Corrected – 2/10/17
BOARD OF TRUSTEES FOR FORT LEWIS COLLEGE
December 2, 2016
Vallecito Room, Student Union
Fort Lewis College
Vol. 16-121
Call to Order
Chair Karen Wilde convened the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees for Fort Lewis College at 9:15 a.m.
Trustees Present:
Karen Wilde, Chair; Alan Hill; Nora Jacquez; Tom Schilling; Steve Short; John Wells; Michael Valdez, Faculty Representative; and Connor Cafferty, Student Representative
Absent: Ernest House, Faculty Representative
Staff Present:
Dene Thomas, President; Barbara Morris, Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs; Steve Schwartz, Deputy Treasurer & Vice President for Finance and Administration; Glenna Witt Sexton, Vice President for Student Affairs; Mark Jastorff, Vice President for Institutional Advancement; Lauren Becker, Legal Counsel; Peggy Sharp, Deputy Secretary; and Mike Larson, Audio Consultant.
Also Present: David Blake, Faculty Senate President; and Gene Bradley, Interim Chair, Fort Lewis College Foundation
RECOGNITION
In acknowledgement of the dedication and service to Fort Lewis College, the Board honored the late Dr. Joel M. Jones by presenting a plaque to his widow, Dr. Rochelle Mann, and his two daughters, Cammie Nichols and Jocelyn Strauss. A duplicate plaque will be hung in Jones Hall.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Yvonne Bilinski, Director of the Native American Center, accompanied by several students from the Center, presented Chair Wilde with a blanket in appreciation for her leadership on the Board and her support of the education of Native American students.
Dr. Rebecca Clausen, Associate Professor of Sociology, addressed the Board concerning the issue of diversity within the faculty.
Richard Ballantine, former Board of Trustee member, acknowledged the service of both Chair Wilde and Trustee Schilling during their terms on the Board.
Dr. Anthony Nocella and five students each addressed the Board concerning the issues facing the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North Dakota and seeking the Board’s support for the students who traveled to North Dakota to the opposition to the people crossing sacred land.
ACTION AGENDA – CONSENT:
Nora Jacquez moved to approve the Consent Items, and Connor Cafferty seconded. Motion passed and the following items were approved:
Approval of Minutes of October 6, 2016 Meeting of the Academic &
Student Affairs Committee
Approval of Minutes of October 6, 2016 Meeting of the Business Affairs Committee
Approval of the October 6, 2016 Meeting of the Governance Committee
Approval of Minutes of October 7, 2016 Regular Meeting of the
Board of Trustees for Fort Lewis College
Approval of Degree Candidates for Fall Trimester, 2016
Approval of Recommendation for Sabbatical Leaves 2017-2018
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT/ANNOUNCEMENTS
Chair Wilde called attention to the date of October 7, 2017 and asked the Board if it was their desire to change to October 13, 2017 since it would then coincide with Homecoming. It was the consensus to move to the meeting to October 13, 2017 to allow Trustees to participate in Homecoming activities if they so desired.
Chair Wilde recognized Trustee Schilling’s service to the Board during his two terms as a Trustee and presented him with tokens of appreciation on behalf of the Board and the College.
She reviewed the accomplishments of the Board during the two terms she had served as a member and her two terms as chair. Ms. Wilde presented tokens of appreciation to each Trustee and to members of the staff. Trustee Short recognized her contributions and presented her with a framed resolution and a gift for her service to the Board.
Committee Reports
Academic & Student Affairs Committee
Nora Jacquez asked President Thomas to give a brief summary of enrollment for Spring, 2017. President Thomas reported that currently 2,831 students had registered and we need 550 more in order be flat. Ms. Jacquez stated the committee discussed the new Mission Statement and Core Values and the lengthy process for arriving at a final version. The committee also reviewed the recommendation for sabbaticals for 2017-2018 and the reports from faculty who were on sabbatical last year. The disparity in length of some of the reports was noted and Provost Morris had indicated she will continue to address that issue.
Business Affairs Committee
Alan Hill reported that the committee was given a description of the process for determining the schedule for conducting financial and performance audits. Vice President Schwartz reported that the injunction on implementation of the Fair Labor Standards Act concerning overtime actually gives the College more time to prepare and stated that it would be helpful if the threshold on salaries would be reduced. Mr. Schwartz provided a brief summary of the Governor’s budget proposal which would provide an increase to higher education of $20.5 million, of which approximately $304,000 would be Fort Lewis’s share. The budget also included a 6% increase for resident tuition and 5% for non-resident tuition, along with a 2.5% salary increase for classified staff. The budget will be based on March revenue estimates. Mr. Schwartz also stated that the new minimum wage will impact student hourly labor and student work study, but will not affect regular employee salaries.
Investment Advisory Committee
Steve Short reported on the annual face-to-face committee meeting held on November 15th with representatives from PFM and the three professional community members. PFM reviewed the third quarter investment results that, on an average, are performing very well. A presentation was given by PFM on a new real estate pool opportunity, but no action was taken at the meeting. The professional advisors will assist in investigating this opportunity. The investment policy was reviewed and a few changes will be recommended to the Board at the February meeting. Trustee Short also reported that since the inception of the program on September 30th, the return is 6.52% An informal process to review how the investment program has worked with PFM and the general consensus was that the committee is satisfied with the relationship.
BREAK
Governance Committee
John Wells reported the committee reviewed the three proposals for amending the following sections of the Board’s Policy Manual: Section 2.l l moves outdated committees and adds the Governance Committee and its charge; Section 2.9.7 addresses the executive session; and Section 2.9.6 addresses who can move and second motions. These were discussed at length and are on this agenda for consideration for approval. Trustee Wells stressed the objective of these changes is to clarify the policies. He also reported the committee proposed a slate of officers for 2017 for approval by the full Board.
Standing Reports
Faculty Representative Report
Dr. Michael Valdez thanked the Board for participating in the discussion of the book, “Why Choose the Liberal Arts?” The idea for the discussion was to provide dialogue and an atmosphere of congeniality. He also expressed appreciation on behalf of the faculty with keeping the liberal arts in the mission statement, even though not all faculty were happy with the mission statement.
Student Representative Report
Connor Cafferty thanked the Board for meeting the round table discussion session with the student leaders from ASFLC and the RSO’s. He further stated that the student voice was heard as there were 400 student responses to the survey on the mission statement. He reported on the impact of the presidential election and many students are still feeling some negative effects from the three/four credit change. He also stated that emphasis is being placed on living by the common ground values.
Fort Lewis College Foundation Report
Gene Bradley, Interim Foundation Chair, gave an overview of the financial position of the Foundation and reviewed the statements of financial position and the statements of activities. He indicated the Foundation has made progress with the investment portfolio and noted the increase in gifts and connectivity.
Office of Institutional Advancement
Vice President Mark Jastorff referenced his written report and emphasized three specific items:
- New edition of the Alumni magazine is out and copies were given to the Board;
- On January 20, 2017, the men’s and women’s basketball games will be on a national broadcast and more information will be forthcoming;
- The grand opening of the GPE building will be held April 7, 2017 and on April 6, 2017, TLC for FLC will be held in that building.
ACTION AGENDA – NON-CONSENT
Election of 2017 Board Officers
Trustee Wells announced the slate of officers who have been recommended by the Governance Committee:
Chair: Steve Short
Vice Chair: Ernest House
Secretary/Treasurer: Alan Hill
Trustee Schilling moved to approve the slate of officers, with a second by Trustee Jacquez. Motion passed unanimously.
Approval of the Mission Statement and Core Values Statements for Fort Lewis College
President Thomas stated the process of crafting the Mission Statement and Core Values has been inclusive and transparent and included constituencies from the campus and community. Trustee Wells moved that the Board of Trustees for Fort Lewis College approve the Mission Statement and Core Value Statements. Trustee Schilling seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
Patrick Fredricks, Coordinator of the Leadership Program, assisted by two students who are in the program, Cory Patterson & Emily Rickard, gave an informative presentation on the program. Each presented different aspects of the program, including Strengths Quest and the LEAD cohort program. Mr. Fredricks also provided information about their Alternative Spring Break program, which entails working with Native Americans in northern Arizona.
LUNCH BREAK
ACTION AGENDA – NON-CONSENT (continued)
Approval of Changes to the Board of Trustees Manual
This action will remove inactive committees from the Manual and will add the charge to the new Governance Committee. Trustee Hill stated that the duties of the Governance committee will continue to be fine-tuned as necessary. He moved that the Board of Trustees for Fort Lewis College approve the Board of Trustees Manual changes to Section 2.11, Committees of the Board, as presented. Trustee Schilling seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
Approval of Change to Board of Trustees Manual
Trustees Wells moved that the Board of Trustees for Fort Lewis College approve the Board of Trustees Manual changes to Section 2.9.6, Seconding and Voting on Actions as presented. Trustee Short seconded the motion.
Dr. Valdez stated, on behalf of the faculty, that this change seemed unnecessary, although he recognized the issues that occurred in past history. Mr. Cafferty was in agreement with the points made by Dr. Valdez. The motion passed with one opposing vote.
Approval of Changes to Board of Trustees Manual
Trustee Schilling moved that the Board of Trustees for Fort Lewis College approve the Board of Trustees Manual changes to Section 2.9.7, Public Meetings: Executive Sessions, as presented.
Dr. Valdez indicated that faculty have a concern that excluding the faculty representative from executive sessions on personnel matters goes against the intent of shared governance. It was pointed out that wording recognized the faculty’s concerns and was adjusted to include the faculty representative in executive sessions. Mr. Cafferty stated that personnel matters should not necessarily exclude the student representative. Motion passed.
Chair Wilde moved that the Board go into executive session pursuant to section 24-6-402(3)(a)(VIII) of the Colorado Revised Statutes, for consideration of proposals for the naming of a building or a portion of a building for a person or persons, and that the following individuals be invited to join the Board in executive session: Lauren Becker, Legal Counsel, President Dene Thomas, Peggy Sharp, Deputy Secretary, the student and faculty representatives, Provost Morris, Vice Presidents Glenna Sexton, Steve Schwartz and Mark Jastorff.
Trustee Hill seconded the motion. Motion passed. Executive session convened at 1:20 p.m.
Public session reconvened at 1:35 p.m.
Chair Wilde moved that the Board go into executive session, pursuant to section 24-6-402(3)(a)(II) of the Colorado Revised Statutes, to confer with the Board’s attorney for the purpose of receiving legal advice on a specific legal question. Trustee Wells seconded the motion. Motion passed. Executive session convened at 1:40 p.m.
Public session reconvened at 2:15 p.m.
Action Item: Approval of Naming of the Geoscience, Physics & Engineering Hall
Trustee Short moved that the Board of Trustees for Fort Lewis College approve the naming of the Geosciences, Physics and Engineering Hall in honor of a deserving family whose generous support of Fort Lewis College is deemed worthy of recognition. Trustee Wells seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
Chair Wilde stated that at the Academic & Student Affairs Committee meeting yesterday, Trustee Jacquez requested that the Board consider passing a resolution/action that would state the Board’s support of the ASFLC’s Resolution 1629, supporting the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and also their support of the students who journeyed to North Dakota. Lengthy discussion ensued concerning issues such as liability if the activities were represented as being sponsored by the College or an organization of the College. Various versions of wording for the resolution were suggested. Following further discussion Trustee Schilling made the following motion:
MOVED, that the Board of Trustees for Fort Lewis College approve the following statement in support of students:
The Board of Trustees for Fort Lewis College supports
and respects the right of all students to express themselves
and engage in civic issues.
Mr. Cafferty seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
REPORT/DISCUSSION AGENDA
Report: Sabbatical Leaves Completed in Academic Year 2015-16
Fourteen faculty members took sabbaticals last academic year and their reports are contained in the agenda. Provost Morris expressed her appreciation for the Board’s support of the sabbatical program that benefits faculty development.
Office of Sponsored Research and Federal Relations
Director Angie Rochat provided a summary of the grant activity over the past several years and stated that there has been a slight decline in the award volume from $6.2 million in 2015 to $5.8 million in 2016; however, there are grants still pending notification for FY 2016. She reviewed the various sources of the grants and the proposals submitted by departments.
Ms. Rochat gave a brief update regarding the efforts to gain Federal funding for the Native American tuition waiver. She reported the election results changed the calendar in Washington, and there appears to be less pressure to move bills quickly through Congress.
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
· National Native American Heritage Month