Minutes
Concord University Board of Governors
April 19, 2006
3:00
The Concord Room
2. Approval of March 15, 2006 minutes
Dr. Akers moved for approval, Mr. Brown seconded. Motion passed
3. Approval of April 6, 2006 minutes
Dr. Akers moved for approval, Mr. Brown seconded. Motion passed.
4.
Action items
a. Policy on Alcoholic Beverages on the Concord University Campus (4.1, 4.2)
Mr. Dillon authored the policy. He stated this policy essentially follows the alcohol policy the University has had in place for several years with two minor changes: the deletion of reference to glass bottles; and, due to the changes in the types of alcohol containers, the students requested updating the type of permissible containers as long as the amount of alcohol is equivalent to a six-pack. Dr. Brown moved for adoption, Mr. Meisel seconded, motion passed
b. Social Justice Policy (b.1, b.2)
Mr. Dillon presented the policy, which was tabled at the March 15, 2006, meeting. Mr. Meisel asked if a reference to individuals' legal status should be added to section 2.2. Dr. Akers asked if the inclusion of national origin covers this population. Mr. Brown indicated the term "national origin" is "pretty broad." Mr. Call asked about the statement, ". . .or disability documented by student life," in section 3.1.a. He was concerned that programs and activities of the university to promote social justice and awareness would be limited to disabilities documented by the Office of Housing and Residence Life and not disabilities in general. Mr. Meisel suggested removing this passage from 3.1.a and moving it to 2.2. Mrs. Sayre asked if the "social justice officer" is the same person as the "social justice director." For consistency, it was suggested all references be changed to "social justice officer." Dr. Akers referred to section 6.1.c and asked for clarification of who serves as an academic advisor. Dr. Turner stated almost all faculty serve as advisors. Dr. Akers asked if advisors have the authority or ability to provide relief. Dr. Turner said advisors can deal with some issues but not others. In disability issues, they would likely refer the student to the disabilities services office. Dr. Beasley indicated he is informed of all formal complaints but not necessarily informal complaints. Dr. Akers asked what happens if relief is given by a person who does not have the authority to do so. Dr. Martin indicated this could have an adverse affect on the University. Dr. Akers recommended inclusion of a process in Level 1, section 6.1.c whereby a complaint could be "bumped up" to the next level if an individual believes he/she is not qualified to address the situation; she recommended this process for Level 2 also. Mr. Dillon said he would make the suggested changes. Mr. Brown moved for adoption as amended, Mrs. Sayre seconded, motion passed.
c. Student Academic Rights (c.1, c.2)
Mr. Dillon reminded the Board this policy was tabled at the March 15, 2006, meeting and corrections had been made. Mr. Brown mentioned the need for the addition of the word "be" after "should" in section 3.1.3; Dr. Beasley noted the addition of an apostrophe after the word "advisees" the first time it appears in the same section. Dr. Martin questioned the appropriateness of the word "sincere" in the same section. Mr. Call stated he is "giving up" on this issue and restated his position that faculty advisors should be held accountable if a student is ill- or misadvised and is not able to graduate on time. He said it appears Concord's policy is that it is never the fault of the advisor but in these cases the faculty should be reprimanded at the very least. Dr. Martin stated he believes faculty are willing to accept responsibility for errors on their part but there is not always a mechanism to fix mishaps. He said he believes departments do all they can to accommodate students in cases like these. Mr. Brown suggested replacing the word "sincere" with"appropriate." Dr. Beasley mentioned that students do have the opportunity to complete faculty evaluation forms, which he reviews. He also stated a low percentage of evaluations are completed. Dr. Brown moved for adoption with amendments, Mr. Meisel seconded, motion passed.
d. Policy on Credit Card Solicitation (d.1, d.2)
Mr. Dillon stated this policy is current and has been in effect for several years. Mrs. Sayre noted the passage date needs to be changed. Mr. Brown moved for adoption, Mr. Meisel seconded, motion passed.
Mr. Meisel recommended a change in the order of action items to accommodate the students present who were interested in the resolution regarding the College Courts Parking Lot Proposal. Mr. Rogers agreed.
i . Resolution – College Courts Parking Lot Proposal (i.1, i.2)
Mr. Brown reported that the Finance and Facilities Committee passed a resolution at its meeting earlier in the day to retain two of the units, A and B, to house current students until they graduate or voluntarily leave the institution, not to exceed two years. Mr. Cannon said A and B will be retained unless otherwise advised by an engineer. Mr. Edmund Amoye spoke on behalf of the students present stating the courts were more than just a place to live for many of the students; it is a means of fulfilling the hopes and dreams of completing a college education. Mr. Meisel asked Mr. Dillon for his comments regarding the committee's recommendation. Mr. Dillon said retaining the two units is 2/12 of the structures, which accommodate the students who absolutely need to live there because they have not or cannot find other housing. Mr. Meisel suggested the focus should be on building an up-to-date residential community not providing parking spaces. He thanked the students for being vocal and working with the administration and the Board to find a resolution to a very sensitive issue. Mr. Brown moved for adoption, Mrs. Sayre seconded, motion passed.
Mr. Tice excused himself to conduct the Student Government Association meeting. He said an emotional goodbye to the Board and thanked them for their service during his tenure as student body president.
e. Policy on Admissions to the University (e.1, e.2)
Mr. Curry presented the policy and asked the BOG to strike the passage and effective dates. He said the policy is consistent with current admissions practices. Dr. Beasley stated this policy is relative to undergraduate admission. Mr. Curry said he would add the word undergraduate in the policy title. Mr. Brown moved for adoption as amended, Mr. Meisel seconded, motion carried.
f. Policy on Appeal of non-renewal of PROMISE Award (f.1, f.2)
Mr. Curry asked the Board to strike the passage and effective dates and stated this policy is currently in use. Mr. Brown moved for adoption, Dr. Akers seconded, motion carried.
g. Policy on Awarding the HEAPS Grant (g.1, g.2)
Mr. Curry asked the Board to strike the passage and effective dates. He stated this policy is in WV Code and the financial aid office simply follows the statute. Mr. Brown moved for adoption, Dr. Akers seconded, motion passed.
h. Student Financial Aid Policies (h.1, h.2)
Mr. Curry said to strike the passage and effective dates. Dr. Brown asked if there was significance to the bolded items in section 5.1. Mr. Curry said there was none and he would correct this. Dr. Beasley stated that this policy addresses management issues in the financial aid office. Students have been critical of financial aid processing, and Mr. Curry has been charged with insuring implementation of this policy. He said Mr. Curry will provide him with an annual report, which he will share with the Board. Dr. Brown moved for adoption, Mr. Meisel seconded, motion passed.
5.
Committee Reports
a. Academic Affairs
Mrs. Sayre said the committee discussed the upcoming accreditation of the Athletic Training Program, and recommends continuation at the current level of activity dependent on the continuation program accreditation.
Dr. Turner stated education program reviews have been rescheduled for 2007-2008. We have received the WV Department of Education report, which indicates we need to be careful regarding credentials for student teacher supervisors. This is a very important accreditation for us because without this accreditation we cannot have students licensed by the West Virginia Department of Education. We are expecting a report from NCATE in September. At the national level, 19 programs have been reviewed, and 12 have been approved with conditions that involve data collection, seven have or will be resubmitted. Four state reports will be submitted April 20, 2006. He stated we have good programs and we simply need to "show them," which we failed to do to date. Dr. Turner distributed a hand out entitled strategic plan for NCATE accreditation, which was prepared by Dr. Martin. Dr. Martin stated this is a timeline of action the University has taken to date and will be taking in the future. Dr. Liptak will be writing a rejoinder prior to the September NCATE final report date.
b. Student Affairs
Nothing additional to report.
c. External Affairs
Mr. Meisel praised the institution for the number of PROMISE scholars. Mr. Curry reported that Anthony Underwood has accepted the position of Director of Admissions for Kent State Extension campuses.
d. Finance and Facilities
Mr. Meisel suggested the university take a long-term, broad look, perhaps fifteen or more years, at facilities, even if we employ consultants to do so. He indicated a master plan would be helpful for future boards. Mr. Cannon said we are required to develop a master plan every ten years; the last year this was done was 2001. At that time, hiring a consultant would have cost $100,000 and we did not have the funds to do this. Therefore, we developed a "phased" master plan. He suggested that we put our thoughts together and commit the money to hire a consultant when the next master plan is due. Dr. Beasley indicated we will work on this concept, lay out some options, and present them to the board at the June 14 meeting. He also indicated the need to examine the spill-over effects from current projects. Space will become available when current projects are complete.
Dr. Turner reported the Honors Banquet will be held April 20, commencement is scheduled for May 13 and we will have four co-valedictorians. We will confer an honorary degree upon Mrs. Ruby Carter and honor three faculty members who are retiring: Mr. Robert Whittinghill, 35 years of service; Dr. Roger Sheppard, 30 years of service; and Dr. April Puzzoli after 23 years of service.
Dr. Campbell reported that Dr. Tom Brewster was recently appointed to the Virginia State Board of Education.
6. President's Report
Dr. Beasley shared two things relative to finances since the Board struggled with the decision to approve the increase in tuition at its last meeting. West Virginia PROMISE scholars will have tuition and fees covered by increases in the PROMISE scholarship. In addition, West Virginia Higher Education Grant recipients will have their awards increased $10.25 for every $7.00 increase in tuition and fees at Concord. Nationwide, and especially in West Virginia, support of institutions in the minds of legislators and governors is not nearly as important as support of students. Dollars are now going to students and they essentially vote with their feet. He also stated he believes Concord will be in a position to add modestly to institutional scholarships.
Students have asked that their fee money not be applied to the alumni center, and we can honor this request. However, he did see the need for conversation with students regarding the purpose of an alumni center on campus. He wants to guard against the students' request being misinterpreted by alums and other donors.
This semester we have had a significant loss of enrollment in Beckley. He has asked Michael Curry, Bill O'Brien, Anita Moody, and Dean Turner to put together a plan for reversing this decline. He said he has seen an early draft and he will talk with the group about the plan.
Dr. Beasley reminded board members that several of their terms of service are drawing to a close, and he asked them to consider continuing to serve until the Governor appoints replacements. He asked members to begin thinking of successors for us to recommend to the Governor. Dr. Brown asked which board members' terms will expire. Dr. Beasley said he will have this information at the next Board meeting.
He mentioned that the state has a new chancellor, and he added that all who have met him like him.
Mr. Brown asked how the ARAMARK claim was resolved. Dr. Beasley said Concord will have to pay but there was $557,000 earmarked in Concord's budget, but the language in the budget bill does not state this money has to be used for that purpose. He said he has asked Jim Cannon to talk with ARAMARK regarding the possibility of spreading payments over time. He also added he has been told there will be a special session in May and there may be a supplemental appropriation because $557,000 is approximately what the University would have received for peer equity.
7. Other Matters
Mr. Call asked what is being done about filling Mr. Dunmyer's seat on the board. Dr. Beasley said he and Mr. Rogers have discussed this and it is being considered. Dr. Campbell reported on the meeting the faculty senate had with the board earlier in the day. He said the faculty presented positive aspects within the institution as well as some challenges. He said they brought to the board a report of how CU's salaries stack up with peer institutions. He thanked the board for meeting with representatives of the faculty.
Greg Quick addressed the concept of cultural issues in the wake of the events involving the lacrosse team at Duke University. Student athletes, although they are part of the greater student body, they are often more visible in the media. These athletes often justify our existence in some ways. He said we need to continue to work on assuring our student athletes are aware of the responsibility they have to act appropriately at all times. Coaches do a good job of fostering sensitivity to gender, race and other cultural issues. He said recruiting has gone well and he will have a report at the next meeting regarding how goals and objectives have been met.
Ms. Young thanked everyone who helped with the fundraising dinner at The Greenbrier. She also said the Donor Appreciation Dinner held April 10 was a success and provided a good opportunity for students and donors to interact.
She added that we did not get additional tax credit funding through the State's recapture process but we will apply again in May for our annual distribution. There being no further business, Mr. Brown moved to adjourn, Dr. Martin seconded. Meeting adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
R. T. Ted Rogers, Chairman
Margaret Sayre, Secretary
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