MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS
MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY
AUGUST 5, 2011
10 a.m.
Roll Call
Present- Ms. Elizabeth Bradbury, Chair of the Board
Mr. Michael Duggan, Governor
Mr. Gordon Elliott, Vice Chair of the Board
Mr. Brian Hammons, Governor
Mr. Orvin Kimbrough, Governor
Ms. Mary Sheid, Governor
Mr. Brandt Shields, Student Governor
Ms. Cathy Smith, Governor
Mr. John Winston, Governor
Absent- Ms. Phyllis Washington, Governor
Also
Present- Clifton Smart III, Interim President
Drew Bennett, Chancellor of the West Plains Campus
Frank Einhellig, Interim Provost
Earle Doman, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students
Ken McClure, Vice President for Administrative and Information Services
Leslie Anderson, Interim Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion
Jim Baker, Vice President for Research and Economic Development
Stephen Foucart, Interim Chief Financial Officer
Brent Dunn, Vice President for University Advancement
Penni Groves, Interim General Counsel
John McAlear, Secretary of the Board
2. Presiding --- The presiding officer for the meeting was Ms. Elizabeth Bradbury, Chair of the Board of Governors. She called the meeting to order at 10:05 a.m. in the Traywick Parliamentary Room in the Plaster Student Union on the campus of Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri.
3. Approval of Minutes:
a. Board of Governors’ Meetings --- Ms. Bradbury asked if there was a motion for the approval of the minutes for the open and closed meetings of June 17, 2011, and June 26, 2011. Mr. Kimbrough so moved, with the second provided by Mr. Duggan.
Motion passed 8-0.
b. Executive Committee Meeting --- Ms. Bradbury next asked if there was a motion for the approval of the minutes for the open Executive Committee meeting of July 8, 2011. Mr. Hammons so moved, receiving the second of Ms. Smith.
Motion passed 3-0.
4. Consent Agenda --- Ms. Bradbury noted that the next item of business on the agenda was the approval of the Consent Agenda for this meeting. The items included in the Consent Agenda are:
July 8, 2011 Executive Committee Meeting
The instructional technology systems for the Christopher S. Bond Learning Center (Bids & Quotations No. 1371-11); Sensory Integration, low bid of $170,000 for the base bid plus alternate 1; total project budget established at $277,000.
The exterior envelope repairs to the Jordan Valley Innovation Center (Bids & Quotations No. 1372-11); Rich Kramer Construction, Inc., low bid of $353,200 for the base bid plus alternate 2; total project budget set at $445,000.
Approval to increase the project budget for the interior finish renovation of the Residence Halls (Bids & Quotations No. 1373-11); this $66,000 increase brings the new total project budget to $1,966,000.
Approval of Amendment #6 to Lease Agreement between Missouri State University and Lockheed Martin Corporation (Agreement No. 275-11). This amendment provides Lockheed Martin a 90-day option period on 4,024 additional square feet in the Jordan Valley Innovation Center at a rate of $16.94 per square foot.
Approval of Lease Agreement between the Board of Governors of Missouri State University and Springfield Innovation, Inc., (Agreement No. 276-11). This two-year lease agreement authorizes Springfield Innovation, Inc., to develop building #4, located at 524 N. Boonville Avenue, and sublease space for the promotion of scientific and technology-based research, commercial application via technology transfers, as well as support the educational and research mission of the University.
President
Approval of employment of Clifton M. Smart III as Interim President of Missouri State University (Human Resources No. 1354-11).
Approval of employment of Frank Einhellig as Interim Provost of Missouri State University (Human Resources No. 1355-11).
Approval of employment of Penni Groves as Interim General Counsel of Missouri State University (Human Resources No. 1356-11).
Approval of employment contract for Assistant Football Coach Taiwo Onatolu (Human Resources No. 1357-11).
Approval of employment contract for Assistant Women’s Soccer Coach Andrew Fitzgerald (Human Resources No. 1358-11).
West Plains Campus
Approval of Activity Report dated July 12, 2011 (West Plains Campus Activity Report No. 90-11).
Approval of actions concerning West Plains Campus academic employees (West Plains Campus Personnel No. 327-11).
Approval of actions concerning West Plains Campus non-academic employees (West Plains Campus Personnel No. 328-11).
Approval of FY2012 Salary and Benefits Overview for Missouri State University-West Plains Assistant Coaches (West Plains Campus Personnel No. 329-11).
Springfield Campus Purchases/Contracts
Approval of Procurement Activity Report for the period June 18, 2011, through July 22, 2011 (Purchasing Activity Report No. 361-11).
Facilities and Equipment
Approval of Activity Report for the month of June 2011 (Activity Report No. 223-11).
Approval of the corrected source of funding for the exterior renovation of Hutchens House, Garst Cafeteria, Hammons House, and Freudenberger House (Bids & Quotations No. 1374-11). The entire funding source for this project is now the Residence Life dedicated reserve for repairs and replacement.
Human Resources Items
Actions concerning academic employees (Human Resources No. 1359-11).
Actions concerning non-academic employees (Human Resources No. 1360-11).
Approval of salary adjustments to the new minimum for new hires and transfers (Human Resources No. 1361-11).
Mr. Kimbrough made a motion to approve the Consent Agenda receiving a second from Ms. Sheid.
Motion passed 8-0.
5. President’s Report --- Mr. Clifton M. Smart III, Interim President, began his report by reviewing his first six weeks as Interim President. There have been some organizational and policy changes. All International Programs will be consolidated under Dr. Jim Baker, Vice President for Research and Economic Development. A new committee has been formed to make space assignments which will be directed by Mr. Ken McClure, Vice President for Administrative and Information Services. A task force has also been formed to evaluate the rules surrounding the return of academic administrators to faculty. Mr. Smart next reported that they have suspended the granting of new cell phone allowances to employees. He also indicated that he has been meeting with community, business, political, and education leaders in our city. He remarked that he believes we have a solid administrative team that has confidence in each other. He then explained why the Brick City resolution has been dropped from the agenda. This resolution was to enter into a letter of intent to lease buildings 1 & 5 of Brick City for the Art & Design Department. These buildings would add much-needed academic space and the timing of this today was centered on our ability to partner with a private company. The partner we were working with told us late yesterday that they were not ready to commit at this point. Mr. Smart anticipates that this leasing resolution will appear as an agenda item in the near future.
Mr. Smart then presented a resolution (Finance No. 1016-11) approving two decision items to submit to the Coordinating Board for Higher Education for fiscal-year 2013 operating funds. The first decision item is to request additional funds to address inflation in the amount of about $2.8 million and the second decision item is to request an additional $7 million to help address the backlog of maintenance and repair expenses. We are aware that there are no funds available for these items but this is to document our needs. Moved by Ms. Sheid and seconded by Mr. Duggan.
Motion passed 8-0.
Mr. Smart then presented a resolution (Human Resources No. 1362-11) approving the employment of Mr. Steve Foucart as Interim Chief Financial Officer, effective August 1, 2011. Moved by Mr. Kimbrough, with the second being provided by Mr. Elliott.
Motion passed 8-0.
6. Academic Affairs:
a. Faculty Senate Report --- Dr. Terrel Gallaway, Chairperson for the Faculty Senate, reported that they had a special session of the Faculty Senate so the Senate could hear from the new administration. Interim President Smart and Interim Provost Frank Einhellig were well received and did a great job addressing faculty and alleviating their concerns. Moreover, since that time, they have continued making favorable impressions by reaching out to faculty and staff, by being responsive to their concerns, and by making a concerted effort to be open, honest, and level headed. Dr. Galloway also commented that his impression is that the campus is more optimistic and less fearful than they were one month ago. He hopes that a year from now, the consensus in that the new administration has done a great job.
b. Report from the Provost --- Dr. Frank Einhellig reported that they had 41 new hires (10 from internal) for this upcoming academic year. The 31 external hires include 18 new faculty members at the Instructor level. He then introduced Dr. Stephanie Bryant, the new Dean of the College of Business Administration. There are still about 10 faculty slots open for this coming academic year. We have about the same number of faculty, about 700, as we had in 1998; however, this is about 38 less than we had just a few years ago. Dr. Einhellig next mentioned that they are excited about having a satellite PharmD program that will be coming to our campus in the Fall of 2014. It will take that long due to UMKC needing to have this off-site location fully approved by their accrediting society.
He then presented a resolution (Curriculum No. 345-11) that the Specialist in Education Degree in Counseling and Assessment be added to the Graduate programs in the department of Counseling, Leadership, and Special Education. Moved by Mr. Duggan. Seconded by Ms. Smith.
Motion passed 8-0.
7. Research and Economic Development --- Dr. Jim Baker, Vice President for Research and Economic Development, reported that funds awarded to MSU for FY2011, were $18,718,505 which are down when compared to the previous year. We are also down in the number of proposals submitted. Dr. Baker indicated that he will be working with Dr. Einhellig and the College Deans on incentives to help increase the number of proposals submitted. Our goal is to receive at least $20 million each year, and by 2016, at least $25 million.
Diversity and Inclusion --- Dr. Leslie Anderson, Interim Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion, distributed the Office for Diversity and Inclusion 2010-2011 Development Report. She reminded everyone that diversity is more than composition. The report is organized and separated into the four major sections of the Inclusive Excellence scorecard: 1) Access, Success, & Equity concerns our campus composition and who’s participating at what capacity and do we understand what is happening on our campus; 2) Campus/Community Climate refers to an inclusive environment that fosters excellence for all, as well as a broad level of community engagement that provides leadership and collaboration beyond the boundaries of our campus; 3) Student Learning & Development includes knowing that our students, faculty, and staff are all learning from one another and that we are developing competencies so that when our students leave our campus, they are able to work in a variety of settings; and 4) Institutional Commitment concerns the degree to which the university integrates diversity and inclusion across the campus. She added that one of the areas they are focusing on for next year are the many different activities (lectures, panels, films, and heritage month activities) that are fabulous opportunities for learning and engagement and for participation from faculty and staff. Dr. Anderson highlighted the College of Natural and Applied Science, under the leadership of Dean Tammy Jahnke and their development of a Task Force to determine how to assess their college for diversity and inclusion. The Task Force published a very nice report identifying several target areas to focus on this next year. Dr. Anderson also mentioned that the Diversity and Economic Development Summit held this year touched 72 different organizations in our community. She ended her comments by reporting that the Chronicle for Higher Education ranked MSU number one in the country for web accessibility for the visually impaired.
West Plains Campus --- Dr. Drew Bennett, Chancellor of the West Plains Campus, reported the new Student Recreation Center & Emergency Shelter facility will be opened in early September. The students are excited and already scheduling events in the building. He also reported on their Retention Action Plan. They have made a significant effort to improve retention at MSU-West Plains. This effort has been funded by TRIO, Title 3, and Veterans’ grants. He added that while we have better retention and graduation rates than the average for two-year schools in Missouri, we want to do better. He ended his report by distributing copies of the third edition of their refereed journal, Elder Mountain: A Journal of Ozarks Studies.
10. Student Affairs:
a. Report from Student Body President --- Ms. Emily Bernet, Vice President of the Student Body, reported that they have been working toward scheduling a meeting with student body presidents and vice presidents for four-year institutions across the State. She also reported that they have had the opportunity to tour both the Jordan Valley Innovation Center and the West Plains Campus in an effort to be better acquainted with the entire University System.
b. Report from Vice President for Student Affairs --- Dr. Earle Doman, Vice President for Student Affairs, reported that there were 41 SOAR student leaders this summer. The number of SOAR participants, students and family members, totaled just under 5,000 – almost identical to last year. He next commented that two weeks from today, students will be arriving for the Fall opening weekend festivities. Dr. Doman reported on the University’s support to the City of Joplin to help with the cleanup after the destruction of the tornado that struck Joplin on May 22, 2011. A scholarship fund has been established, t-shirts have been sold, buses of volunteers have helped out, and basketball fund-raising games between the Bears, Lady Bears, and the respective Missouri Southern squads have been scheduled. He next summarized that in two weeks, Residence Life will be showcasing: a) what 3,000 gallons of paint will do; b) how 60,000 feet of cove base will finish off 20,000 square yards of carpet; and c) what 10,000 square feet of new flooring will look like. Also, add in more than 700 new doors with hardware, thousands of new ceiling tiles, a lot of new furniture, miles of wiring and plumbing for a new sprinkler system, tons of cement, and 460 new windows. Dr. Doman stated that they will be ready for opening weekend.
11. Financial:
a. Development Report --- Mr. Brent Dunn, Vice President for University Advancement, reported that FY2011 was the fourth consecutive year that we set a new record for total gift dollars received. The total received, $16.7 million, was about $1.2 million more than last year and we were also up in total number of donors. He added that after one month of FY2012, we are up about $25,000 when compared to last year.
b. Financial Report --- Mr. Stephen Foucart, Interim Chief Financial Officer, presented a resolution (Purchasing Activity Report No. 362-11) for Office of Procurement Services activities from July 23, 2011, through August 5, 2011. Moved by Ms. Sheid, receiving the second of Mr. Winston.
Motion passed 8-0.
12. Facilities and Equipment --- Mr. Ken McClure, Vice President for Administrative and Information Services, presented a resolution (Agreement No. 277-11) for the approval of the Intergovernmental Agreement with the City of Springfield for Law Enforcement Services with Missouri State University for Fiscal Year 2012. The total cost for the services provided is $685,160, which is funded by both Education & General funds and Residence Life funds. This represents a 1.76% increase over last year.
Moved by Ms. Sheid and seconded by Mr. Duggan.
Motion passed 8-0.
13. Human Resources --- Mr. McClure next reminded the Board of the actions taken at the June meeting - to raise the salary ranges by approximately 6.6% and to ensure that our employees are paid at the minimum of the new pay ranges, the Board approved salary increases for 328 employees effective July 1. At that meeting, it was noted that a subsequent pay package would be recommended which would address a portion of the salary compression which occurred as a result of the changes in the pay ranges. He then presented the following resolutions designed to address compression in the lowest Quartile of the new pay ranges:
Approval of salary adjustments to make the new minimum increase to at least $500 (Human Resources No. 1363-11) - this resolution provides an additional increase to 68 employees holding full-time positions prior to July 1, 2010, and whose original increase to the new pay range minimums was less than $500. As a result, the original increase to the new minimum plus the second increase will equal a total of $500.
Approval of salary adjustments to employees in Quartile 1 (Human Resources No. 1364-11) - this resolution deals with the remaining employees in Quartile 1 – this impacts 305 employees who would receive a $500 annual pay increase unless they are within $500 of the upper limit of Quartile 1, and for those employees, they would receive a declining annual pay increase so as not to exceed the upper limit of Quartile 1.
Moved by Mr. Kimbrough. Seconded by Mr. Duggan.
Motion passed 8-0.
14. New Business --- Ms. Bradbury presented a resolution (Administration No. 23-11) recognizing six members of the Board of Governors whose terms have or will soon expire. These six members include Mr. Brian Hammons (5+ years), Mr. John Winston (nearly 6 years), Mr. Michael Duggan (8+ years), Ms. Phyllis Washington (8+ years), Ms. Mary Sheid (9+ years), and Ms. Elizabeth Bradbury (3+ years). Moved by Mr. Kimbrough and seconded by Ms. Smith
Motion passed 7-0-1. (each governor recognized abstained as to his or her own recognition)
Ms. Bradbury presented those governors recognized who were in attendance with their individualized resolution. Mr. Elliott, Vice Chair of the Board presented Ms. Bradbury her resolution.
Ms. Bradbury next commented that every year at this meeting the Board elects new officers for the coming year. She asked if there was a nomination of a slate of officers. Mr. Kimbrough then nominated the following slate of officers:
Chair Mr. Gordon Elliott
Vice-Chair Ms. Cathy Smith
Secretary Mr. John McAlear
Treasurer Mr. Steve Foucart
Mr. Hammons moved to approve this slate of officers with Mr. Duggan providing the second to the motion.
Motion passed unanimously.
Mr. Elliott then thanked the Board for their confidence. He commented that we have a great university, great faculty, great students, and a great administration. He then asked, as we begin the school year, that we redouble our already strong commitment to connecting with this community, the region, and the State of Missouri. We have an obligation to lead in this community, region, and State and we must lead by example. He ended his remarks by saying it is a privilege and honor for him to serve as Chair.
Mr. Elliott then announced that the membership for the three subject-matter committees will remain the same as this past year. They are:
Academic Affairs: Elizabeth Bradbury (Chair), Michael Duggan, and Gordon Elliott.
Student Affairs: Cathy Smith (Chair), Mary Sheid, Phyllis Washington, and Brandt Shields
Finance: Orvin Kimbrough (Chair), Brian Hammons, and John Winston
He then proposed the following membership for the Executive Committee – Elizabeth Bradbury, Cathy Smith, and Orvin Kimbrough. Mr. Hammons so moved, receiving the second of Mr. Duggan.
Motion passed 8-0.
Mr. Elliott announced that since we have several new governors coming on in the near future, he will serve as the Board’s interim liaison to the Missouri State University Foundation Board until we see who fits in and who else he might be able to appoint.
15. Date of Next Meeting --- The date of the next regularly scheduled meeting was set for Friday, October 28, 2011, at 10:00 a.m. in Room 313 of the Plaster Student Union.
16. Adjournment--- Mr. Elliott adjourned the meeting at 11:50 a.m. on the motion of Mr. Kimbrough, the second of Ms. Bradbury, and the unanimous vote of the Board.
John W. McAlear