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WINTHROP UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
February 7-9, 2003
Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC
Friday, February 7, 2002
Minutes of Meeting of the Board of Trustees
Members present:
Bob Gahagan (Chair),
Larry Durham, Karl Folkens, Polly Ford, Hugh Hadsock, Jr., A.
Watts Huckabee, Mary Jean Martin, Glenda Owens, Bob Thompson,
Skip Tuttle, and Anthony J. DiGiorgio (ex officio).
Members absent:
Sanita Savage Frazier, Reginald Lloyd
Board Staff
present:
Brien Lewis, Secretary to the Board
Others
present:
Members of the media and
Winthrop University students, faculty and staff.
The Board of Trustees met on Friday,
February 7, 2003 at 1:45 p.m. in the Dunlap-Roddey Room in
Johnson Hall on the campus of Winthrop University, Rock Hill,
SC.
Call to Order
Bob Gahagan called the meeting to order at 1:45 p.m.
Approval of Board Minutes of November 8, 2002
Bob Thompson moved, seconded by Larry Durham, to approve the
minutes as presented. This motion passed unanimously by voice
vote.
Resolution in Honor of Dr. Ross Webb
Bob Gahagan reviewed the many roles and accomplishments of Dr.
Ross Webb, most recently as University Historian and author of
The Torch is Passed, the official history of the
university. Bob Thompson read the proposed Resolution and
moved its adoption. The motion was seconded by Polly Ford and
approved unanimously by voice vote. Chairman Gahagan and Bob
Thompson made a presentation to Dr. Webb, who thanked the
Board and commented that he was deeply moved and touched by
the Resolution.
Report of the Executive Committee
Chairman Gahagan reported that the Executive Committee of the
Board of Trustees met in Rock Hill during the afternoon of
January 22, 2003. He stated that the Executive Committee
reviewed and discussed several matters but took no action. He
reported that the Executive Committee had taken action at its
October meeting on two recommendations for changes in the
Board by-laws. As the by-laws require thirty days notice to
all trustees of any proposed changes, the Executive Committee
waited until this meeting to bring the items to the floor for
consideration and possible action by the full Board.
Resolution amending by-laws of the Board of Trustees of Winthrop
University
regarding the Student
Representative to the Board
The resolution was
offered as a motion of the Executive Committee and no second
was required. The motion to adopt the Resolution was approved
unanimously by
voice vote.
Resolution amending by-laws
of the Board of Trustees of Winthrop University
regarding Officers and membership of the Executive
Committee
The resolution was offered as a
motion of the Executive Committee and no second was required.
There was discussion of the distinction between appointees and
designees, as well as the different roles played by
individuals in these capacities and those elected by the
General Assembly and the Alumni Association. There was also
discussion on the approaches taken by other boards in South
Carolina with similar distinctions in their membership. Karl
Folkens inquired if it would appropriate to offer a Motion to
Amend the motion on the floor and Chair Bob Gahagan stated
that he felt such a motion would not be in order given the
thirty-day notice rule set forth in the by-laws for amendments
to those by-laws. Bob Thompson called the previous question.
A voice vote was taken with Karl Folkens and Watts Huckabee
opposing the previous question and the remaining trustees in
attendance voting in favor. A voice vote was then taken on
the motion of the Executive Committee to adopt the
Resolution. Watts Huckabee voted in opposition to the motion
and the remaining trustees in attendance all voted in favor,
so the Resolution was adopted as presented.
Report of the Academic Affairs Committee
Bob Thompson had no report as the only item on the
Committee’s agenda was approval of its prior minutes.
Report of the Finance Committee
Mary Jean Martin had no report as the only item on the
Committee’s agenda was approval of its prior minutes.
Report of the University Relations Committee
Glenda Owens had no report as the only item on the Committee’s
agenda was approval of its prior minutes.
Report from the Chair of Faculty Conference
Faculty Conference Chair Marilyn Smith stated that the final
General Education revision package had been circulated to
Faculty Conference in advance of a discussion and vote on
February 21. She also noted that an implementation team had
been formed to oversee those issues until the appointment of a
Director of General Education. She reported that the
Academic Vice President Search Committee had almost completed
its work and would be reporting to the President next week.
She commended Search Committee Chair James Johnston and staff
member Karen Jones for their outstanding work on the search
process.
Report from the Chair of the Council of Student Leaders
Council of Student Leaders Chair Andrew Markners presented
a written report detailing the activities of the Council. He
expressed his appreciation to the Board for their dedication
to students reflected in the action taken to amend the by-laws
to ensure continued student representation.
Report from the President
President DiGiorgio reported that there was a great deal
happening at the state capital on several fronts but that
there was also a lot of “wait and see” as legislators and
staff try to get a clear sense of priorities that will be set
by the new Governor. He reported that two bills had been
introduced to set limits on budget spending increases along
the lines of the model enacted by the State of Colorado. He
also noted the discussions among legislators of a possible $1
billion budget shortfall for the coming fiscal year the
rescissions and cutbacks that would be enacted under such
circumstances.
President DiGiorgio briefed the Board on
his presentations to the House Ways and Means Higher Education
Subcommittee on behalf of both Winthrop and the Council of
Presidents, noting that the committee had been very receptive
to the institutions’ efforts to work together on common
goals. President DiGiorgio reported that limits on tuition
and fees for the coming year was still an open question, with
possibilities including provisos allowing market flexibility,
the Higher Education Price Index plus $250, and an outright
freeze on increases.
Old Business
There was no Old Business.
New Business
There was no new business.
Recess
At 2:20 p.m. the Board recessed until Saturday, February 8 at
9:00 a.m. The Board members attended the dedication of the
Courtyard residence hall and toured the newly constructed
facility on the afternoon of Friday, February 7. In the
evening the Board members attended a reception and dinner at
the McLaurin galleries, followed by comments from guest
speaker Constantine Curris, President of the American
Association of State Colleges & Universities. The Board took
no actions during these events.
Saturday, February 8, 2003
Members present:
Bob Gahagan (Chair),
Larry Durham, Karl Folkens, Polly Ford, Sanita Savage Frazier,
Hugh Hadsock, Jr., A. Watts Huckabee, Mary Jean Martin, Glenda
Owens, Bob Thompson, Skip Tuttle, and Anthony J. DiGiorgio (ex
officio).
Members absent:
Reginald Lloyd
Board Staff
present:
Brien Lewis, Secretary to the Board
Others
present:
Erica Pippins (The Rock
Hill Herald), Dr. Dwight Dimaculangan, J.P. McKee, Amanda
Maghsoud, DeeAnna Brooks.
The Board of Trustees met on Saturday,
February 8, 2003 at 9:00 a.m. in the Baruch Room of the Joynes
Conference Center at Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC.
Call to Order
Bob Gahagan called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m.
University Accounting 101
Vice President for Finance and Business J.P. McKee and
Associate Vice President Amanda Maghsoud made a presentation
on the new accounting standards implemented by the Government
Accounting Standards Board (GASB). They highlighted the
changes that require institutions of higher education to no
longer reflect state appropriations as revenue, resulting in
what appears to be major operating losses. The new standards
also require capital assets to be depreciated, which has a
major effect on Winthrop’s accounting of its older facilities.
Update on Quality Enhancement Initiatives
President DiGiorgio provided a report to the Board on progress
made in the past year on plans for technology enhancements
through use of the technology fee and grants from lottery
funds to provide faculty and student labs with up to date
computers and to upgrade designated classrooms with “smart
classroom” technology. Marilyn Smith and Dwight Dimaculangan
of the Biology Department provided examples of how they
utilize these technologies to enhance learning. Trustees
expressed interest in having a demonstration of smart
classrooms as a part of the April Board meeting. There was
also discussion of increasing technology support services for
faculty and students.
President DiGiorgio also reported on the
progress made in the area of salary enhancements. He noted
that between the final installment of Futuresteps and the
first installment in the Salary Enhancement Initiative a total
of $2.1 million dollars had been annualized in salary
improvements. He also reported that preliminary data from the
Commission on Higher Education had shown that Winthrop had
been in 9th place in 2000-2001 among comprehensive
institutions in South Carolina for overall average faculty
salaries. He stated that with the infusion of the additional
funds Winthrop has moved to 3rd place in overall
average faculty salaries. He noted that this was consistent
with the intent of the Salary Enhancement program to move the
university to a leadership position among its state peers.
President DiGiorgio also reported that the state context for
salary increases is worse than ever and that it is unlikely
that next year’s salary enhancement program will be as
dramatic although the same principles would be used in
implementing it. There was discussion of Clemson University’s
policy of one-time merit bonuses, with many participants
expressing concern and disapproval of such an approach.
Quality Conditions for Growth
President DiGiorgio then made a presentation regarding data on
recent growth and the costs associated with projected or
potential growth in terms of staffing, facilities, and related
matters. He suggested examining methods of handling growth
including improved cycling of courses and utilization of
classrooms. There was discussion of more carefully utilizing
faculty strengths. There was also discussion of whether the
quality of the Winthrop experience would be damaged by growth
per se or whether the experience could be translated
effectively on a larger scale. There was clear consensus that
maintaining the Winthrop experience should be paramount in any
exploration of continued growth in the size of the
university’s populations.
Executive Session
Bob Thompson moved that the Board go into Executive Session
for discussion of contractual matters and invited the faculty
and student representatives to participate in the discussion.
Skip Tuttle seconded the motion, which was approved
unanimously by voice vote. The Board then convened in
Executive Session. No actions were taken in Executive
Session. Mary Jean Martin moved, seconded by Skip Tuttle,
that the Board return to Open Session.
Recess
The Board recessed until Sunday, February 9 at 9:00 a.m.
During the evening of Saturday, February 9 members of the
Board of Trustees attended a Women’s Basketball Game at the
Winthrop Coliseum and then a dinner at the President’s House.
The Board took no actions during these events.
Sunday, February 9, 2003
Members present:
Bob Gahagan (Chair),
Larry Durham, Karl Folkens, Polly Ford, Sanita Savage Frazier,
Hugh Hadsock, Jr., A. Watts Huckabee, Mary Jean Martin, Glenda
Owens, Bob Thompson, Skip Tuttle, and Anthony J. DiGiorgio (ex
officio).
Members absent:
Reginald Lloyd
Board Staff
present:
Brien Lewis, Secretary to the Board
Others
present:
Erica Pippins (The Rock
Hill Herald), DeeAnna Brooks.
The Board of Trustees met on Sunday,
February 9, 2003 at 9:00 a.m. in the Baruch Room of the Joynes
Conference Center at Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC.
Call to Order
Bob Gahagan called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. Before
moving to the established agenda there was brief discussion
about an article in The Rock Hill Herald on Winthrop’s
success in diversity matters as well as a review of the list
of current university bonds.
General Education and Critical Issues Symposium
President DiGiorgio and Faculty Conference Chair Marilyn Smith
reviewed recent developments and discussions related to
revising the General Education curriculum and the Critical
Issues Symposium (CISM). There was discussion of how CISM was
being redesigned in a proposal to recast the one-hour seminar
as “Principles of the Learning Academy” designed to anchor a
more coherent freshman year experience with an orientation to
the culture and expectations of the University, including an
emphasis on academic integrity and plagiarism issues.
There
was also discussion of the pending search for directors of
General Education and the new Principles course as part of a
team dedicated to the purposes of the revised curriculum.
President’s Task Force on the Nature and Character of
the University
Task Force Chair Brien Lewis presented an update on the
activities of the Task Force and responses from across campus
to its Draft Statement on the Nature and Character of the
University. There was discussion of ways to include alumni
and other stakeholders in the dialogue as well of how the
eventual product of the Task Force’s work might impact the
Mission Statement, the Vision Statement, and the setting of
institutional priorities.
Potpourri of Issues
President DiGiorgio briefly noted some issues of interest
including exploring ways to reduce the basic academic load by
one course to a 12-hour/9-hour model. He also reported that
legislation has been drafted to remove the research
universities from CHE’s jurisdiction and that such a move
could lead to separate Boards of Regents for each of the three
sectors of higher education.
Board Self-Assessment
The Board discussed several issues related to its own
activities and its committee structure. Among the items
examined were the role of the Board Chair, the impact of the
increasing geographical diversity of the Board, the interest
in exploring issues in greater depth and the competing
requirement of additional time to do so. There was no clear
consensus on particular approach to adopt and Chair Bob
Gahagan indicated that he would ask groups of trustees to
discuss options in greater detail and report back
recommendations to the Board in the near future.
Adjournment
Skip Tuttle moved, seconded by Bob Thompson, that the Board
adjourn. The motion was approved unanimously by voice vote
and the Board adjourned at 11:00 a.m.
Minutes submitted by Brien Lewis,
Secretary to the Board
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