MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS
MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY
JUNE 26, 2015
1. Roll Call
Present- Mr. Joe Carmichael, Governor (by conference call)
Mr. Caleb Doyle, Student Governor
Ms. Virginia Fry, Governor
Mr. Stephen B. Hoven, Chair
Ms. Beverly Miller, Governor
Ms. Carrie Tergin, Governor
Mr. Kendall Seal, Governor (by conference call at 2:15 p.m.)
Absent- Dr. Peter Hofherr, Vice Chair
Mr. Orvin Kimbrough, Governor
Also
Present- Clifton Smart III, President
Drew Bennett, Chancellor of the West Plains Campus
Dee Siscoe, Vice President for Student Affairs
Ken McClure, Vice President for Administrative and Information Services
Jim Baker, Vice President for Research, Economic Development, and International Programs
Kenneth Coopwood, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion
Stephen Foucart, Chief Financial Officer
Suzanne Shaw, Vice President for Marketing and Communications
Brent Dunn, Vice President for University Advancement
Donna Christian, Director of Internal Audit and Compliance
Rachael Dockery, General Counsel
John McAlear, Secretary of the Board
2. Presiding --- The presiding officer for the meeting was Mr. Stephen B. Hoven, Chair of the Board of Governors. He called the meeting to order at 1:00 p.m. in the Magnolia Room in the West Plains Civic Center in West Plains, Missouri.
3. Approval of Minutes
:a. Board of Governors Meeting --- Mr. Hoven mentioned that the first item of business was the approval of the minutes for the open and closed meetings of May 14, 2015. Ms. Fry so moved, receiving the second of Ms. Tergin.
Motion passed 5-0.
4. Consent Agenda --- Mr. Hoven 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:
President
Approval of Employment Agreement of Justin M. Kramer, Assistant Coach for Football (Human Resources No. 1486-15).
Approval of replacement of Employment Agreement for Head Women’s Basketball Coach Kelli Harper (Human Resources No. 1487-15).
Approval of FY16 salaries/benefits for coaches and athletic administrators (Human Resources No. 1488-15).
Approval of revision of the compensation package for Dr. Drew Bennett as Chancellor of the West Plains Campus (Human Resources No. 1489-15).
Approval of replacement of Employment Agreement for Head Baseball Coach Keith Guttin (Human Resources No. 1490-15).
Office of Provost
Proposed revisions to Faculty Handbook Sections 4.2.3.2; 5.8.5.9 and 14.3; 4.7.2 and 4.7.3.1; 4.5.1.2; 4.5.1.3; and 6.10 (Faculty Policies No. 136-15).
West Plains Campus
Approval of Activity Report dated June 26, 2015 (West Plains Campus Activity Report No. 111-15).
Approval of Purchasing Activity Report dated June 26, 2015 (West Plains Campus Purchasing Activity Report No. 33-15).
Approval of actions concerning West Plains Campus academic employees (West Plains Campus Personnel No. 378-15).
Approval of actions concerning West Plains Campus non-academic employees (West Plains Campus Personnel No. 379-15).
Springfield Campus Purchases/Contracts
Approval of Procurement Activity Report for the period April 28, 2015, through June 10, 2015 (Purchasing Activity Report No. 421-15).
Financial
Approval of rental rates for space in the Kenneth E. Meyer Alumni Center for various departments and University-related offices (Agreement No. 355-15).
Approval of FY16 additional fringe benefits to be funded by Missouri State University or the Missouri State University Foundation (Human Resources No. 1491-15).
Approval of the naming of the new playground field at the Child Development Center as The Betty and Bobby Allison Fun Field in recognition of the major charitable gift commitment from Mr. Bobby Allison (Gifts No. 166-15).
Approval of revision to Policy G1.32 State Appropriation Allocation Formula for Springfield and West Plains Campuses (Board Policy No. 95-15).
Facilities and Equipment
Approval of Activity Report for the month of April 2015 (Activity Report No. 269-15).
Approval of Activity Report for the month of May 2015 (Activity Report No. 270-15).
Approval of proposals and award of a contract for the FY16 Job Order Contracting Services-Electrical Repair and Replacement (Bids & Quotations No. 1496-15); A-1 Electric Service, Inc., maximum amount for the year of $200,000 and maximum amount per project of $95,000. This contract has options to renew for two additional consecutive fiscal years.
Approval of proposals and award of a contract for the FY16 Job Order Contracting Services-Plumbing Repair and Replacement (Bids & Quotations No. 1497-15); Connelly Plumbing Co., maximum amount for the year of $200,000 and maximum amount per project of $95,000. This contract has options to renew for two additional consecutive fiscal years.
Approval of proposals and award of a contract for the FY16 Job Order Contracting Services-Insulation Repair and Replacement (Bids & Quotations No. 1498-15); WMC, Inc., maximum amount for the year of $200,000 and maximum amount per project of $95,000. This contract has options to renew for two additional consecutive fiscal years.
Approval to increase the total annual expenditure for the remaining renewals available for the FY14 Job Order Contracting Services – Construction contract (Bids & Quotations No. 1499-15); this will increase the maximum amount for the year to $500,000 which is a $200,000 increase. The maximum expenditure per project is $50,000.
Approval of granting a water line easement to the City of Springfield, Missouri, for use by the Board of Public Utilities of Springfield, Missouri, in providing water service to the neighboring property owned by the Springfield-Greene County Park Board (Land No. 115-15).
Approval of Apartment Lease Agreement for International Student and Faculty Housing with Bryan Properties, LLC (Agreement No. 356-15)
Approval of First Addendum to Commercial Lease with Ozarks Technical Community College for general classroom and support space in Lebanon, Missouri (Agreement No. 357-15).
Approval of Amendment to modify the contract for a United States Postal Service Contract Postal Unit at Missouri State University (Agreement No. 358-15).
Approval of Apartment Lease Contract for International Faculty Housing with Jefferson Avenue Apartments, LLC (Agreement No. 359-15).
Human Resources Items
Actions concerning academic employees (Human Resources No. 1492-15).
Actions concerning non-academic employees (Human Resources No. 1493-15).
Approval of salary adjustments for academic faculty effective July 1, 2015 (Human Resources No. 1494-15).
Approval of salary adjustments for academic faculty effective August 1, 2015 (Human Resources No. 1495-15).
Approval of salary adjustments for non-academic Executive, Managerial, Administrative, Professional, and Nonexempt staff effective July 1, 2015 (Human Resources No. 1496-15).
Approval of salary adjustments for non-academic professional staff effective August 1, 2015 (Human Resources No. 1497-15).
Ms. Miller made a motion to approve the Consent Agenda, receiving a second from Ms. Tergin.
Motion passed 5-0.
5. President’s Report --- President Clif Smart began his report by welcoming everyone to this meeting in West Plains, the home of our associate degree programs at Missouri State. He reminded everyone that the Board’s next meeting is the annual board retreat, to be held at the Shealy Farm, starting at 9:00 a.m. on July 30, 2015. Two recent events that he reviewed with the Board included: 1) a day-long meeting with our academic and administrative leadership to begin to develop next year’s goals which will be presented in draft form at the July 30 retreat; and 2) the spring event for the President’s Leadership Circle – past volunteer leaders of our governing board, our Foundation board, and our alumni board. This event included a bus tour of the construction projects underway at the University. President Smart then reported that we hosted two statewide higher education groups on the Springfield campus earlier this month – the Missouri Council on Public Higher Education and the Coordinating Board for Higher Education. He next highlighted a couple of recent successes: 1) this year’s baseball team finished the season with a school-record 49 wins and ended up ranked 12th in the nation; and 2) this year’s marketing department’s ad team competed with 22 other universities in an international competition to develop a marketing campaign to counter violent extremism. Our team was selected as one of three finalists to travel to Washington D.C. to make their presentation and we won the competition.
He then presented a resolution (Finance No. 1046-15) for the approval of the Fiscal Year 2016 Internal Operating Budget. He added that we have discussed the key elements of this budget several times, including the May 14 and this morning’s Finance and Facilities Committee meetings. It is a balanced budget which includes an anticipated 1.5% increase in the core state appropriation, an inflationary tuition adjustment, and 1.8% across-the-board raises for employees.
Moved and seconded, respectively, by Ms. Tergin and Ms. Fry.
Motion passed 5-0.
President Smart next commented that later in today’s meeting, we will have a discussion to update the Board on the work we have done to date in implementing the board’s input and direction on the three in-depth Board discussion topics during 2014-2015 – Faculty Research, Broadcast Services, and Public Safety.
He ended his report by recognizing two members of his administrative team who are retiring July 1 – Ken McClure and Randy Blackwood.
6. West Plains Campus --- Dr. Drew Bennett, Chancellor of the West Plains Campus, first reported on their campus’s third endowed professorship and the grand opening of the campus’s new greenhouse. He then introduced Ms. Debra Mayers, Assistant Professor and outgoing Faculty Senate Chair, who summarized the West Plains Faculty Senate’s accomplishments this year. Ms. Mayers introduced this coming year’s Faculty Senate Chair, Mr. Ed Birdyshaw. Chancellor Bennett then introduced Ms. Mary Kellum, TRIO Program academic specialist and current Staff Senate Chair, who gave a recap on numerous activities that the Staff Senate participated in this past year. Chancellor Bennett then introduced Mr. Casey Buehler, President of the West Plains Student Government. Mr. Buehler gave an overview of some of the West Plains Campus SGA’s goals. Chancellor Bennett then highlighted and introduced faculty member, Ms. Judy Carr, who holds degrees in Psychology and Sociology. Ms. Carr won the Faculty Merit Award in 2012 and the Faculty Mentor Award in both 2007 and 2011. He added that Ms. Carr is the recipient of some of the best student compliments in the annual faculty evaluations completed each year.
7. Student Affairs:
a. Report from Student Body President --- Ms. Ashley Crisafulli, Springfield Campus Student Body President, first introduced the SGA Vice President – Ms. Alissa Biermaier. Ms. Crisafulli reported on the two main projects that they are presently working on: 1) a feasibility study of a possible renovation of Taylor Health and Wellness Center; and 2) increasing the knowledge of Bear Bucks to expand it off campus. Student Governor Caleb Doyle pointed out that the team of Ashley and Alissa is the first time in school history that the SGA is being led by an all-female President and Vice-President team.
8. Staff Senate Report --- Ms. Christina Bowles, Chairperson of the Staff Senate, reported that in the coming year they plan on revising the Staff Senate Handbook and rolling out a staff satisfaction survey.
9. Finance:
a. Approval of Bonding Resolution --- Mr. Steve Foucart, Chief Financial Officer, presented a resolution (Finance No. 1047-15) authorizing the borrowing by MSU of the proceeds of an issue of Educational Facilities Revenue Bonds (Missouri State University), Series 2015, in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $20,000,000 of the Health and Educational Facilities Authority of the State of Missouri, to finance the costs of certain educational facilities of the University; and authorizing and approving certain documents and actions in connection with such borrowing. He commented that this issue has been discussed at several Finance & Facilities Committee meetings and Executive Committee meetings. This sets out the parameters we will follow and we will come back to either the full Board or the Executive Committee with the final bond specifics within these parameters. Moved and seconded, respectively, by Ms. Tergin and Ms. Miller.
Motion passed 5-0.
10. Facilities and Equipment --- Mr. Ken McClure, Vice President for Administrative and Information Services, presented a resolution (Finance No. 1048-15) for the approval of the FY2017 Capital Appropriations Request to be submitted to the Coordinating Board for Higher Education, the Office of Administration’s Division of Budget & Planning, and the Office of Administration’s Division of Facilities Management, Design, & Construction. He indicated that our top priority in this request is the renovation of McDonald Hall with the second priority being the Ozarks Health and Life Science Center and Hass-Hoover Hall on the West Plains campus. Moved by Ms. Fry and seconded by Ms. Tergin.
Motion passed 5-0.
11. New Business:
a. Approval of Replacement Agreement with Learfield Communications, Inc., for Multi-Media Rights --- Ms. Rachael Dockery next submitted a resolution (Agreement No. 360-15) to extend our multi-media rights agreement with Learfield Communications, Inc., for an additional nine years that will take us through June 30, 2026. Even though this is classified under new business, this resolution was discussed in detail in this morning’s Finance & Facilities Committee meeting. Moved by Ms. Tergin. Seconded by Ms. Miller.
Motion passed 5-0.
b. Update on 2014-15 Discussion Topics: Faculty Research, Broadcast Services, and Public Safety --- President Smart introduced Dr. Julie Masterson, Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate College, to lead the follow-up discussion on the Faculty Research topic that was presented to the Board in October 2014. Dr. Masterson reported that in 2014, many faculty were involved in either: a) traditional scholarship (books, chapters, journal articles, or poetry); b) creative works (art exhibitions, broadcasts, or performances); c) engaged scholarship (technical reports/trade publications); or d) external funding (109 grants submitted with 71 being funded). She indicated that the University supports the faculty in their research in a variety of ways: a) allocated time; b) direct research funding; c) incentives; d) travel funds, and; e) training and technical support.
Dr. Jim Baker, Vice President for Research, Economic Development, and International Programs, next presented an update on the Broadcast Services discussion topic that was presented to the Board in December 2014. He commented that, in that meeting, there were some questions whether there was enough identity or relationship between Missouri State University and public broadcasting. He then presented several examples of announcements showing the connection between the University and the broadcast. We make sure on a daily basis that our audience knows that KSMU and OPT are coming from the MSU campus. The Missouri State Journal airs weekly on KSMU and highlights university projects. He added that Engaging the Community is a monthly conversation with President Smart which is an inside look at issues that affect the University and broader community. Dr. Baker also mentioned OPT telling the story of the Ozarks (Ozarks Watch Video Magazine) and producing local documentaries about the University and the community – for example, Tent Theatre, Lady Bears Basketball, and Ozarks Airline. Campus spots highlighting campus events, organizations, and initiatives air weekly on KSMU and OPT. He ended his report by indicating that Ozarks Public Broadcasting is a great training ground for our students.
Mr. Ken McClure then presented a follow-up on the Public Safety discussion topic that was presented to the Board in February of this year. He stated that the Safety and Transportation Department’s mission is to foster a safe and secure environment for the University community through professional services in: law enforcement, security, crime prevention/education, and traffic/parking. This is with an emphasis on community policing concepts. An update on capital projects included: a) a FEMA shelter is out for bid and is to be located just west of Sunvilla Towers; b) JQH Arena is fully functional now as our primary Emergency Operations Center; Cheek Hall is the secondary location; and we have just about completed a Game Day Operations Center in Plaster Stadium; c) additional blue light phones with broadcast capabilities are in place – now 26 on campus; d) Bear Park North security cameras have been renovated; and e) two emergency evacuation chairs are now on campus (stored in patrol vehicles). Mr. McClure reported that this year’s annual Tabletop exercise (drill) was held on April 16, 2015, and focused on an Information Technology Systems Failure. He added that in addressing the communication of safety procedures: a) they have worked with the Office of the Provost to provide emergency information for course syllabi; b) they will provide emergency training for Per Course faculty this August; c) they are participating with Student Orientation Advisement and Registration (SOAR); and d) they are having dialogue with SGA on how best to target safety communication and encourage action. Regarding an assessment of our Emergency Response Plan, a discussion was held on the potential of an outside review/assessment by an agency such as the FBI or the Greene County Office of Emergency Management.
12. 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. Hoven 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 June 26, 2015, 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 (13). “Individually identifiable personnel records, performance ratings or records pertaining to employees or applicants for employment…”
- R.S.Mo. 610.021 (17). “Confidential or privileged communications between a public governmental body and its auditor,…”
Ms. Fry moved the approval of the resolution and Ms. Tergin seconded the motion.
A roll call vote on the motion was as follows: those voting in favor – Governors Carmichael, Fry, Hoven, Miller, Seal, and Tergin; those voting against the motion – none; those absent – Governors Hofherr and Kimbrough.
Mr. Hoven declared the resolution passed unanimously.
13. Date of Next Meeting --- The date of the next scheduled meeting was set for Thursday, July 30, 2015, at 9:00 a.m. in the Shealy Conference Center, in Fair Grove, Missouri.
14. Adjournment--- Mr. Hoven adjourned the meeting at 2:25 p.m., on the motion of Ms. Fry, the second of Ms. Tergin, and the unanimous vote of the Board.
John W. McAlear
Secretary