November 12, 2004
Baruch Room, Joynes Hall
Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC
Minutes of Meeting of the Board of Trustees
Members present: Mary Jean Martin (Chair), Larry Durham, Karl Folkens, Leland Cox, Janet Smalley,
Glenda Owens, Polly Ford, Sanita Savage, Bob Thompson, Donna Tinsley, Kathy Bigham,
Skip Tuttle, Anthony J. DiGiorgio (ex officio)
Members absent: None
Representatives present: Sydney Shealy, Student Representative.
Representatives absent: Marilyn Smith, Faculty Representative
Others present: Karen Bair of The Rock Hill Herald and faculty and staff of Winthrop University
The Board of Trustees met on Friday, November 12, 2004 at 1:30 p.m. in the Baruch
Room of Joynes Hall on the campus of Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC.
Call to Order
Chair Martin called the meeting to order at 1:30 p.m. She welcomed Ms. Donna Tinsley
representing District 2, Ms. Janet Smalley representing District 3, and Dr. Lee Cox
representing District 4 to their first Board meeting as official members.
Approval of Board Minutes of June 10, 2004
Bob Thompson moved, seconded by Leland Cox, that the Board approve the minutes as
presented with correction noting Kathy Bigham's attendance. This motion was approved
unanimously by voice vote.
Approval of Board Minutes of June 11, 2004
Bob Thompson moved, seconded by Karl Folkens, that the Board approve the minutes as
presented. This motion was approved unanimously by voice vote.
Report of the Executive Committee
Chair Martin reported that the Executive Committee had met on campus on October 27
. At this time they reviewed the final version of the Agency Head Objectives for 2004-05
for the President in accordance with the Agency Head Salary Commission's process and
the Board bylaws. The objectives had been previously reviewed with the full Board
during the Executive Session on June 10. Therefore, the Executive Committee had taken
action to recommend adoption of a Resolution to Endorse the Agency Head Objectives
200405.
Resolution to Endorse the Agency Head Objectives 200405 for President Anthony J. DiGiorgio
Chair Martin read the Resolution. She offered this Resolution in the form of a Motion
from the Executive Committee. Bob Thompson then moved, seconded by Karl Folkens, that
the Board approve this Resolution. It was approved unanimously by voice vote.
Chair Martin also reported that the Executive Committee had taken action at its October meeting to recommend adoption of a Resolution to Endorse a Bonus Plan for Meritorious Performance for Selected Faculty and Staff.
Resolution to Endorse a Bonus Plan for Meritorious Performance for Selected Faculty
and Staff.
Chair Martin read the Resolution. She offered this Resolution in the form of a Motion
from the Executive Committee. There was some discussion on the use of "customer service"
within the resolution, but that phrase was found to be standard documentation provided
by the SC Code. Skip Tuttle then moved, seconded by Janet Smalley, that the Board
approve this Resolution. It was approved unanimously by voice vote.
Chair Martin also brought forward for consideration a Resolution to Endorse the Vision
of Distinction 200405. Each year the leadership of Winthrop University updates and
revises the Vision of Distinction as a way of implementing the strategic plan for
the university. The Executive Committee had taken action at the October 27 meeting
to recommend the adoption of this Resolution.
Chair Martin read the Resolution. She offered this Resolution in the form of a Motion
from the Executive Committee. Bob Thompson then moved, seconded by Larry Durham, that
the Board approve this Resolution. It was approved unanimously by voice vote.
Report of the Academic Affairs Committee
Resolution to Offer Master of Social Work Degree.
Bob Thompson offered this Resolution in the form of a Motion from the Academic Affairs
Committee. The Resolution passed unanimously by voice vote.
Bob Thompson reported that the Committee had reviewed the annual Vision of Distinction
goals and supported these objectives which include a review of the roles, responsibilities,
and rewards for faculty as well as a review of the transitioning experience of students
as they prepare to leave Winthrop University and begin full-time employment or graduate
school.
Bob Thompson also reported that the Committee had received a report on the General
Education program with 46 sections of GNED staffed by newly trained faculty for the
Spring semester. The Common Book project has been met with enthusiasm and has been
well integrated into campus. As an example, he discussed the art work by Graduate
Student, Adam Walls who used "Into the Wild" as an inspiration. The sculpture resides
under a tree between Bancroft and Kinard Halls for the remainder of the school year.
Bob Thompson reported on the internal review of graduate programs. All graduate programs
are being studied in order to ensure we offer the programs in the most appropriate
ways and that our programs are meeting the needs in greater Rock Hill/Charlotte area.
Bob Thompson then reported on the status of the recent accreditations of various programs.
The programs in Athletic Training and Chemistry have received new accreditations.
The Sport Management program has had its accreditation continued. The Macfeat School
and the Computer Science programs have completed their on-site reviews and have received
positive feedback with final accreditation expected in the near future.
Bob Thompson reported that the Committee had reviewed the report from Sponsored Programs
and Research and commended the work done in this area. He noted that Winthrop currently
has $17 million dollars in grant proposals under review with $17 million received
to date. Additionally, 18 students have received funding to travel to professional
meetings to present research findings.
Bob Thompson reported that the Committee had received updates from each of the Academic
Units. He reported that the PASCAL project has resulted in significant savings for
the Dacus Library. Furthermore, the library staff has begun an oral history project
working with veterans in the area. The College of Business Administration discussed
its market study of the need for a computer programming degree. Based on findings,
the Master's degree in computer science will be redesigned to match the perceived
need in the area. Other highlights of the updates included the College of Visual and
Performing Arts exploration of the suitability of developing an International Art
Studies major.
The College of Business Administration's Small Business Development Center gave a
presentation entitled "Pathway from classroom to service to career." The presentation
highlighted the work of the Small Business Development Center in which they discussed
the 47 seminars that were attended by over 550 people, the 400 clients that were served,
and the $12.5 million worth of businesses that were assisted by the Center.
Report of the Finance Committee
Skip Tuttle reported that the Committee had received a briefing from Mr. Wayde Dawson
of Cline, Brandt, Kochenower, & Co. The firm issued an unqualified (clean) opinion
on Winthrop's 2003-04 financial statements. Mr. Dawson noted that within the Federal
report they had one finding which was in the Financial Aid regulations and the return
of Title IV funds to the federal government when students leave the institution. The
federal government allows 30 days to return funds but the audit did find instances
when the funds were returned after the 30 day period had lapsed. This is a common
occurrence with many colleges and universities.
Skip Tuttle continued his report by discussing the Resolution to issue student housing
revenue bonds of $2.7 million for residence hall renovations to finish Lee Wicker,
Phelps and Margaret Nance. After a thorough discussion, Karl Folkens made a motion
to that the resolution be submitted to the full Board for approval and Larry Durham
seconded.
Next, Mr. Tuttle briefed the Board members on the "Energy Performance Contract." He
summarized Mr. Walter Hardin's presentation detailing the work that had been completed
to date and the work still in progress. Overall, this project was pronounced as extremely
successful and beneficial to Winthrop University.
Skip Tuttle then commented on the committee's review of the Allocation Status Report
of 2004-05. Little has changed since the previous report with $400,000 budgeted in
vacancy savings this year in order to balance. Midyear budget reductions are not anticipated at this time because the BEA has updated their revised estimates
up by $109M.
Next, Skip Tuttle discussed the update on Information Technology for 2004-2005. Last
year saw the completion of a major PC lab refreshment. This year will be concentrated
on the McIntosh's labs because there were many departments on campus that have a needMass
Communications has two labs; Theater and Dance has a lab; Music has a lab, and the
Art and Design Department has two labs. Additionally, the Library doc server is being
replaced and the Athletics lab has been relocated to a larger room because of increased
demand which increased its seating capacity. The IT division has increased the number
of statistical packages licenses as well as implemented graphic design labs. An on-going
project would be the continuation of the Smartclassrooms.
Finally, Mr. Tuttle summarized the review of 2004-2005 Goals and Objectives in the
Division of Finance and Business.
Report of the University Relations Committee
Glenda Owens reported that the University Relations Committee received a briefing
from the Advancement division. She noted that a restructuring plan to get alumni back
to campus via their major area of study or athletic team/club membership rather than
year of graduation is now underway. The status of "A Lasting Achievement: The Campaign
for Winthrop" continues to be positive. Twenty eight million dollars were raised in
outright gifts including $11 million in planned gifts. A planned giving newsletter
is a new initiative created for those alumni interested in planned gifts. The first
edition was distributed in August 2004 and received quite well.
Glenda Owens reported that the Committee received updates from the division of Athletics.
She noted dramatic changes due to changes in legislation by the NCAA. The emphasis
is now to recruit strong students and keep them in school rather than recruiting academically
marginal students expected them to fail. The NCAA self-study is well underway with
regular meetings of the steering committee as well as the various subcommittees.
Ms. Owens then discussed the Spring GPA reports for our student athletes. The overall
cumulative GPA for athletes was 2.91, with the semester GPA at 2.85. Women's soccer,
tennis, and volleyball all had semester averages above 3.0 thus lifting the overall
semester GPA to 2.98 for women while the men's overall semester GPA is 2.72.
Next, Glenda Owens reported that the Committee received updates from the division
of Student Life including a discussion of the Academic Theme Housing Initiatives.
The "Learning for Life" and the Honors floors currently have 90 students housed. She
also reported that the Committee had been updated on the new Admissions initiative
with the Royall company. Overall, applications have increased due in part to the new
"FastApp" which is an on-line application system developed for us by Royall. The Student
Life division will continue to monitor the progress of Royall as they assist with
our marketing and recruitment program. As a result of the potential for increased
admissions, the Office of Financial Aid is reorganizing in order to address the greater
demand.
Report from Faculty Representative
Marilyn Smith was not present at the meeting. As a result, her written report was
distributed to the Board in her absence. It stated that at the August 20 meeting,
Faculty Conference passed a proposal for a change to the merit pay policy. The administration
has reviewed the proposal and responded back to Faculty Conference that they will
continue to use the policy that was in place, and noted several reasons, including
the flexibility of the existing policy, as well as its emphasis on meritorious performance.
Along this line, Dr. Moore and Dr. Smith are working on refining the processes for
information from Faculty Conference to flow upward through the administration, as
well as how administrative actions are deployed back down to Faculty Conference.
The Rules Committee has been working on editing and updating the Faculty Manual. Changes
regarding committee structures were passed in August, and next week we will vote on
the process for setting the Faculty Conference agenda. This edit describes how the
agenda has been determined for at least 15 years, set by the Chair of Faculty Conference.
Academic Council has passed one small revision to the general education program, that
the technology requirement must be completed within 75 hours instead of 54.
Report from the Student Representative
Council of Student Leaders (CSL) Vice-Chair Sydney Shealy reported on the outcome
of the CSL fall retreat in which they identified five key items to be addressed this
year: academic integrity, voter registration and education, space use and condition,
campus awareness, and CSL outreach. In terms of academic integrity, they are reviewing
the student and faculty survey data in order to develop a lesson suitable for ACAD
101 and to understand the campus-wide views on integrity. Voter registration was successful
with over 300 students now registered to vote. In an on-line mock election, over 500
students voted. A CSL sub-committee is working with campus space-use managers to understand
and improve spaces available to student groups. The Council held a forum on tuition
in October as a way of increasing campus awareness with additional forums planned
for the future. Finally, the outreach committee continues to publicize activities
and initiatives of the CSL.
Report from the President
President DiGiorgio noted the final fall enrollment figures showed a level number
of students. The President assured the Board that student enrollments would not increase
beyond the current capacity of our campus buildings. Full-time graduate students have
increased at the same time the number of part-time graduate students have decreased
resulting in no significant overall changes. In terms of financial aid, the President
reported that a recent analysis has shown that 97% of our freshmen students are recipients
of state scholarships.
President DiGiorgio reported on the status of the Wetlands at the farm. This project
has provided excellent results for the campus as well as the local school district
and Rock Hill Community. The next step is to construct the platform for the outdoor
classroom.
The President reported on his continuing work with various campus groups such as Faculty
Concerns Committee and the Board of Visitors as well as community groups such as Community
Leaders Advisory Group. Discussions have proven fruitful and the President has every
reason to believe they will continue to do so.
President DiGiorgio continued his report with a discussion of the success of the Winthrop
University Athletics program. Our freshmen and sophomore dominated teams are doing
quite well. The Women's volleyball team is currently on a 15 game winning streak.
Two of this year's starters are on the national ballot for the All-Academic, All-American
teamSarah Mae Billingsley and Mark Hock.
The President ended his report with the announcement that he had been chosen for the
NCAA Board of Directors which is comprised of 18 CEOs from National Universities.
Old Business
There was no old business.
New Business
There was no new business.
Executive Session
Karl Folkens moved, seconded by Bob Thompson, that the Board move into Executive Session
for discussion of legal matters. The motion was passed unanimously by voice vote.
The Executive Session was conducted and no actions were taken. Skip Tuttle then moved,
seconded by Glenda Owens, that the Board go back into Public Session. The motion passed
unanimously by voice vote.
Adjournment
Leland Cox moved, seconded by Larry Durham, that the Board adjourn. The motion was
passed unanimously by voice vote and the Board adjourned at 4:30 p.m.
Minutes submitted by Kimberly Faust, Secretary to the Board for 2004-05.
