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WINTHROP UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
April 11, 2003
Dunlap-Roddey Room, Johnson Hall
Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC
Minutes of Meeting of the Board of Trustees
Members present:
Bob Gahagan (Chair), Karl
Folkens, Sanita Savage Frazier, A. Watts Huckabee, Mary Jean
Martin, Glenda Owens, Polly Ford, Bob Thompson, Skip Tuttle,
and Anthony J. DiGiorgio (ex officio).
Members absent:
Larry Durham, Hugh Hadsock, Reginald Lloyd.
Staff
present: Brien Lewis, Secretary to
the Board.
Guests
present:
Students, faculty, staff, and media representatives.
The Board of Trustees met on Friday,
April 11, 2003 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
Bob Gahagan called the meeting to order at 1:00 p.m.
Approval of Board Minutes of February 7-9, 2003
Bob Thompson moved, seconded by Karl Folkens, that the
Board approve the minutes as presented. This motion was
approved unanimously by voice vote.
Report of the Executive Committee
Chairman Gahagan welcomed Dr. Tom Moore and Dr. Debra Boyd
and congratulated them on their recent appointments as Vice
President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College of Arts
and Sciences respectively. He also welcomed incoming Director
of General Education Marilyn Smith. Bob Gahagan noted that
each would assume their respective offices in the summer. Bob
Thompson also noted that Dr. Melford Wilson, outgoing Vice
President for Academic Affairs, should be recognized for his
yeoman service and that there would be an opportunity to do so
at the next Board meeting. Karl Folkens noted that trustee
Reginald Lloyd has been elected as a circuit court judge.
Chairman Gahagan reported that the
Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees met in Rock Hill
during the afternoon of March 26, 2003. He stated that the
Executive Committee reviewed and discussed several matters but
took no action. He noted that the draft minutes of that
meeting had already been circulated and referred trustees to
those minutes for additional information.
Chairman Gahagan 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.
Report of the Academic Affairs Committee
Bob Thompson reported that the Committee received an
update on the General Education implementation. It is on
course and a final presentation is anticipated at the June
Board meeting. He noted that this General Education revision
is a rare effort for a public university as it pulls together
three distinct aspects: interdisciplinary teaching, infusing
writing across the curriculum, and developing critical
thinking. He stated that the result is quite distinctive and
he extended congratulations to all who were part of the
revision process.
Bob Thompson reported that the Committee
was briefed on ACAD 101: Principles of the Learning Academy,
the emerging new version of the Critical Issues Symposium. He
noted that it would be a requirement for all freshmen and that
over 50 sections would be offered. He noted that the program
would be a cut above standard “University 101” courses as it
would deal with socialization and the academic community.
Bob Thompson noted that Vice President
Wilson had reported on searches for both the English and
Modern Language Departments’ chairs. Bob Thompson noted that
academic affairs had hired 19 new faculty with 3 positions to
be filled. There have been a large number of retirements and
the searches to replace these positions have been quite
competitive with high quality candidates seeking out Winthrop
University.
Bob Thompson reported that an anticipated
report on suggested revisions to the intellectual property
policy had been postponed until June. He also reported that
the Committee received an outstanding presentation on the
“Teaching Fellows: New Bridges” program. He noted that those
involved were very bright and impressive students working with
the Center for Teacher Recruitment. The program has a high
service requirement involving work with public schools and
social service agencies that have English as a Second Language
focus. He also noted that two new grants had been awarded:
$150,000 for work with middle school teachers and $300,000 for
Educational Leadership to identify and mentor future
principals.
Report of the Finance Committee
Mary Jean Martin reported on the Committee’s review of the
Allocation Status Report. She noted that it reflected a
mid-year cut of 3.7%. She stated that the Committee had been
briefed on budget legislation on funding for next year, noting
a cut in excess of $2 million in the House version while the
Senate is still working on their version. She noted it is
still possible that the legislature will place a cap on
tuition, and that there are possible reductions in lottery
funds.
Mary Jean Martin reported that the
Committee had received a report from Information Technology
including a review of the annual budget and plans for use of
lottery funds. She noted that the plan calls for faculty to
receive new computers every 3 years on rotation with faculty
with the oldest computers or greatest need for new technology
to receive new computers first.
Report of the University Relations Committee
Glenda Owens reported that the University Relations
Committee received a briefing from the Advancement division.
Among the highlights of the briefing were a redesign of the
web page that is nearing completion, a summary of Homecoming
2003 events, and then status of the Capital Campaign, which is
on target to be completed by June 30. She noted that the
present focus is on the Faculty/Staff with an emphasis on
participation rather than the dollars generated.
Glenda Owens
and Martie Curran, Executive Director of the Alumni
Association, reported on the restructuring of the Alumni
Association with its overall goal of keeping alumni
connected. They noted that the plan had been approved by the
Alumni Executive Board in February and that the new approach
emphasizes a variety of avenues and groups that people feel
connected to such as organizations for younger alumni, and
class year for older constituents. Glenda Owens and Martie
Curran also stated that the plan aims to educate students
about the Alumni Association while they are students, so when
they become alumni, they will already have an affiliation.
Martie Curran expressed appreciation to Alumni President
Frankie Cubbedge and to Maria Hedinger for providing
guidelines on what alums do and what staff do.
Glenda Owens reported that the Committee
had also received updates from the division of Athletics. She
noted that this past semester the overall G.P.A. was 2.94 for
student-athletes and that two students, Jennifer Pritchard of
women’s volleyball and Donald MacGregor of men’s soccer, had
received Academic All-American recognitions. Glenda Owens
also noted that construction of the new tennis facility is
ongoing with the building almost completed, but the courts
themselves need dry weather to make further progress.
Glenda Owens reported that the Committee
had been updated on Admissions, noting that the goal is still
1050 freshmen and that we are close to that goal and still
getting some applications. She noted that applications are up
11% from last year at this time, that 125,000 emails have been
sent to prospects, and that the Admissions website gets 30,000
to 50,000 hits per month.
Glenda Owens also reported on student
publications, noting that the Committee had been briefed on a
Task Force established by the President in reference to issues
related to publications, including the loss of the yearbook.
She noted that the Task Force was a very good group and that
it was an appropriate time to review the state of student
publications, their funding, the roles of the faculty/staff,
and expectations of students in order to ensure top-notch
publications.
Glenda Owens reported that the Committee
had reviewed current student leadership programs and workshops
for students in organizations on topics such as public
relations, fundraising, and motivation.
Report from the Faculty Representative
Marilyn Smith reported on the work to date of the General
Education implementation team led by Tom Moore, Karen Jones,
Debra Boyd, Dave Rankin, Marilyn Smith, and Bill Rogers. She
also noted that she had been serving the remainder of Jim
Johnston’s term as Faculty Representative during the past year
and that she was recently elected as the Faculty
Representative for a full 2 year term.
Report from the Student Representative
Andrew Markners introduced Richard Fowler as the
designated Chair of the Council of Student Leaders for the
2003-2004 academic year, noting that Richard is a rising
sophomore from Dallas, North Carolina and represents the
Resident Students Association on the Council.
Andrew Markners also reviewed the
Resolution passed by the Council, encouraging the trustees to
pursue funding of the Lois Rhame West Center by student fees.
He circulated a copy of the Resolution to the trustees. Skip
Tuttle commended the Council and the student leadership for
their unselfish gesture in seeking to contribute to the
construction of a facility that would not be built before many
of them graduated.
Report from the President
President DiGiorgio congratulated and thanked the Council
of Student Leaders for the resolution regarding funding of the
West Center. He noted that many members of the Council had
attended the presentation about campus development that drew a
good crowd and was well received.
President
DiGiorgio also reported on the latest developments in the
state budget process. He stated that the House had
passed a budget and that the Senate version would likely not
change the House version substantially. The budget calls for
an additional 10% cut that would bring the total amount of
cuts to $2.1 million or 27% of the state’s appropriation to
Winthrop over the past couple of years.
He stated
that the cuts have begun to hurt but noted that some growth
had helped pay for the past rescissions. In planning for the
coming year he stated that the campus budget process would
need to look first at making the university whole again and
then look at what could be funded for future development.
He also reported that the state may take earlier action on the
budget than usual since there won’t be much room for major
disputes, except for the cigarette tax issue which may have
ripple effects. He also reiterated that there will be no state
funds available for capital construction.
President DiGiorgio also reported on the latest results of
the Performance Funding. He noted that one of the goals of the
Vision of Distinction for this year was to achieve a rating of
“substantially exceeds standards”. He announced that the
preliminary rating evaluation had been released showing that
on a 3 point scale, Winthrop University had scored 2.94 or
98%, thereby earning a “substantially exceeds” rating. He
noted that only the Medical University of South Carolina
received such a rating last year and that Winthrop is the
first teaching sector institution to receive this rating. He
stated that this was one measure of the degree of progress the
University has achieved. He stated that Winthrop is now
poised with the new General Education program and the ongoing
discussions about the Nature and Character of the University
to decide what next qualitative steps are appropriate on the
path to distinction.
Old Business
There was no Old Business.
New Business
Bob Gahagan noted that the next meeting of the Board would
include an executive session on Thursday evening, June 5, and
possibly a long Friday session on June 6. He also reported
that he wished to appoint a Nominations Committee consisting
of Sanita Savage Frazier as Chair, along with Larry Durham and
Watts Huckabee. The Board consented to these appointments.
Executive Session
Mary Jean Martin moved, seconded by Watts Huckabee, that
the Board go into executive session for the purpose of
discussing personnel and contractual matters. As part of the
motion, the Faculty and Student Representatives, along with
Dr. Tom Moore, were invited to participate in the session.
The motion was approved unanimously by voice vote. 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 Watts
Huckabee and approved unanimously by voice vote. The Board
adjourned at 3:00 p.m.
Minutes submitted by Brien Lewis,
Secretary to the Board.
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