May 14, 2015

MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS

MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY

MAY 14, 2015

 1.                  Roll Call

Present-     Mr. Joe Carmichael, Governor

                  Mr. Caleb Doyle, Student Governor

                  Ms. Virginia Fry, Governor

                  Dr. Peter Hofherr, Vice Chair

Mr. Stephen B. Hoven, Chair

Mr. Orvin Kimbrough, Governor (by conference call at 1:40 p.m.)

Ms. Beverly Miller, Governor

Mr. Kendall Seal, Governor

Ms. Carrie Tergin, Governor  

                  Also

Present-     Clifton Smart III, President

                  Drew Bennett, Chancellor of the West Plains Campus

                  Dee Siscoe, Vice President for Student Affairs

Ken McClure, Vice President for Administrative and Information Services

Jim Baker, Vice President for Research, Economic Development, and International Programs

Kenneth Coopwood, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion

Stephen Foucart, Chief Financial Officer

Donna Christian, Director of Internal Audit and Compliance

Suzanne Shaw, Vice President for Marketing & Communications

Brent Dunn, Vice President for University Advancement

                  Rachael Dockery, General Counsel

            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 1:00 p.m. in the Traywick Parliamentary Room in the Plaster Student Union on the campus of Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri. 

 3.                  Approval of Board of Governors’ Meeting Minutes --- Mr. Hoven mentioned that the first item of business was the approval of the minutes for the open and closed meetings of February 6, 2015. Ms. Tergin so moved, receiving the second of Ms. Fry.

Motion passed 7-0.  

He then asked for the approval of the minutes for the open meeting of March 12-13, 2015, and the closed meeting of March 13, 2015.  Ms. Fry so moved, receiving the second of Mr. Carmichael.

Motion passed 7-0.

 4.                  Consent Agenda --- Mr. Hoven 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:

President

Approval of employment contracts for Kevin P. Dunn as Assistant Coach for Volleyball and Matthew W. Sligh as Assistant Coach for Men’s Basketball (Human Resources No. 1483-15).

West Plains Campus

Approval of Activity Report dated May 14, 2015 (West Plains Campus Activity Report No. 110-15).

Approval of actions concerning West Plains Campus academic employees (West Plains Campus Personnel No. 375-15).

Approval of actions concerning West Plains Campus non-academic employees (West Plains Campus Personnel No. 376-15).

Approval of Fiscal Year 2016 Salary and Benefits Overview for Missouri State University-West Plains Coaches (West Plains Campus Personnel No. 377-15).

Approval of Expenditures to Implement Student-Approved Capital Projects (West Plains Campus Purchase Approval 48-15).

Approval of revised Memorandum of Understanding and approval to enter into an agreement with the West Plains R-7 School District (West Plains Campus Agreement No. 39-15).

Approval of name change for the Associate of Applied Science in Respiratory Therapy degree/program to Associate of Applied Science in Respiratory Care degree/program (West Plains Campus Curriculum 73-15).

Approval of Memorandum of Understanding and approval to enter into an agreement with the South Central Career Center, West Plains, Missouri, for culinary arts courses (West Plains Campus Agreement No. 40-15).

Approval of Memorandum of Understanding and approval to enter into an agreement with the South Central Career Center, West Plains, Missouri, for manufacturing technology courses (West Plains Campus Agreement No. 41-15).

Springfield Campus Purchases/Contracts

Approval of Procurement Activity Report for the period January 21, 2015, through April 28, 2015 (Purchasing Activity Report No. 419-15).

Approval of revisions to the 2015-2016 Fee Schedule (Fees No. 146-15).

Facilities and Equipment

Approval of Activity Report for the month of January 2015 (Activity Report No. 266-15).

Approval of Activity Report for the month of February 2015 (Activity Report No. 267-15).

Approval of Activity Report for the month of March 2015 (Activity Report No. 268-15).

The computer complex, Room 437, Glass Hall (Bids & Quotations No. 1493-15); Hovey Homes, LLC, low bid of $81,900; total project budget set at $114,400.

Approval of a resolution granting a license agreement with the Missouri State University Foundation to allow the installation of new playground equipment to serve the Child Development Center at the Professional Building (Agreement No. 354-15).

Student Affairs

Approval of Wyrick expenditures passed by student vote April 2015 to be implemented in FY 2016 (Purchase Approval No. 136-15).

Human Resources Items

Actions concerning academic employees (Human Resources No. 1484-15).

Actions concerning non-academic employees (Human Resources No. 1485-15).

Dr. Hofherr made a motion to approve the Consent Agenda, receiving a second from Mr. Carmichael.

Motion passed 7-0.

 5.                  President’s Report --- President Clif Smart began his report by welcoming everyone to commencement weekend at Missouri State. He stated that in the three commencement ceremonies tomorrow, we will graduate 2,416 students on the Springfield campus, including 1,885 students with undergraduate degrees and 531 with graduate degrees, 41 of which are doctorates. On Saturday, 280 students will graduate with associate degrees on the West Plains campus.   

President Smart then asked Dr. Chris Craig, Associate Provost, to introduce our faculty highlight. Dr. Craig first informed the Board of a new program that has been on our campus for about 2 ½ years – a Grow-Your-Own program.  This is a loan-forgiveness program that is highly selective – there are only two individuals in the program right now. This program is to identify a talented instructor in our university community, to invest in that person to further their education, and have that person become a tenure-track faculty member in their department. He asked Ms. Judith Martinez, Instructor in World Languages and Cultures, to say a few words about the program.  Ms. Martinez remarked that she is very fortunate to be in this program and it has been very tough to have a full-time job and be a full-time student in a PhD program. She has received tremendous support from her department head, her dean, the university administration, and the University of Arkansas.   

President Smart next gave a report on the University’s legislative priorities.  He indicated that we had three priorities this year: 1) receive an increase in our core operating appropriation; 2) receive a re-appropriation of our $1.325 million line item for the occupational therapy and allied health programs; and 3) receive a capital appropriation through the issuance of general revenue bonds for four maintenance and repair projects: Ellis Hall, Hill Hall, Missouri Hall in West Plains, and life safety improvements in West Plains. We have achieved all three goals. First, the average appropriation increase of all public universities is 1.3% - our increase is 1.5% because of the first-time use of an equity component and because we met all of our performance measures. Second, the legislature did re-appropriate our $1.325 million line item for the occupational therapy program in Springfield and allied health programs in West Plains. Thirdly, regarding capital appropriations, early last week Governor Jay Nixon released $2.25 million that had been appropriated last year for the Davis Harrington Welcome Center. Then, the legislature passed a series of bonding bills that include $18.9 million for our four maintenance and repair projects. He thanked two legislators for their efforts to make this happen - Senator Mike Parson and Representative Lincoln Hough.  He introduced Representative Hough, who was in attendance at the meeting. President Smart also acknowledged the outstanding work of Ryan DeBoef, Chief of Staff, who did a great job coordinating our advocacy efforts in Jefferson City.

President Smart ended his report by presenting a resolution (Awards No. 62-15) approving former Missouri State University employees to be added to the Wall of Fame. The 2015 recommendations are: Dr. Ronald Bottin; Dr. Dominic Capecci, Jr.; Dr. Mona Casady Niewald; Dr. Curtis Lawrence; and Mr. William (Bill) Rowe, Jr.  Moved and seconded respectively, by Ms. Miller and Ms. Tergin.

Motion passed 7-0.

 6.                  Academic Affairs:

    1. a.      Faculty Senate Report --- Dr. Stephen McIntyre, former Chairperson of the Faculty Senate, reported on the 2014 Faculty Morale Survey. He commented that there is increased faculty satisfaction in most areas when compared to recent past surveys. He also reported that since his report to the Board in February, the Faculty Senate has approved seven new curricular proposals including a new Interdisciplinary Sustainability minor.  Dr. Sharmistha Self, new Chairperson of the Faculty Senate, next reported the Senate unanimously passed an action supporting the transformation of the pen and paper curricular process to an electronic process. This can be accomplished using the Banner system already on campus. 

 b.      Report from Provost --- Dr. Craig, with assistance from Dr. Julie Masterson, Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate College, first presented a resolution of appreciation for Dr. Stephen McIntyre’s exemplary service as Chair of the Faculty Senate for the 2014-2015 academic year.  Moved and seconded, respectively, by Mr. Carmichael and Ms. Fry.

Motion passed 7-0.

He then named the recipients of the Missouri State University Foundation Awards for Excellence in Teaching, Research, and Service for 2015, some of whom were present:

Teaching – John Chuchiak (History); David Romano (Political Science).

Research – Kartik Ghosh (Physics, Astronomy, and Materials Science); Sharmistha Self (Economics).

Service – Jill Black (Geography, Geology, and Planning); Matthew Pierson (Engineering).

Dr. Rachelle Darabi, Associate Provost for Student Development & Public Affairs then presented a resolution (Awards No. 63-15) naming the Excellence in Public Affairs Faculty and Staff award recipients. Faculty award winners were Christopher Barnhart, Keri Franklin, and Renee Moore, and Staff award winners were Isaac Balasundaram and Lisa McEowen. Moved and seconded, respectively, by Mr. Kimbrough and Dr. Hofherr.

Motion passed 8-0.

Dr. Darabi then introduced each of the award winners. Governors Caleb Doyle, Virginia Fry, and Kendall Seal assisted Dr. Darabi with the award presentations.

Dr. Kurt Heinlein, Chair of the eleventh annual Public Affairs Conference, next reported on the success of this year’s conference which had the theme – Ethical Citizen – Can You Make a Difference? This was the second time he has chaired this conference. This year’s attendance was a record – just under 5,600. He saw an increase in faculty and student involvement this year.

7.         West Plains Campus --- Dr. Drew Bennett, Chancellor of the West Plains Campus, first reported that they have received pledges for a third professorship on the West Plains Campus. He then presented the following resolutions for the Board’s consideration:

Revisions to the Missouri State University-West Plains Faculty Handbook from the Septennial Review process (West Plains Campus Faculty Policies No. 15-15).

Revisions to the Missouri State University-West Plains Faculty Handbook By-Laws, concerning Article I, Section 2; Article I, Section 6, Item 1 – D; Article I, Section 6, Item F; and Article I, Section 6, Item K of the recently revised edition. (West Plains Campus Faculty Policies No. 16-15).

Motion to approve the two resolutions was offered by Dr. Hofherr with the second being provided by Ms. Tergin.

Motion passed 8-0.

8.         Student Affairs:

a.   Report from Student Body President --- Mr. Jordan McGee, former Student Body President, reported that SGA made great strides this year, particularly in the areas of sustainability, school spirit and traditions, combating sexual assault, and discussions on diversity & inclusion. More work needs to be done, but he is happy with setting a strong foundation for future years to come.  Ms. Ashley Crisafulli, newly elected Student Body President, first reported on some activities of the West Plains Student Government Association. She is very excited about the upcoming year, and some of the items they will focus on include: a) working with athletics and traditions to raise our profile; b) continuing with sustainability efforts; and c) addressing the climate study.

b.   Commendations --- Dr. Dee Siscoe, Vice President for Student Affairs, first presented a resolution to commend Jordan McGee as Student Body president from May 2014 through May 2015. Moved by Mr. Carmichael and seconded by Dr. Hofherr.

                  Motion passed 8-0.

Dr. Siscoe then presented a resolution to commend Addison Reed for outstanding service as Student Body Vice President from May 2014 through May 2015. Moved and seconded, respectively, by Ms. Tergin and Ms. Miller.

Motion passed 8-0.

9.         Staff Senate --- Mr. Scott Fiedler, Staff Senate Chair, reported on some of their ongoing projects.  Next fall, the Staff Senate will have a Staff Satisfaction Survey which will be completed every two years by staff. Ms. Brenda Stewart, a member of Staff Senate, next described a new program on campus that she came up with where a department which has office supplies that are not going to be used could post this information on a blog letting other departments know of the availability of these free supplies.

Mr. Ken McClure, Vice President for Administrative and Information Services, presented a resolution to commend Mr. Fiedler for his outstanding service as Staff Senate Chair for 2014-2015.  Moved by Dr. Hofherr and seconded by Ms. Fry.

Motion passed 8-0.

10.       New Business:

a.   AGB Conference Report --- Mr. Hoven next reported on the recent Association of Governing Boards (AGB) conference that he attended along with President Smart and Dr. Hofherr. He commented that he could tell by some of the questions at the conference that we are very fortunate – our board members work together, respect each other, and care for what is in the best interest of the university. He added one comment that he heard was that “boards need to understand that traditional solutions to financial issues may not suffice.”  Although we are experiencing great growth right now, we need to continue to monitor our financial condition and look for ways to do things better. He also observed how important it is to have an agreed-upon strategic direction.  He is very pleased at the administration’s efforts in this regard – with the current Visioning project leading to the next long-range plan.

b.   Discussion on Campus Diversity Climate Study --- President Smart first gave a little history prior to the recent climate study. Soon after Dr. Michael Nietzel became university president in 2005, he created a President’s Commission for Diversity with goals to address current campus diversity issues and develop strategies for improving campus diversity and inclusion. Many recommendations were implemented with the most important result being the hiring of a chief diversity officer. In 2008, Missouri State University was one of four universities that participated in a research project of Dr. Paula Caplan, of Harvard University, titled “The Voices of Diversity,” and we were the only university that allowed Dr. Caplan to use our name publicly. Sixty university students participated in this research project. Dr. Caplan found that at Missouri State: 1) about half of the students felt they connected to the college and off-campus community and felt as though they fit on campus; 2) approximately 20% indicated that they had experienced discriminatory practices on campus; and 3) about 60% felt there was racial discrimination on campus even though most had not personally experienced it. The University took numerous actions to improve the campus climate for diverse students.

President Smart then stated that about two years ago, it was time to see what impact these efforts had on our campus climate We retained Diversity Works, Inc., from Champaign, Illinois, to facilitate a climate study of Missouri State. Dr. Ken Coopwood, current Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion, advocated for this project and supervised its completion. Study participants included a large number of students, faculty, staff and administrators. A large majority of participants indicated that our campus is an inclusive environment. The overall percentage of experiences of discrimination, harassment, hostile environment, and retaliation was about 10%. However, members of minority groups were more likely to see Missouri State as not being inclusive or to indicate that they had experienced some form of discrimination. However, it is encouraging to see that almost two-thirds of LGBTQ participants perceived the University as a “safe haven” compared to the larger Springfield community. Looking at just students, those who identify as a member of a minority group were more likely than other students to indicate that they experienced a non-inclusive campus environment at Missouri State. To sum up the report, President Smart said we have made progress since 2005, but we still have work to do. Our contacts at Diversity Works have indicated that the findings in Missouri State’s climate study are very similar to findings at other universities.

President Smart next summarized our responses to the climate study. Before we added new diversity initiatives, we compiled a seventeen-page listing of diversity programs and activities occurring at the university this past year. We may not be communicating the availability of these programs as well as we could. An issue we are looking at is faculty and staff competence to engage students in sensitive conversations about race and other diversity issues. We have retained Drs. Ed and Mya Hubbard, consultants specializing in diversity analytics, to provide a public presentation and to conduct training. As far as recruiting a more diverse student population, we have had great success with this over the last four years and we anticipate further progress on this matter this coming fall based on our enrollment-tracking system.  President Smart added that we have begun the process of developing long-term plans for improving our campus climate. The visioning task force is completing its work on diversity and that work will also be factored into the upcoming long-range planning process. President Smart concluded his remarks by stating that we must continue to focus on diversity because it is critical to our students’ academic experience and future success. It is also important for our faculty and staff work environments. He remarked that there is a business case for diversity.

A discussion was then held among the Board members and those in attendance at the meeting. Some important themes from this discussion were: a) the need to stress personal accountability to our students; b) it is essential that we continue the conversation of inclusion - this cannot be perceived as a chore that can be checked off; c) the University has been and needs to continue to be the lead voice in discussing and working with diversity issues throughout the Springfield community; d) student diversity training teams will be made accessible to other student groups as peer-to-peer training is more comfortable; and e) all areas of the university need to give students many different opportunities for becoming engaged on campus. President Smart ended the discussion by acknowledging Dr. Coopwood for pushing us down the road to the conclusion of this project – we now have good data; we are making progress; and, our students, faculty, and staff are engaged in these conversations and want to take ownership of their own respective parts of the discussion.

11.       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 the State 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 May 14, 2015, meeting of the Board of Governors to consider items of business pursuant to:

  1. R.S.Mo. 610.021 (1). “…any confidential or privileged communications between a public governmental body or its representatives and its attorneys…”

b.   R.S.Mo. 610.021(12).  “…documents related to a negotiated contract until a contract is executed…”

Ms. Tergin moved the approval of the resolution and Mr. Carmichael seconded the motion.

A roll call vote was taken: those voting in favor – Governors Carmichael, Fry, Hofherr, Hoven, Kimbrough, Miller, Seal, and Tergin; those voting against – none.

Mr. Hoven declared the resolution passed unanimously.

12.       Date of Next Meeting --- The date of the next regularly scheduled meeting was set for Friday, June 26, 2015, at 1:00 p.m., West Plains Civic Center.

13.       Adjournment--- Mr. Hoven adjourned the meeting at 3:50 p.m., on the motion of Ms. Tergin, the second of Dr. Hofherr, and the unanimous vote of the Board.

John W. McAlear
Secretary