October 16, 2020

MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS
MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY

OCTOBER 16, 2020, 1:00 P.M.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86246366118

Roll Call

Present –

  • Mr. Craig Frazier, Chair
  • Ms. Amelia “Amy” Counts, Governor
  • Mr. Gabriel Gore, Governor
  • Ms. Beverly Miller Keltner, Governor
  • Ms. Lynn Parman, Governor
  • Ms. Carol Silvey, Governor
  • Ms. Carrie Tergin, Governor
  • Mr. Jay Wasson, Governor
  • Mr. Chris Waters, Governor
  • Mr. Briar Douglas, Student Governor

Also present –

  • Clifton M. Smart III, President
  • Jim Baker, Vice President for Research and Economic Development & International Programs
  • Amanda Brodeur, Public Affairs Fellow
  • Jeff Coiner, Chief Information Officer
  • Ryan DeBoef, Chief of Staff and Assistant to the President for Governmental Relations
  • Brent Dunn, Vice President for University Advancement
  • Frank Einhellig, Provost
  • Steve Foucart, Chief Financial Officer
  • Keri Franklin, Associate Provost for Public Affairs and Assessment
  • David Hall, Director of University Safety
  • Rob Hornberger, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management & Services
  • Tammy Jahnke, Dean of the College of Natural and Applied Sciences
  • Dennis Lancaster, Interim Chancellor of the West Plains Campus
  • Matt Morris, Vice President for Administrative Services
  • Wes Pratt, Chief Diversity Officer and Assistant to the President
  • Ryan Reed, Chair of Staff Senate
  • Suzanne Shaw, Vice President for Marketing and Communications
  • Dee Siscoe, Vice President for Student Affairs
  • Rowena Stone, Secretary to the Board of Governors
  • Shawn Wahl, Dean of the Judith Enyeart Reynolds College of Arts and Letters
  • Kelly Wood, Associate Provost for Student Success

Presiding – The presiding officer for the meeting was Mr. Craig Frazier, Chair of the Board of Governors. He called the meeting to order at 1:00 p.m. in the Christopher S. Bond Learning Center Ballroom at the Darr Agriculture Center in Springfield, Missouri. The meeting was broadcast live via Zoom webinar.

Approval of Minutes – Mr. Frazier mentioned that the first order of business was the approval of minutes for the meeting that took place on September 11, 2020. Ms. Carol Silvey so moved, receiving a second from Ms. Carrie Tergin.

Motion passed 9-0.

Consent Agenda – Mr. Frazier noted that the next item of business on the agenda was the approval of the consent agenda. The items included in the consent agenda:

  • President
    • Approval of FY2020/2021 Athletics Employment Agreement for an Assistant Coach (Human Resources No. 1659-20)
  • Academic Affairs
    • Approval of Revisions to G3.05 Honorary Doctoral Degrees (Faculty Policies No. 141-20)
  • West Plains Campus
    • Approval of Actions Concerning Academic Employees (West Plains Personnel No. 454-20)
    • Approval of Actions Concerning Non-Academic Employees (West Plains Personnel No. 455-20)
  • Procurement and Financial
    • Approval of Procurement Activity Report (Purchasing Activity Report No. 494-20)
  • Facilities and Equipment
    • Approval of Activity Report for the month of July 2020 (Activity Report No. 312-20)
    • Approval of Activity Report for the month of September 2020 (Activity Report No. 313-20)
    • Ratification of the Greene-County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (Administration No. 49-20)
  • Human Resources
    • Approval of Actions Concerning Academic Employees (Human Resources No. 1660-20)
    • Approval of Actions Concerning Non-Academic Employees (Human Resources No. 1661-20)

Ms. Lynn Parman made a motion to approve the consent agenda, receiving a second from Ms. Beverly Miller Keltner.

Motion passed 9-0.

Making Our Missouri Statement – Excellence in Public Affairs Awards – Dr. Keri Franklin, Associate Provost for Public Affairs and Assessment, read the resolution recommending approval to acknowledge the 2020 Excellence in Public Affairs Award Recipients (Awards No. 92-20). Faculty award winners included Drs. Kevin Evans, Lisa Hall, and Elizabeth Sobel. Staff award winners included Samantha Francka, Diana Garland, and A’dja Jones. Ms. Amy Counts made a motion to approve the resolution, receiving a second from Mr. Chris Waters.

Motion passed 9-0.

President’s Report – COVID-19 Update – President Smart provided a COVID-19 update, sharing data for the first eight weeks of the semester. Numbers of cases, tests, and cases in campus housing were reviewed by each week. Numbers of cases have steadily declined. President Smart shared that the numbers are promising and that his leadership team agreed that the semester will continue as is. Lastly, President Smart shared information on course modalities for the fall 2020 and spring 2021 semesters.

Enrollment Update – President Smart also provided an update on enrollment. He shared that national enrollment trends show 4% fewer students in college, 10% fewer in community colleges, and 16% fewer first year students from a year ago. Missouri State as a system is above 26,000 students for the fifth consecutive year and the Springfield campus grew over the past year. He added that the mix of students is different with more online, graduate, dual credit, and transfer students, but fewer international and continuing students. He shared that while West Plains enrollment is down, it is significantly less than the national average.

President Smart shared that while undergraduate enrollment is down, numbers are better than anticipated. The downward trend in undergraduate enrollment was a major factor in developing a strategic enrollment management plan. He noted that the McQueary College of Health and Human Services and the College of Education had significant growth for undergraduate enrollment. Graduate and dual credit enrollment had record setting years. President Smart added that 13.7% of the student body is made up of underrepresented students which is another record for Springfield. The decline in international students was due to the pandemic and many of the students attended Missouri State from their home countries rather than coming to the Springfield campus.

President Smart’s final highlight was on first to second year retention rates for first-time, full-time new in college students. Over the past five years, retention rates have been maintained between 77% and 79%. The university has a goal of 82% retention for 2021.

What’s New at MSU Video – President Smart shared the latest What’s New at MSU video which highlighted important happenings for the university over the past year.

Approval of the 2020 Bronze Bear Award Recipient – President Smart recommended approval to award the 2020 Bronze Bear Award to Bob and Marlese Gourley (Awards No. 93-20) for their service to and support of Missouri State University. Ms. Silvey made a motion to approve, receiving a second from Ms. Counts.

Motion passed 9-0.

Approval of the 2020 Government Excellence Award Recipient – President Smart recommended approval to award the 2020 Government Excellence Award to Mayor Charles Kenneth “Ken” McClure (Awards No. 94-20) for his outstanding leadership in the community throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and for his constant support of Missouri State University. Mr. Jay Wasson made a motion to approve, receiving a second from Ms. Tergin.

Motion passed 9-0.

Committee Reports

Executive Committee – Ms. Counts provided a summary of the September 16, 2020, Executive Committee meeting. During the meeting, President Smart provided an update on the university’s plans and actions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Dennis Lancaster, Interim Chancellor of the West Plains Campus, presented a proposal to revise the West Plains academic calendar by moving spring break up a week to split the semester into two, eight-week blocks; the resolution was approved. The Board also approved a procurement activity report allowing the university to purchase additional COVID-19 tests with federal CARES Act funding awarded to Missouri State by Greene County.

Finance and Facilities Committee – Ms. Tergin provided a summary of the Finance and Facilities Committee meeting that was held earlier in the day. During the meeting, the FY2020 preliminary financial statements were reviewed and updates were provided on the FY2020 budget and facilities projects. A development report from the Foundation was provided in addition to an update on the Onward, Upward campaign. Lastly, the procurement activity report included in the consent agenda was reviewed.

Programs and Planning Committee – Ms. Silvey provided a summary of the Programs and Planning Committee meeting that was held earlier in the day. During the meeting, Ms. Miller Keltner provided an update from the Citizen Scholars Subcommittee. The subcommittee received 17 applications for the Citizen Scholars Award. Recipients will be announced at the December Board meeting. Dr. Tyrone Bledsoe, founder and CEO of the Student African American Brotherhood (SAAB), and his team provided a presentation on the organization. SAAB relocated to Springfield in the summer from Toledo, Ohio, with the help of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks. Lastly, Dr. Frank Einhellig, Provost, and Dr. Joseph Price, Department Head of Theatre and Dance, provided a presentation on the Department of Theatre and Dance. The Department of Theatre and Dance offers eight degree programs, puts on seven productions each year, and is home to the historic tent theatre.

 

Risk Management and Audit Committee – Ms. Counts provided a summary of the August 3, 2020, Risk Management and Audit Committee meeting. At the meeting, a follow-up discussion was had on changes implemented in response to a prior report about distributed computer servers. The committee members also reviewed internal audit reports including purchases made on the university’s Amazon Prime membership, the Greenwood Laboratory School, and a follow-up to the Bookstore audit. All reports are publicly available on the internal auditor’s webpage.

Academic Affairs – Provost’s Report – Dr. Frank Einhellig, Provost, provided updates from the Division of Academic Affairs.

Higher Learning Commission Assurance Report – Dr. Einhellig provided a follow-up on the report completed by the university and submitted to the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) in July. He shared that the HLC accreditation is an essential accreditation that assures quality of an institution by verifying that an institution meets standards and is engaged in continuous improvement. The university has been accredited with HLC since 1915. He shared that the university has over 30 other college and program specific accreditations, but without the HLC accreditation, these hold no value. Dr. Einhellig shared that the criteria for accreditation includes: mission; integrity: ethical and responsible conduct; teaching and learning: quality, resources, and support; teaching and learning: evaluation and improvement; and institutional effectiveness, resources, and planning. The university successfully completed its Year 4 Assurance Review with no recommended monitoring. The final report can be viewed on the university’s website.

Mind’s Eye – Dr. Einhellig shared one of the Mind’s Eye videos that highlights research being completed at the university. Additional Mind’s Eye videos are available on the Missouri State University website.

Report on the Public Affairs Conference – Dr. Einhellig called upon Dr. Amanda Brodeur, Provost Fellow for Public Affairs, to provide a report on the 2020 Fall Public Affairs Conference. Highlights of Dr. Brodeur’s report included how the planning committee shifted the conference to a virtual format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She shared that conference attendance was up 60% with 5,096 participants and poll completion was up from 28% in 2019 to 57%. Of the poll responses received, 94% felt the presentations at the conference were excellent or good.

Outcome of Fall 2020 Student Check-in Survey – Dr. Einhellig called upon Dr. Keri Franklin to provide a report on the fall 2020 student check-in survey. Dr. Franklin shared that the survey’s goal was outreach. It focused on making sure our students have the tools to succeed. The survey had a response rate of 44% with 7,321 students completing the survey. Additional highlights of Dr. Franklin’s report included responses pertaining to retention and the physical and mental wellbeing of students. Dr. Franklin concluded her report by sharing information on various ways the university is following up with students.

Diversity and Inclusion Progress Report – Mr. Wes Pratt, Chief Diversity Officer and Assistant to the President, provided an update on progress being made with Diversity and Inclusion efforts on campus. Mr. Pratt’s report included efforts being pursued in relation to cultural consciousness. He highlighted efforts made each year towards achieving the goals for diversity and inclusion in the current long-range plan both internally and externally.

Staff Senate Report – Dr. Ryan Reed, Chair of Staff Senate, provided a report on happenings within Staff Senate. Highlights of his report included introducing the Staff Senate cabinet, developing the staff satisfaction survey, creating a workgroup to explore expanding the credit fee waiver, continuing to raise funds for the Staff Senate scholarship, and committees working on how keep employees engaged during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Financial – Mr. Brent Dunn, Vice President for University Advancement, presented a resolution for renaming the Professional Building the Ann Kampeter Health Sciences Hall (Gift No. 175-20). The gift will be used in support of renovation of the Professional Building, specifically a centrally located students access and advisement center, as well as updates to the Speech Language and Hearing Clinic and additional meeting and student spaces. Ms. Tergin made a motion to approve the resolution, receiving a second from Ms. Counts.

Motion passed 9-0.

Old Business

Long-Range Plan Update – Ms. Suzanne Shaw, Vice President for Marketing and Communications, and Dr. Shawn Wahl, Dean of the Reynolds College of Arts and Letters, provided an update on developing the new long-range plan. Highlights of the report included plans to engage campus through theme-specific exploration sessions and focus groups, information on the steering committee, and a timeline for developing the plan. A final draft is scheduled to be presented to the Board in May of 2021 for approval.

Strategic Enrollment Management Plan – Dr. Rob Hornberger, Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management and Services, and Dr. Tammy Jahnke, Dean of the College of Natural and Applied Sciences, provided an update on the Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) Plan. Highlights of the report included updates made to the SEM committee structure and goals, development of strategies, ways to measure success, and a timeline for developing the plan. A final draft is scheduled to be presented to the Board in December 2020 for approval.

New Business – Key Performance Indicators – In the interest of time, the update on Key Performance Indicators was moved to the agenda for the December meeting.

Election of 2021 Officers of the Board of Governors – Mr. Frazier stated that the last order of business was for the election of the 2021 officers of the Board. He nominated Ms. Amy Counts to serve as Chair and Ms. Carol Silvey to serve as Vice Chair of the Board of Governors for 2021. Ms. Miller Keltner provided a motion, receiving a second from Ms. Tergin.

Motion passed 9-0.

Adjournment – Mr. Frazier adjourned the meeting at 4:27 p.m., on the motion of Ms. Miller Keltner, the second of Ms. Silvey, and the unanimous vote of the Board.

 

Signature of Rowena Stone
Rowena Stone
Secretary of the Board