MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS
MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY
March 12-13, 2015
1. Roll Call
Present-
Mr. Caleb Doyle, Student Governor
Ms. Virginia Fry, Governor
Dr. Peter Hofherr, Vice Chair of the Board
Mr. Stephen B. Hoven, Chair of the Board
Mr. Orvin Kimbrough, Governor (arriving at 9:10 a.m.)
Ms. Beverly Miller, Governor
Mr. Kendall Seal, Governor
Ms. Carrie Tergin, Governor
Absent-
Mr. Joe Carmichael, Governor
Also Present-
Clifton Smart III, President
Drew Bennett, Chancellor of the West Plains Campus
Frank Einhellig, Provost
Dee Siscoe, Vice President for Student Affairs
Ken McClure, Vice President for Administrative and Information Services
Jim Baker, Vice President for Research and Economic Development and International
Programs
Kenneth Coopwood, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion
Stephen Foucart, Chief Financial Officer
Brent Dunn, Vice President for University Advancement
Rachael Dockery, General Counsel
Don Hendricks, Director of University Communications
Donna Christian, Director of Internal Audit
Kyle Moats, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics
Randy Blackwood, Executive Director of Athletics & Entertainment Facilities
Gloria Galanes, Dean of the College of Arts & Letters
Ryan DeBoef, Chief of Staff
Jill Wiggins, Director of The Career Center
Don Simpson, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management
Tammy Jahnke, Dean of the College of Natural & Applied Sciences
Stephanie Bryant, Dean of the College of Business
Sharmistha Self, Professor of Economics
Tom Peters, Dean of the Library
Paul Kincaid, Kincaid Communications, LLC (arriving at 12:00 Noon)
John McAlear, Secretary of the Board
2. Presiding --- The presiding officer for the meeting was Mr. Stephen B. Hoven, Chair of the Board of Governors. He called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. in the Portland Room in the Embassy Suites St. Louis-St. Charles, in St. Charles, Missouri.
3. Action Items:
a. Approval of 2015-16 Fee Resolution --- President Clif Smart reminded everyone that the 2015-16 fee resolution (Fees No. 145-15)
was discussed in detail at the Finance and Facilities Committee meeting in Jefferson
City on February 5 and after a really good conversation, he thought there was consensus
in the proposal for this coming year. He explained that the 2014 CPI is .8% which
is the statutory cap for tuition increases. This equates to a $1 per credit hour increase
for Missouri resident undergraduate students. Mr. Steve Foucart, Chief Financial
Officer, next highlighted some of the more significant items and pointed out a few
very minor changes since the February 5 meeting. Ms. Tergin moved to approve the fee
resolution as presented, receiving the second of Dr. Hofherr.
Motion passed 7-0.
b. Approval of Bond Refunding --- Mr. Foucart next presented a resolution (Finance No. 1043-15) to advance refund the
Series 2007 bonds which funded the construction of the JQH Arena. He indicated that
based on current interest rates, it is estimated that the total remaining bond payments
will decrease by over $2 million with the refinancing. Both the University and the
JQH Trust, which pays 47.54% of the bond payments, will share proportionately in the
savings. This resolution authorizes up to $55,000,000 of auxiliary enterprise system
revenue bonds. The true interest cost is not to exceed 3.64%. It is anticipated that
the Executive Committee of the Board of Governors will approve the final bond documents
within the parameters of this resolution on April 15, 2015. The anticipated closing
date is April 23, 2015. Dr. Hofherr moved to approve the resolution, receiving the
second of Ms. Fry.
Motion passed 7-0.
4. Update on Annual Goals:
a. Springfield Campus --- President Smart indicated that we will just focus on a few facets of our annual goals and save more discussion time for the Visioning project this afternoon:
- Maintain modest growth in enrollment while increasing the diversity of the student body. President Smart recapped the better-than “modest” enrollment growth experienced. Enrollments have increased in most all student categories: precollege, undergraduate, graduate, underrepresented, international, and students from other states.
- Increase the retention rate of first-time freshmen. He next summarized efforts to improve retention with a pilot program to form freshmen cohorts by enrolling 224 first-generation students in GEP 101 (a First-Year Program committed to assisting students in achieving a successful transition to Missouri State) by college (eight sections – one for each college and two for undecided students). This appears to help retention numbers but another year’s worth of first-generation data with college cohort sections is needed for more robust data.
- Continue to implement the career tracking program to meet the new state performance funding measure. Ms. Jill Wiggins, Director of The Career Center, provided an update on tracking graduate outcomes which is very important due to the new State Performance Measure that is tied to tracking graduate outcomes. She touched on the challenges with our current tracking system and summarized some of the opportunities to improve the collection and reporting of this data, including: 1) researching best practices to explore other methods of collecting this data; 2) engaging key stakeholders on campus to work together in this endeavor; and, 3) implementing a system that is integrated with Banner. President Smart indicated that we have formed a task force that is looking at how we can better collect this data.
- Develop a campus-wide community service project in conjunction with the University’s 110th anniversary. Mr. Brent Dunn, Vice President for University Advancement, summarized the 110 hours of celebration, starting on Tuesday, March 17, 2015. The celebration includes student activities, a Public Affairs component, and a fundraising piece.
- Complete a diversity climate survey and develop a campus diversity plan to highlight successes and address challenges. President Smart commented that the results of the climate survey will be announced next week. He remarked that we have made progress, but that we have more to do. With what has happened across the country in recent months, President Smart is glad we undertook this study, and our ultimate goal is to make sure that all of our faculty/staff/students feel included in the university.
- College of Business Glass Hall Project. Dean Stephanie Bryant, Dean of the College of Business, reported on the planned Glass Hall renovation and expansion project. Mr. Ken McClure, Vice President for Administrative & Information Services, reported that the construction project will be awarded in October. Mr. Foucart summarized the funding of the $25.5 million project, which includes a bond issue of about $15.68 million. He added that the educational bond issue will be issued by the Missouri Health and Educational Facilities Authority.
- Evaluate the results of resealing parking lots with asphalt emulsion as an alternative to coal tar. Mr. McClure commented that with the debate regarding the chemicals in coal tar, over the last few years, the University has tested an alternate product, asphalt emulsion, on several parking lots. The general results of using asphalt emulsion have shown some application problems, a shorter life cycle, and a higher cost per sq. ft. He explained that, in an effort to mitigate any environmental concerns, the Missouri Department of Conservation has revised their coal tar emulsion installation method by requiring the contractor to have an absorbent boom material on hand ready for use should rain showers show up unexpectedly. Mr. McClure ended by saying that the administration is recommending that we return to using coal tar utilizing these same Missouri Department of Conservation specifications. After a short discussion, the Board agreed with the recommendation, but that we should continue to evaluate this each year.
b. West Plains Campus --- Dr. Drew Bennett, Chancellor of the West Plains Campus, first reported on their goal of increasing enrollment. Their fall enrollment was up 3.3% while their spring enrollment was flat. He said that all other two-year schools in Missouri are experiencing enrollment declines. To improve their retention numbers, they are focusing on developmental students. They are making progress in English, but not as much in Math. After a recent meeting with their Title III consultant, there are several ideas they plan to implement. He also indicated that in preparing for an update of their long-range plan, the West Plains Campus has a representative on every Task Force Committee of the Visioning project.
5. Discussion on Key Performance Indicators:
a. West Plains Campus --- Dr. Bennett briefly touched on the one indicator that is tending away – three-year graduation and transfer rate. He remarked that after several years of excellent enrollment growth, campus resources are just now catching up. They are hoping to see improvements in this indicator from positive outcomes of their Title III and TRIO grants.
b. Springfield Campus --- Dr. Frank Einhellig, Provost, reported that the Springfield Campus has met all five State Performance Measures. He also announced that the campus’s 15 performance measures are either trending upward or are in a “no long-term trend” status.
6. Update on Higher Learning Commission Accreditation --- Dr. Tammy Jahnke, Dean of the College of Natural & Applied Sciences and Higher Learning Commission Steering Committee Chair, reported that the HLC site visit will be October 5-6, 2015. There will be a scheduled time for board members to meet with the site team on Monday, October 5, or early Tuesday, October 6. The strengths and strategic opportunities of the criteria required of the Higher Learning Commission cover the areas of mission, integrity, teaching, learning, and planning.
7. Discussion on The Missouri State Vision: Our Passion for Excellence --- The Board heard interim reports from each of the chairs of the Visioning Project’s
six Task Forces – 1) Academic Profile – Dr. Frank Einhellig; 2) Funding – Dr. Stephanie
Bryant; 3) Infrastructure – Mr. Tom Peters; 4) Diversity – Dr. Sharmistha Self; 5)
Globalization – Dr. Jim Baker; and 6) Student Experience – Dr. Dee Siscoe.
A summary of the presentations and discussions include:
- The Board was complimentary of the work completed thus far as reported by the task force chairs.
- The Board looks forward to the final task force reports.
- Board members reiterated that Missouri State is operating from a position of strength.
- The Board did reaffirm its commitment to Missouri State’s “value proposition” – the quality of education for the cost.
- During the discussion, the Board encouraged the task force chairs to continue to think creatively about the challenges, especially funding.
- Overall, the Board did not identify any major issues that the task forces have not already discussed in some fashion.
The meeting was recessed at 4:45 p.m. The meeting reconvened at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, March 13, 2015.
Mr. Paul Kincaid, of Kincaid Communications LLC, led the retreat attendees in an exercise on the Visioning Project. All were asked to fill in the blank on the following statement: “I hope the members of this task force will be sure to consider this topic: ___________.” Responses were recorded on sticky notes and placed on the appropriate sheet for each of the six task forces. President Smart remarked that the results of this exercise would be forwarded to the Board members sometime next week.
8. Board of Governors’ Procedural Matters --- The following items were discussed:
- Topics for future Board meeting --- President Smart commented that the Diversity Climate Study will be the discussion at the May meeting, a follow-up on previous discussion topics will be presented at the June meeting, and 2015-2016 annual goals will be finalized at the July summer retreat. He asked Board members what topics they would like to discuss at Board meetings during the next school year. Items offered for consideration included: 1) Athletics; 2) Residence Halls and area private housing; 3) On-line education with an example provided; 4) Information Technology infrastructure; 5) Student/faculty team research; 6) Globalization with a focus on our China Campus; 7) Future growth in our downtown partnerships; and 8) Public Affairs.
- Board self-assessment discussion --- The Board had a conversation regarding whether they believed they were meeting their responsibilities, with the bulk of the discussion focusing on Board committees. Most liked the present two-committee structure and the ability to attend both committee meetings. It was decided that the committee agendas should limit the subjects so they are not rushed to cover too many items. It was also mentioned that there should be some follow-up reports on previous committee subject matters. President Smart then mentioned that he would send the self-assessment tool that is being used to drive these discussions to each of the Board members and asked them to send any other comments or concerns to Mr. John McAlear, Secretary.
- Presidential assessment --- Mr. McAlear commented that since everyone seemed to like the present presidential assessment tool, he will update the survey to include the 2014-2015 annual goals for this year’s assessment. He next proposed using a similar timeline to last year: 1) have President Smart present his self-assessment at the June 26, 2015, Board meeting; 2) the Board members will complete the online assessment tool by the middle of July; 3) the assessment results will be able to be reviewed online by the Board in late July; and 4) the entire Board will visit with President Smart regarding the results at the July 30, 2015, Board meeting.
- Directors Desk --- After a short discussion on the board portal system used for Board meetings and materials, the general consensus was favorable regarding our paperless board meetings. Mr. McAlear reported that the University has paid for use of the Directors Desk portal through May 31, 2016.
9. Closed Meeting --- It was determined that the Board of Governors needed to meet in a closed session to consider items of business provided in the Revised Statutes of Missouri. Mr. Hoven asked if a resolution authorizing a closed meeting of the Board was prepared. Thereupon, the following resolution was presented for consideration:
BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Governors for Missouri State University that a closed meeting, with closed records and closed vote, be held immediately following this March 12-13, 2015, meeting of the Board of Governors to consider items of business pursuant to:
- R.S.Mo. 610.021(1). “Legal actions, causes of action, or litigation involving a public governmental body…”
- R.S.Mo. 610.021(3). “Hiring, firing, disciplining or promoting of particular employees by a public governmental body…”
- R.S.Mo. 610.021(12). “…documents related to a negotiated contract until a contract is executed…”
- R.S.Mo. 610.021(13). “Individually identifiable personnel records, performance ratings or records pertaining to employees or applicants for employment,…”
Ms. Fry moved the approval of the resolution and Ms. Tergin seconded the motion.
A roll call vote on the resolution was as follows: those voting in favor – Governors
Fry, Hofherr, Hoven, Kimbrough, Miller, and Tergin; those voting against – none; those
absent – Governors Carmichael and Seal (out of the room for a brief moment).
Mr. Hoven declared the resolution passed unanimously.
10. Date of Next Meeting --- The date of the next regularly scheduled meeting was set for Thursday, May 14, 2015, at 1:00 p.m. on the Springfield Campus.
11. Adjournment--- Mr. Hoven adjourned the meeting at 10:10 a.m. on the motion of Ms. Fry, the second of Dr. Hofherr, and the unanimous vote of the Board.
John W. McAlear
Secretary