Board of Trustees for Fort Lewis College s6

BOARD OF TRUSTEES FOR FORT LEWIS COLLEGE MINUTES JUNE 4, 2003 Memorial Student Lounge Fort Lewis College Vol. 03-9 Trustees Present: Linda Campbell, Justin Clifton, Peter Decker, Susan Moss, Sally Schaefer, and Leonel Silva. Staff Present: Robert Dolphin, President; Steve Roderick, Vice President for Academic Affairs; Steve Schwartz, Vice President for Business and Finance; Glenna Sexton, Vice President for Student Affairs; Fred Kuhwilm, Legal Counsel; Peggy Sharp, Executive Assistant to the President; David Eppich, Assistant to the President for External Affairs; Joe Taylor, Board Auditor; and Mike Larson, Audio Consultant. Call to Order The meeting convened at 8:10 a.m. with Chairman Decker presiding. Chairman’s Agenda Chairman Decker described the new format of the agenda and the manner in which consent items can now be handled. He reported on the Daniel’s Fund presentation ceremony that he and Bob Dolphin attended in Denver. Fort Lewis College was officially recognized as a recipient of a $200,000 grant for scholarships. Board members were asked to forward names of good potential candidates for the presidential search to Betty Hasler at Heidrick & Struggles. Chairman Decker reminded the Trustees of the August 4-5 Board meeting and retreat in Ridgway. The meeting will be a half-day meeting in the afternoon on Monday, August 4, with a full day retreat on Tuesday, August 5. Items that the Board wishes to discuss at the retreat are:  Administrative reorganization at the College  Residential aspect of college life  Revision of the Board Policies and Procedures Manual  Cost and structure of curriculum  Board self-assessment  Other items may be added by notifying the Chair Sally Schaefer requested that a date be discussed for the June 2004 meeting. Wednesday, June 2, 2004 was proposed, and will be approved at the August meeting. ACTION AGENDA CONSENT ITEMS Approval of the Minutes of the April 14, 2003 Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees for Fort Lewis College Fred Kuhlwilm, Legal Counsel, asked that the minutes of the April 14th meeting be amended to include the motion to go into executive session. A copy of the first page of the minutes, with the suggested amendment, was distributed to the Trustees. Leonel Silva moved that the minutes be approved as follows: Chairman Peter Decker convened the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees for Fort Lewis College on Monday, April 14, 2003. Leonel Silva moved to adjourn to an executive session of the Board, pursuant to §24-6- 402(3)(b)(I), C.R.S., for the purpose of discussing the employment of the president of Fort Lewis College. Ian Lyle seconded the motion. Motion passed. The Board went into executive session at 8:45 a.m. and reconvened in public session at 10:00 a.m. Sally Schaefer seconded the motion to accept the amended minutes. Motion passed. Sally Schaefer moved to approve the following items on the Consent Agenda, with a second by Susan Moss. Motion passed. Non-Delegated personnel Actions Approval of the Faculty Grievance Policy Approval of Revision of Sections 7 and 8 of Board of Trustees Manual of Policies and Procedures Approval of Degree Candidates for Summer, 2003 Approval of Revision of the Fort Lewis College Student Conduct Code ACTION ITEMS Election of Board Officers Sally Schaefer moved that the current Board officers continue to serve until June 30, 2004. Seconded by Linda Campbell. Fred Kuhlwilm referred to the Board’s Policies and Procedures Manual, which states that election of Board officers be held in the odd number year, and that officers serve a two-year term. Peter Decker stated that the Board would be more comfortable with a one-year appointment for officers and suggested that the manual be revised to reflect this change at the August retreat. Motion carried. Officers for 2003-04 will be Peter Decker, Chair; Sally Schaefer, Vice Chair; Leonel Silva, Secretary/Treasurer. Bob Dolphin reminded the Board that a suggestion was made last year to have two separate positions for Deputy Secretary and Deputy Treasurer. He recommended that he continue to serve as Deputy Secretary and that Steve Schwartz serve as Deputy Treasurer. Sally Schaefer so moved with a second by Leonel Silva. Motion passed. Approval of 2003-04 Proposed Operating Budgets Motion made by Sally Schaefer to approve the operating budgets. Susan Moss seconded the motion. Sally Schaefer reported on the Budget Committee meeting held last month. Steve Schwartz, Vice President for Business and Finance, highlighted the key components of the proposed budgets. He responded to questions regarding the impact of cuts the College made for the coming year fiscal year. Most of the reductions were absorbed on the administrative side of the budget rather than on the academic side, although 9.5 faculty positions were not filled. Faculty/student ratios will increase; however, no programs were eliminated. Chairman Decker stated that the financial aid budget increased this year due to the generous support from the Fort Lewis College Foundation and the Alumni Association and publicly thanked both organizations for their assistance. Bob Dolphin stated that this level of financial commitment couldn’t be sustained. An issue was raised relative to expanding the use of the campus facilities in the summer for purpose of generating revenue. This will be added to the discussion items for the Board retreat in August. Motion to approve the 2003-04 Operating Budget passed. Break Approval of Tuition and Fee Schedules for Academic Year 2003-04 and Summer 2004 Sally Schaefer moved for approval. Linda Campbell seconded the motion. Michele Peterson, Budget Director, briefed the Board on the changes required on the tuition and fee schedule submitted in the agenda. The Colorado Commission on High Education recommended a resident tuition increase of 6.25% and non-resident 10% for Fort Lewis College. Following a brief discussion, the motion passed. Approval to Use Hesperus Account Funds Motion by Leonel Silva with a second by Sally Schaefer for approval. Steve Schwartz reviewed the history and purpose of the Hesperus Account. The College has to submit a request to use funds from this account to the General Assembly prior to July 1, 2003, as mandated by legislation. Concern was expressed that the College cannot utilize monies from this account without legislative approval. Sally Schaefer suggested that the Board pursue adoption of legislation that would eliminate the need for approval from the General Assembly. Bob Dolphin indicated that with direction from the Board, the staff would develop a legislative proposal to grant control of the management of the Hesperus fund to the Trustees. Sally Schaefer asked that the Board discuss strategies for this legislation at the retreat. Motion passed. PRESIDENT’S AGENDA Dolphin reported on the trip to Washington, D.C. that he and David Eppich, Assistant to the President for External Affairs, took last month. Linda Campbell had assisted in arranging several meetings with various officials of governmental entities to whom the College has applied for funds. There are currently four projects being considered for a total of $2.1 million. President Dolphin also reported that Fort Lewis has received a MARC grant in the amount of $1.3 million. This grant will be used to enhance enrollment of under-represented minority students; to increase to graduation rate of this group; and, to provide greater opportunities for these students to pursue postgraduate research careers in the biomedical sciences. Fort Lewis College will collaborate with the University of Nebraska Medical Center to establish a pipeline for admission of Fort Lewis College’s minority students to UNMC graduate research programs. He informed the Board that the members of Club 20 will be meeting in July and are considering the formation of a coalition of Western Slope institutions to enhance their lobbying efforts in the legislature. Also, the United States Secretary of Education has been invited to deliver a keynote address at an educational conference here in August. As a follow-up to a request from Sally Schaefer at the April meeting, Fred Kuhlwilm reported on the Board’s liability with regard to approving the request to apply for a liquor license for the Fort Lewis College Community Concert Hall. The license will be in the name of the Board of Trustees as a corporate entity, not the individual board members. Unless a Trustee was an active participant in the serving of alcohol at the Concert Hall, they would not be personally responsible for that operation. Furthermore, the Board and its employees are protected under two Colorado statutes, including the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act, from liability for the service of liquor pursuant to the license, except under the most egregious circumstances. Sally Schaefer asked if legal counsel would consider this license a reasonable risk. Mr. Kuhlwilm responded, “yes.” There is very little likelihood of the Board or its members incurring any liability from holding this liquor license at the Concert Hall. The motion made at the April 14, 2003 meeting of the Board will stand as approved. Dolphin reported on the reorganization being considered by the senior administration of the College. During the summer months, the President, the Vice Presidents, and the Deans are considering several different scenarios for reorganizing the upper levels of administration to allow a new president to spend more time on external business, i.e., fundraising and lobbying for the College both in Denver and in Washington, D.C. Several structures are being discussed and we hope to present a plan to the campus this summer. After school reopens in September, campus-wide discussion will occur with the expectation to finalize a new organizational structure to present to the Board in October. Chairman Decker inquired about the budgetary implications, and Dolphin stated it would be cost neutral. The primary benefit is to facilitate more efficient and effective administration. Sally Schaefer requested that when we give the Board a written proposal, we provide both a “before and after” version of the organizational structure. BREAK The meeting reconvened with a motion by Sally Schaefer to adjourn to an executive session of the Board, pursuant to section 24-6-402(3)(a)(II) of the Colorado Revised Statutes, to confer with legal counsel regarding the Hesperus property. Leonel Silva seconded the motion. Motion carried. David Eppich, Steve Schwartz, Fred Kuhlwilm, Bob Dolphin, and Peggy Sharp were invited to remain for the executive session. The Board went into executive session at 10:25 a.m. and reconvened in public session at 11:15 a.m. REPORT ITEMS Report: Faculty Representation and Student Representative Reports Susan Moss stated that she would let her report stand as written. Justin Clifton expanded on his written report by giving some details about his goals for the coming year as student body president and some of the programs and projects in which he plans to become actively involved. He also asked that the Board give him feedback on his reports to ensure that he is providing information that might be informative and useful. Chairman Decker stated that the Board would like to know more about how students feel about their educational experience at Fort Lewis College and how it might be improved. Justin will try to gather some input and share it with the Board. Chairman Decker also asked that Justin report at the Board’s retreat how students feel about living on campus as opposed to living off campus and how living off-campus affects the student experience. Report: Internal Auditing Department: FY 2003-04 Audit Plan Joe Taylor reviewed the plan for conducting internal audits for the next fiscal year. He reported that the Audit and Performance Committee had met and approved the proposed schedule. Michael Pugh, chair of the Audit and Performance Committee, recommended that the approach to conducting audits be condensed. Lunch Break and Dedication Ceremony for the Don Whalen Gymnasium Report: Program Reviews Steve Roderick, Vice President for Academic Affairs, briefed the Trustees on the necessity and process for conducting program reviews. He stated that he and the deans are examining this process, as well as the format for reporting. The intent is to ensure that this exercise makes sense for the departments and provides and actual tool that they can use to improve their performance and delivery of curriculum. A lengthy discussion ensued and several suggestions were made concerning the program review process. The questions and comments will be helpful to the academic administration and will be taken into consideration when preparing for next year’s reviews. Report: Update on Regional Education Provider Steve Roderick provided background on the College’s progress in determining how to fulfill its legislative mandate to be a regional provider and what that will entail. He stated that the Colorado Commission on Higher Education would likely approve a definition of “regional provider” at their meeting on June 5, 2003. He introduced Ken Francis, Director of the Office of Community Services at Fort Lewis College, and Margie Dean Gray, Director of Extended Studies at the College. The Office of Community Services is coordinating the effort to seek information regarding the educational needs in Southwest Colorado and the possible collaboration between educational institutions. Ken Francis and Margie Gray answered questions and provided the Trustees with information regarding the current status of delivering and assessing the educational needs in our region. Both felt that we are at the beginning stages of fulfilling the role of a regional provider, but that progress is being made. Chairman Decker asked for a motion to adjourn. Leonel Silva so moved, with a second from Sally Schaefer. Motion carried. Meeting Adjourned at 2:30 p.m.