Minutes of the
Board of Governors Executive Committee
Missouri State University
Wednesday, January 20, 2021, 4:00 p.m.
Governor Amelia “Amy” Counts, Chair of the Board of Governors, called the meeting to order at 4:01 p.m. via Zoom webinar.
Roll Call
Present –
- Amelia “Amy” Counts, Chair of the Board
- Craig Frazier, Committee Member
- Carol Silvey, Committee Chair
- Chris Waters, Committee Member
Also Present –
- Clif Smart, President
- Jim Baker, Vice President for Research and Economic Development and International Programs
- Jeff Coiner, Chief Information Officer
- Ryan DeBoef, Chief of Staff and Assistant to the President for Governmental Relations
- Rachael Dockery, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer
- Briar Douglas, Student Board of Governor
- Steve Foucart, Chief Financial Officer
- Gabriel Gore, Board of Governor
- David Hall, Director of University Safety
- Dennis Lancaster, Interim Chancellor of the West Plains Campus
- Natalie McNish, Interim Director of Internal Audit and Risk Management
- Beverly Miller Keltner, Board of Governor
- Matt Morris, Vice President for Administrative Services
- Lynn Parman, Board of Governor
- Suzanne Shaw, Vice President for Marketing and Communications
- Rowena Stone, Secretary to the Board of Governors
- Carrie Tergin, Board of Governor
- Shawn Wahl, Dean of the Reynolds College of Arts and Letters
- Jay Wasson, Board of Governor
Approval of Minutes – Governor Counts called for a motion to approve the minutes of the November 18, 2020, Executive Committee meeting. Governor Carol Silvey provided a motion, receiving a second from Governor Chris Waters.
Motion passed 4-0.
President’s Report – President Clif Smart provided an update on the start of the spring semester. He shared that the university will receive $23.4 million in funds through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA). He added that $6.9 million of these funds are a direct pass through to students. West Plains should receive $2.1 million with a little less than $500,000 being a direct pass through to students. The university has not yet received guidance on the use or reporting of these funds.
President Smart discussed COVID-19 testing for students returning to on campus housing. He shared that 2,864 student tests were processed with a positivity rate of 1.67%. Of the students who tested positive, 12 opted to stay home and 29 were moved into isolation housing. He added that there are currently 18 students in quarantine or isolation housing. He stated that the university is off to a good start with the semester in terms of cases.
President Smart shared that the university has started distributing vaccinations and administered 155 yesterday at Magers Health and Wellness Center. The university received its first tray of vaccines from the state which included 975 doses. Over the next several days, Magers will administer 250 vaccines per day for those falling in phase 1B, tiers 1 and 2. The university hopes to receive a tray a week to continue vaccinating the campus community and then expanding to others in the community.
President Smart shared that enrollment for the first week is down around 2.1% on both the Springfield and West Plains campuses. He stated that this is the case for most of the universities in Missouri because of the pandemic for various reasons. He added that the university should still be above budget for the semester but not as much as last semester.
President Smart called upon Ryan DeBoef, Chief of Staff and Assistant to the President for Governmental Relations, to provide a legislative session update. Mr. DeBoef shared that the legislative session started two weeks ago and that both the house and senate formed committees and began assigning bills. The university’s priorities revolve around the state budget. The first step in the state’s budgeting process is the Governor’s Budget recommendations which are expected to be published when he provides his state of the state address on January 27. Mr. DeBoef stated that the university has been engaged with Governor Parson’s office to advocate against any cuts to the university’s operating appropriation and to advocate for the university’s capital priorities if funds are available. He added that with recently released funds for capital projects, the university was able to move forward with renovations to Kampeter Hall. He concluded his report by sharing that as a result of the released funds, the university has modified its capital priorities to refocus efforts on the Darr Agriculture Center and IDEA Commons.
FY2021 Budget Adjustment Discussion – President Smart discussed proposed revisions to the FY 2021 internal operating budget. In January, Governor Parson released the remaining $10.2 million that was withheld from the university’s core operating appropriation with $8.4 million designated to maintenance and repair projects. Matt Morris, Vice President for Administrative Services, provided an overview of how the university prioritizes maintenance and repair projects. He reviewed the recommended maintenance and repair items to be completed and shared that each project will be presented for approval through normal Board procedures.
President Smart reviewed how the funds would be allocated for each project that included:
- $7,866,679 for maintenance and repair on the Springfield campus to include the Kampeter Hall renovation, Brick City structural repairs, and the Grand Street underpass.
- $566,415 for maintenance and repair on the West Plains campus to include the Broadway Building welding lab.
- An additional $1,560,540 on the Springfield campus and $112,362 on the West Plains campus to be held in reserves.
President Smart presented a resolution for approval of a second FY2021 internal operating budget adjustment (Finance No. 1090-21). Governor Silvey made a motion for approval, receiving a second from Governor Craig Frazier.
Motion passed 4-0.
Procurement and Financial – Steve Foucart, Chief Financial Officer, presented a resolution summarizing activity of the Office of Procurement for the period of November 13, 2020, through January 13, 2021 (Purchasing Activity Report No. 497-21). The one item included for approval in the resolution was:
- Amending Contract C6877-1 Student Health Plan – International Students Only, to extend the upcoming expiring agreement for the insurance policy through Academic Health Plans, to cover the period August 10, 2021 through August 10, 2022 for an estimated cost of $1,476,300.
Governor Chris Waters made a motion for approval, receiving a second from Governor Frazier.
Motion passed 4-0.
Adjournment – With no additional information needing to be discussed, Governor Counts adjourned the meeting at 4:59 p.m.
Rowena Stone
Rowena Stone
Secretary to the Board