|
WINTHROP UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
April
12, 2002
Dunlap-Roddey
Room, Johnson Hall
Winthrop
University, Rock Hill, SC
Minutes of Meeting of the Board of Trustees
Members
present:
Skip Tuttle (Chair), Larry Durham, Bob Gahagan, Anne K.
Hall, Mary Jean Martin, Glenda Owens, Bob Thompson, David White,
and Anthony J. DiGiorgio (ex officio).
Members absent:
A. Watts Huckabee, Sanita Savage Frazier, Jane Shuler.
Staff present:
Brien Lewis, Secretary to the Board.
Guests present:
Students, faculty, staff, and media representatives.
The Board of Trustees met on Friday,
April 12, 2002 at 1:00 p.m. in the Dunlap-Roddey Room of Johnson
Hall on the campus of Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC.
Call to Order
Skip Tuttle called the meeting to order at 1:00 p.m.
He welcomed newly elected Trustee Karl Folkens and newly elected
Faculty Representative to the Board Marilyn Smith and noted that
each would assume their respective offices in the summer.
Approval of Board Minutes of February 8-10, 2002
Bob Thompson moved, seconded by Mary Jean Martin, that the
Board approve the minutes as presented. This motion was
approved unanimously by voice vote.
Resolution in Honor of Dr. Gary Stone, William H. Grier
Professor of Business Administration
Skip Tuttle reviewed the criteria for selection of the
William H. Grier Professor of Business Administration and
announced that Dr. Gary Stone had been designated as the Grier
Professor. David White moved and Mary Jean Martin seconded the
adoption of this Resolution and it was adopted unanimously by
voice vote. Chairman Tuttle read the Resolution and made a
presentation to Dr. Stone.
Resolution Approving Cooperative Planning Agreement
Chairman Tuttle reported that the Executive Committee had
discussed the initiative of the Rock Hill Economic Development
Corporation regarding community planning for the “Textile
Corridor” portion of the Rock Hill Old Town involving Winthrop
University and other community groups with an interest in the
issue. He also noted that the Executive Committee had
reviewed a proposed formal Cooperative Planning Agreement
outlining the participation of each community group in the
planning process and, at the recommendation of President
DiGiorgio, the Executive Committee had postponed action on this
Resolution. He noted that it was now timely for the item
to come before the full Board for consideration. Mary Jean
Martin moved and Bob Thompson seconded the adoption of this
Resolution and it was adopted unanimously by voice vote.
Nominating Committee
Chairman Tuttle noted that Article III, Section B of the
bylaws of the Board requires that the Chair of the Board appoint
from among the voting members of the Board the members of a
Committee on Nominations, subject to the consent of the Board of
Trustees. He reported that the membership of the committee
must not exceed three persons and will report to the Board of
Trustees at least one month prior to the last quarterly meeting
in the state fiscal year of the Board - this year by no later
than May 7. Chairman Tuttle stated that he wished to
appoint Jane Shuler, Larry Durham, and David White to serve on
the Nominating Committee. He asked for and received the
consent of the Board to these appointments.
Report of the Executive Committee
Chairman Tuttle reported that the Executive Committee of the
Board of Trustees met in Rock Hill during the afternoon of March
27, 2002. He stated that the Executive Committee reviewed
and discussed several matters but took no action. He
reported that Legislation has been passed in the Senate and
introduced in the House to restructure the composition of the
Winthrop University Board of Trustees that closely follows the
proposal endorsed by the Board at its December meeting.
Chairman Tuttle stated that President DiGiorgio had reported to
the Committee on the progress to date on the Implementation Task
Force for the CHE Higher Education Strategic Plan. The
President indicated he was very encouraged by the discussion at
the initial meeting and the resulting action plans and shared
vision statement developed by that group.
Chairman Tuttle also noted that in
response to the Resolution on Quality Enhancements passed by the
Board at its February Retreat, President DiGiorgio had reported
to the Executive Committee that he has charged two groups, the
newly commissioned Productivity Task Force and the existing
Salary Study Committee, to examine specific elements and data
related to these issues. The President reported that both
of these groups are making progress and that their
recommendations are due in time for consideration by the
Executive Committee at its May meeting and the full Board after
that.
Chairman Tuttle reported that the
President reviewed with the Executive Committee a copy of a
letter from the State Auditor outlining the accepted proposals
for audits to be conducted at Winthrop University and four other
state institutions. The President noted that the costs for
conducting Winthrop’s audit is significantly less than several
of our sister institutions, indicating the auditing firms views
of Winthrop’s financial operations as well-managed and easy-to
review.
Chairman Tuttle also noted that the
Executive Committee had an executive session for discussion of
personnel and contractual matters and that no action was taken
in the executive session.
Chairman Tuttle also reported that Hugh
Hadsock had been elected as a Trustee by the General Assembly
and would take office in July. Chairman Tuttle also
reported that he had received a letter of resignation from
Trustee E. Thomas Crowson, effective immediately.
Report of the Academic Affairs Committee
Bob Thompson reported that there had not been a quorum
present for the Academic Affairs Committee so he would offer
action items on his own motion and seek a second for
consideration by the Board.
Resolution to
Offer Master of Arts in Arts Administration
Bob Thompson
reviewed the program and offered the Resolution in the form of a
Motion. It was seconded by Mary Jean Martin was approved
unanimously by voice vote.
Resolution to
Offer Bachelor of Arts in Economics
Bob Thompson reviewed the program
and offered the Resolution in the form of a
Motion. It
was seconded by Bob Gahagan was approved unanimously by voice
vote.
Resolution
to Offer Bachelor of Science in Middle Level Education
Bob Thompson reviewed the program
and offered the Resolution in the form of a
Motion. It
was seconded by Mary Jean Martin was approved unanimously by
voice
vote.
Bob Thompson reported that there was
discussion at the committee meeting regarding the General
Education renewal efforts and a new graduate certificate program
in Human Nutrition. He also noted that there was an
outstanding presentation from students and faculty in Chemistry,
Physics & Geology reflective of the creative and exciting
work being done in that area.
Report of the Finance Committee
Mary Jean Martin reported that there was one action item
brought forward from the Committee related to issuing bonds for
student housing improvements and authorizing the University to
reimburse itself for auxiliary funds already expended for these
needs.
Resolution to
Approve the Issuance of Student Housing Revenue Bonds for
Capital Improvements
Mary Jean Martin offered this
Resolution as a Motion from the Committee. The Resolution
passed unanimously by voice vote.
Mary Jean Martin reported that the
Committee had received reports on the progress of the Courtyard
residence hall facility, the continued upgrades to technology in
accordance with a three-year plan, and the prospect of receiving
county funding for re-paving Jasper Street as well as the road
around the Winthrop Coliseum.
Report of the University Relations Committee
Bob Gahagan reported that the University Relations Committee
had been advised that the Dinkins Student Union had again been
recognized as the best student programming organization in the
nation, this time by Campus Activities magazine. He
also invited Residence Life Director Cindy Cassens to share the
plans for work to be done during the summer of 2002 on Wofford
and Richardson residence halls as well as Thomson Cafeteria.
Bob Gahagan gave special recognition to Cindy Cassens for her
dual role as Acting Dean of Students during the 2001-2002
academic year and commended her work. He also reported
that Winthrop University had been recognized as the School of
the Year for the second consecutive year by the South Carolina
Organization for Residential Education.
Bob
Gahagan noted that the Committee had received a report on NCAA
compliance from a recent site visit indicating very positive
remarks and that institutional control is strong. He also
noted that Melissa Heinz had been introduced as the new
women’s soccer coach and reported that there would be a club
program next year followed by a full collegiate schedule in
2003-04.
Bob
Gahagan also reported that admissions applications continue to
increase over the same point in time last year. He noted
that the student-athlete cumulative GPA was 2.91 and therefore
approximately the same as the overall student GPA. Bob
Gahagan also reported that Homecoming 2002 was the largest ever
and a very successful event and that the Capital Campaign stood
at $22 million and would run until June 2003.
Report from the Chair of Faculty Conference
Faculty Conference Chair Jim Johnston welcomed Marilyn Smith
as the newly elected Faculty Conference Chair to compete the
remainder of his term when he steps aside to become Chair of the
Biology Department. He reported that discussions on
General Education had reached a major step as the program had
been approved by Academic Council and would come to a special
meeting of the Faculty Conference on April 12 with the
possibility of further debate and action being taken on April 19
at the final Faculty Conference meeting of the academic year.
He noted that the issues still being discussed included the
constitutional requirement, staffing, and assessment.
Report from the President
President DiGiorgio reported on the upcoming Graduate
Commencement event as a hallmark of Winthrop’s growth and
development as well as an opportunity to afford special
recognition to graduate students through the hooding ceremony.
He also reported on his activity with
“Higher Education for Higher Purposes”, the Task Force for
Implementation of the CHE’s Strategic Plan. He noted the
significant obstacles facing South Carolina if it hopes to catch
up with its neighboring states in terms of its percentage of the
population with bachelor’s degrees. He also noted that
the Task Force would be addressing issues including sharing of
library resources, funding capital projects through a Super Bond
Bill along the lines of North Carolina’s approach, and seeking
regulatory relief.
President DiGiorgio commended the campus
community for its extraordinary efforts during lean financial
times resulting in another Performance Funding rating of
“Exceeds Standard”. He noted that Winthrop University
was within 0.07 points of scoring a rating of “Substantially
Exceeds”, a rating never achieved by any institution in the
history of South Carolina’s Performance Funding system.
Old Business
There was no Old Business.
New Business
There was no New Business.
Executive Session
Mary Jean Martin moved that the Board go into Executive
Session for discussion of personnel and contractual matters.
Bob Thompson seconded the motion, which was approved unanimously
by voice vote. The Board then convened in Executive
Session. No actions were taken in Executive Session.
Adjournment
Upon returning to public session, Mary Jean Martin moved
that the Board adjourn. The Motion was seconded by Bob
Gahagan and approved unanimously by voice vote.
Minutes submitted by Brien Lewis, Secretary
to the Board
|
