury, the second of Mr. Winston, and the unanimous vote of the Board.

John W. McAlear
Secretary