Board of Trustees for Fort Lewis College s2

BOARD OF TRUSTEES FOR FORT LEWIS COLLEGE

RETREAT NOTES

August 6-7, 2015

Haskell House

Durango, Colorado 81301

Vol. 15-111

Thursday, August 6, 2015

Trustees Present:

Karen Wilde, Chair; Alan Hill, Ernest House; Nora Jacquez, Tom Schilling; John Wells; and Justin McBrayer, Faculty Representative

Absent: Steve Short and Lindley Gallegos, Student Representative

Staff Present:

Dene Thomas, President; Barbara Morris, Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs; Steve Schwartz, Vice President for Finance and Administration; Glenna Witt Sexton, Vice President for Student Affairs; Mark Jastorff, Vice President for Institutional Advancement; and Peggy Sharp, Deputy Secretary

Guests:

Carol Smith, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management; Kimberly Spiering, Legal Counsel

Chair Wilde convened the retreat at 1:15 p.m.

Board Manual Revisions

Provost Morris explained that several changes have been recommended and passed by the Faculty in the past year that would require a change in the Board’s Manual of Policies & Procedures. The Faculty Handbook Committee is still working on a few additional changes and all proposed changes will be brought to the Board at the October meeting.

Ms. Spiering addressed the issue of non-voting members of the Board having the authority to make and second motions. In researching the other state institutions (Adams, Western and Mesa), she found that the faculty and student representatives are not allowed to vote nor attend executive sessions. Lengthy discussion ensued concerning the pros and cons to having the two non-voting representatives make and second motions and also allowing them to be in executive sessions. Chair Wilde asked that Ms. Spiering bring a proposal for consideration by the Board to the October meeting.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statements

Deputy Secretary Sharp explained the importance of disclosing any possible relationship that could be perceived as a conflict of interest. Ms. Spiering concurred and stated that full disclosure protects both the institution and the individual.

Proposed 2016 Meeting Dates

Hearing no objections, the following dates were selected for Board meetings in 2016:

Friday, February 12

Friday, April 1

Friday, June 3

Friday, August 5 - Retreat – Thursday, August 4 - Dinner

Friday, October 7

Friday, December 2

Higher Learning Commission Update

Provost Morris reviewed the process that has been underway over the last year in preparation for the reaccreditation review by the Higher Learning Commission. The compilation of all the data gathered is summarized in the Assurance Argument that will be provided to the reviewers. This document is undergoing final editing and will be sent to HLC later this month. The visit by the review team is October 19 & 20, 2015. Provost Morris stated that the team would want to meet with the local Board members on October 19. As soon as the final itinerary for the visit has been set, she will notify Trustee Wells & Trustee Short.

Enrollment

Associate Vice President Carol Smith provided a comprehensive report on all factions of enrollment and enrollment issues.

Fall, 2015 Enrollment

Freshmen enrollment is up by 32 students as of August 2, 2015. Transfers are down by 14, resulting in a net gain of 18 students. She reviewed the other categories and stated that enrollment on the first day of classes is the best measure of what the figure will be at census.

2019 State Admission Standards

Dr. Smith reviewed the changes that have come about as a result of CCHE’s new master plan, Colorado Competes. These revisions are reflected in the Remedial Education Policy and the Admission Standards Policy, which eliminated the Freshman Admission Index. She explained how institutions must create admission standards based on GPA ranges, test score ranges, and rigor criteria for the “middle range” of admitted students. Dr. Smith stated that all four-year institutions were required to make a determination of freshman and transfer success by Dec. 1, 2014. These determinations, along with institutional objectives, would become the basis for the freshman admission standards under the new policy. She reviewed Fort Lewis College’s freshman success determinations and stated that these will be reviewed every year. In addition, we must be in compliance by 2019 with new admission standards. Dr. Smith stressed that as the College starts a new strategic plan, enrollment discussions are extremely important.

A lengthy discussion ensued concerning ways to address the enrollment issues. Among the suggestions were reaching out to regional schools; giving attention to the diversity of a large segment of the student body; developing more hybrid and on-line courses; and thinking outside the box.

Tuition Increase/Native American Tuition Waiver

President Thomas reported on the status of the efforts to obtain Federal funding for the Native American Tuition waiver. The stand-alone bill has been introduced in both the House and Senate, and we are also pursuing a line in the Higher Education Reauthorization Act. Whichever of these two initiatives result in funding, the other will be abandoned. The reauthorization bill appears to be our best shot. The question was raised as to how long the College would continue to pursue Federal assistance and the cost of this effort. President Thomas indicated that it is politically important to the State to see that the College is attempting to obtain Federal assistance to relieve the State of some of its obligation.

In-State Tuition

Vice President Schwartz stated the non-resident tuition for Fall, 2015 will remain stagnant due to the ever increasing amount of reimbursement from the State for the Native American tuition waiver. A request was made that the College do some analysis to see what our elasticity is on raising out of state tuition. It was noted that some institutions charge higher tuition for freshmen and some charge more for the popular majors. The issue of not having some sort of first-year program was discussed and how it might help with student retention if they felt connected to the institution early in their freshman year. Another topic of discussion was offering on-line courses, which seems to be the trend for the future in higher education. Although the faculty have been divided on this issue, the Board expressed the need to be more open to change in the way courses are offered and to consider the needs of the community and the region when looking at future programs.

Meeting Adjourned at 5:15 p.m.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2015

Trustees Present:

Karen Wilde, Chair; Alan Hill, Ernest House; Nora Jacquez, Tom Schilling; Steve Short; John Wells; and Justin McBrayer, Faculty Representative

Absent: Lindley Gallegos, Student Representative

Staff Present:

Guests:

Dugald Owen, Faculty Senate President; Ann Duffield, Strategic Planning Consultant

Strategic Planning

Update on 2012-16 Strategic Plan

Provost Morris explained the chart indicating progress that has been made in areas of the current strategic plan. There are a few areas that have not been completed but are targeted to be addressed in the Strategic Plan for 2017-21. With respect to a Freshmen Year Experience program, she stated that it is in a planning stage and will not be ready for implementation until at least 2016 and perhaps 2017. Lengthy discussion ensued regarding reasons for the delay in developing and implementing a Freshman Year Experience program. It was strongly stated that this is a priority for the Board and they would like to see more emphasis placed on putting this program into place sooner rather than later. An analysis of the cost of the program proposal would be helpful to the Trustees, along with some bullet points about the options that the Task Force has reviewed. Several suggestions were offered for ways to get freshmen more involved early in their freshmen year.

Budget Priorities for 2016-17

Vice President Schwartz stated that Governor Hickenlooper has asked the state agencies to budget flat in the expectation of no new revenue. The funding model has not yet been developed, but Fort Lewis College might see a slight increase based on metrics being used. He further reported that the Native American appropriation for this year is up $1.35 million. Discussion ensued concerning the Board’s involvement in the process of setting tuition rates. Several alternatives for increasing tuition income were discussed. One such suggestion was to look at differential tuition for certain programs by doing an analysis of the cost of particular programs. The Trustees expressed support for maintaining the salary equity program for faculty and making enrollment and development of a Freshman Year Experience budget priorities.

Foundation Comprehensive Campaign Update

Vice President Jastorff reviewed highlights of the end-of-year report on fundraising. Total donations were up slightly over last year and alumni giving was up significantly. He stated that the office is now fully staffed with the hiring of Suzanne Connors as Director of Alumni Engagement & Annual Giving. He provided an update on the progress and plans for the Comprehensive Campaign and distributed a schedule for naming opportunities for the GPE Building. In response to a question concerning the dissolution of the Alumni Board, Mr. Jastorff reported that an Alumni Council is being organized under the umbrella of the Foundation. The Alumni magazine is also being reinstated and the first issue will be out in December. He stressed the need for involvement of the Trustees, both as donors and also to assist in seeking donors to the campaign.

Lunch Break

Process for 2017-2021 Strategic Plan

President Thomas referenced the timeline for the 2017-2021 Strategic Plan and stated that she will be addressing the process at the College’s Fall Welcome. She introduced Ann Duffield, who has considerable experience in strategic planning, to share some thoughts.

Ms. Duffield provided a brief description of her personal background and her work at the University of Pennsylvania. She described how strategic planning is addressed differently in higher education institutions than in other types of organizations. She specifically touched on the following issues that should be addressed in our new strategic plan:

· How do we retain students;

· How do we raise money;

· How to make a case for liberal arts education;

· Uniqueness of our population of Native American & Hispanic students;

· Goals must originate within the institution;

· Liberal Arts programs & professional programs must work together.

President Thomas stated that the next strategic plan will have a visionary aspect and the conversation will be very different,

Trustee Wells described four areas that the Board has indicated should be considered in developing the next strategic plan:

--Need to define liberal arts at Fort Lewis College

--Include a Study Abroad program

--Connection to community

--Design on-line courses

Develop Mission & Core Value Statement for Investment Policy

Mr. Schwartz will prepare a couple of draft versions of a Mission & Core Value Statement and will have that ready at the next Investment Advisory Committee meeting for their consideration. A brief discussion ensued on the importance of distinguishing between goals and side constraints. It will be up to the Board to decide what the side constraints are.

Presidential Metrics

Due to time limitations, this topic will be addressed in October.

Retreat Adjourned at 2:45 p.m.