April 8, 2005
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, Skip Tuttle,
Anthony J. DiGiorgio (ex officio)
Members absent: Kathy Bigham
Representatives present: Rich Fowler, Student Representative, Marilyn Smith, Faculty Representative
Representatives absent: None
Others present: Faculty and staff of Winthrop University; Willie Lyles and Tim Daugherty, invited
guests
The Board of Trustees met on Friday, April 8 at 1:12 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 1:12 p.m. She welcomed Dr. Tim Daugherty
and Mr. Willie Lyles to the Board meeting as future faculty representative to the
Board and Student Representative to the Board, respectively.
Approval of Board Minutes of February 12, 2005
Sanita Savage moved, seconded by Bob Thompson, that the Board approve the minutes.
This motion was approved unanimously by voice vote.
Approval of Board Minutes of February 13, 2005
Polly Ford moved, seconded by Glenda Owens 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 March 23,
2005. Several matters were reviewed and discussed. The materials from the meeting
have been forwarded to each of members of the Board . Most of the issues that were
discussed will be or have already been a part of today's agendas.
The Executive Committee also had an executive session for discussion of legal, personnel,
and contractual matters. No action was taken in the executive session.
Report of the Academic Affairs Committee
Chair Thompson summarized the report from Vice President Tom Moore beginning with
a discussion of the continued success of the General Education program. There have
been some "growing pains" as the new program is running concurrently with the former
program, but extra efforts of the faculty and staff and ensuring a smooth transition.
The Master of Social Work has been approved and is scheduled to begin classes in Fall
2006 with the first faculty member joining Winthrop University in Spring 2005 to assist
with the implementation of the program.
The review of the graduate programs continues. Enrollment trends in the various programs
have been flat possibly due to a lack of scholarship monies for part-time graduate
students.
Bob Thompson then reported on the remainder of the items presented to the Academic
Affairs Committee starting with the Commencement Participation Policy. As of Fall
2005 graduation, only those students who have completed all requirements for graduation
will be permitted to participate in the ceremony. As this will be a change in policy,
efforts are underway to create procedures to get accurate information to students
and advisors in a timely fashion to ensure students are able to address deficits prior
to deadlines.
As a follow up to the Campus Academic Integrity Surveys distributed last year, two
forums discussing the results have been scheduled. One forum is internal to the University
with participation of faculty and students. The second forum includes an invited guest
who will present national trends on Integrity. By being proactive, Winthrop University
can take the lead in examining and discussing the issue of integrity.
Academic Unit Updates were presented as follows:
Report of the Finance Committee
Chair Skip Tuttle reported on the following items:
The 2004-2005 Allocation Status Report shows that Winthrop University will end the
fiscal year "in the black." With current bonds, debt, and revenue streams we are able
to issue new bonds.
Resolution to Approve the Issuance of $17 million in State Institutional bonds for
the Construction of the Lois Rhame West Health and Physical Education Centeras this
was a motion from a standing committee, it did not need to be seconded. Discussion
included the fact that this bond will not result in additional fees for students.
The resolution was passed unanimously.
Update on Information Technology Fundingthe technology fee previously instituted continues
to serve Winthrop University very well. We now replace all computers every three years.
Used computers are recycled on campus. Those computers that are deemed obsolete become
state surplus.
The computer system used for records management in the Office of Development is scheduled
to be replaced. The new system will permit more efficient management strategies to
be implemented.
Report of the University Relations Committee
Chair Glenda Owens began her report with a discussion of items from the Division of
University Advancement. Homecoming Weekend proved to be quite successful. Attendance
was good as was the weather. The talent show had 550 attendees. The show "Kiss Me
Kate" received rave reviews. And, the Society of 1886 was honored with a reception
during Homecoming Weekend. Next year's homecoming is scheduled for the weekend of
February 11, 2006.
Alumni Reunion Weekend — April 22 — 24, 2005 plans are progressing on schedule. Due to an overwhelming positive response, the ring ceremony will be moved from the Little Chapel to the Tillman auditorium. The awards for top students will also be given in conjunction with the ring ceremony.
Announcement of Council for the Advancement and Support of Education AwardOur "Quest
for Equality" entry to this annual competition has won an Award of Merit.
The Organ Restoration Campaign is currently underway. As this is the 50th anniversary
of the DB Johnson Memorial Organ, a series of concerts by Shirley Fishburne are being
held in various venues in the Carolinas and Georgia.
Although fundraising via telephone is proving to be increasingly difficult due to various phone security devices available, the Loyalty Fund Phonathon has been successful. The goal of $200,000 has been reached. This year 60 of our callers were trained with the help of a web-based system. The general feedback from constituents has been positive in regard to the comportment of the callers.
Chair Owens continued her report with a discussion of Intercollegiate Athletics. The theme of this year's Scholarship Auction, scheduled for May 14 will be a Beach Blast. The upper concourse will be the site of the silent auction with a dance floor planned for the lower area. Ticket prices are $50 and it is hoped that approximately 500 people will attend.
The NCAA Academic Progress Rate Report includes a new measure of success which covers progress and retention rates. Students are given points if they maintain eligibility and remain in school. Unfortunately, the measure penalizes those students who maintain eligibility yet leave school to join the ranks of a major league team such as some of our baseball players have done. We hope this issue will be addressed in the near future by the NCAA. The measure also requires that student progress toward a major rather than taking a series of unrelated courses.
The Big South Conference Compliance Review has recently been completed. We did quite
well. At the time of the review, our compliance manual was still in the process of
being completed. We have implemented new procedures to ensure that our athletes remain
eligible and compliant.
The NCAA Certification Self-Study has been completed and the report is now being written.
It will be available for on-line review by the campus community. The final report
will be submitted by July 15. We will have a site visit in November 2005.
Chair Owens ended her report with a discussion of Student Life. We have received a record number of applicationsover 4100. We are uncertain how many of these students will enroll in the fall because over 1100 of the applications are the "fast apps" on-line application process designed by Royall. This is the first year of this type of application and we do not know what level of acceptance to expect. The open houses have been quite successful as is our campaign to reach high school sophomores.
We have been permitted to negotiate a 10 year contract with Follett bookstores. A part of the agreement, they have gifted $140,000 to the campus center, $530,000 for the bookstore space, and as per the agreement, we receive 10% of all sales at the bookstore.
The meal plans for the upcoming year have been revised. Students will chose from five different meal plans that focus on number of meals and Caf cash.
Lastly, the division of Student Life will use the Texas A & M university model of
professional staff development to educate and engage student affairs personnel. These
training sessions will not be required but attendance will be strongly encouraged.
Report from Faculty Representative
Dr. Marilyn Smith reported on the following items in reference to the faculty at Winthrop
University. The faculty conference has met three times since the November 12 Board
of Trustees meeting. In the spirit of continuous improvement, Academic Council and
Faculty Conference have approved revisions to three minors and nine programs (majors).
They also approved a new definition for a cultural event. In addition, Academic Council
also approved a revision to the Guidelines for Sponsors for Cultural Events, which
documented some things that were being done by the committee and added clarity to
other points.
Dr. Jo Koster led a study of the ethics and legalities related to faculty selling
review copies of textbooks, which they had received free from publishers. We recognize
many complexities involved in implementing and enforcing a policy, but we did pass
a set of "Recommended Practices for Winthrop Faculty Regarding the Disposal of Examination
Copies of Textbooks" at our January meeting.
Dr. Alice Burmeister and the Task Force on Academic and Institutional Integrity have
completed the survey phase of their work and are currently sponsoring some panel discussions
"to begin a campus-wide exploratory conversation on a variety of important issues
related to academic integrity, both here at Winthrop and at colleges nationwide."
The Faculty Concerns Committee has met with Dr. DiGiorgio about dual and outside employment
policies, salary compression, and classes on Labor Day. The Committee took advantage
of Winthrop's open door policy and cooperative atmosphere and dealt directly with
Facilities to correct a lack of hot water in some buildings.
In addition to the election of Dr. Tim Daugherty being elected as the next Chair of
Faculty Conference and Faculty Representative to the Board of Trustees, a strong slate
of well qualified committee members were elected for next year, and committees are
currently electing chairs.
Report from the Student Representative
Mr. Richard Fowler began his report with a summary of student life in the last two
weeks of class. Students are busy finishing their class assignments and preparing
for final exams.
Rich continued his report with a summary of student related events that have occurred
on campus. The Rely for Life was quite successful. Although we have only been involved
with this project for a few years, the campus community raised over $24,000 this year.
The Academic Integrity project is progressing well. Students and faculty joined together
for a panel discussion. After some hesitancy, the students began to speak freely about
their ideas of integrity as did the faculty. The panel discussion will be followed
by a guest speaker, Dr. Dan Wueste, Director of the Robert J. Rutland Center for Ethics,
who will present a lecture on how to create a culture of academic integrity through
campus-wide dialogue and discussion. This is designated as a cultural event and student
attendance is expected to be high.
The Council of Student Leaders continues to monitor the Space Use Policy as well as
the procedures for reserving space. The Council is working with student groups to
facilitate the process.
Rich Fowler ended his report with a discussion on Homecoming 2005. The students enjoyed
their activities and a great deal of positive feedback was reported.
Report from the President
President DiGiorgio began his report by thanking everyone for their participation
in the Lois Rhame West cornerstone dedication ceremony. He then extended a welcome
to Dr. Tim Daugherty, the new Faculty representative the Board and Willie Lyles, the
new Student Representative to the Board. Both will assume their positions with the
November meeting.
Dr. DiGiorgio continued his presentation with a discussion of the State Budget. The
Senate Finance committee completed its work in record time. Vetoes on some of the
items are expected, but overall, the budget is thought to be near its final form.
Unfortunately, there will be no new monies for general operating funds.
However, PASCAL will be funded for an additional year. This is very good news not
only for our library, but for all of the libraries across the state. Also in the current
version of the budget is $1 million earmarked for the construction of an auditorium
for College of Business Administration. This auditorium will be built as an addition
to Thurmond and will include some classroom space.
The budget, as it now stands, calls for a 4% increase in state worker salaries. This
increase may be across the board or it may be distributed on a merit basis depending
on the final version of the budget. Although the state mandates a 4% pay increase,
they do not increase our budget accordingly. We must contribute $800,000 of our own
money to help fund the state mandate.
Technology funds will be slightly lower due to about a $100,000 decline in lottery
funds. Speculation is that a lottery in North Carolina would reduce that amount even
more for the future.
Whereas the state is experiencing an increase in revenues, higher education budgets
have not been increased. We will continue to face difficulties as we balance our tuition
with our costs.
The President next discussed the Modified Work Schedule. Non-public offices will be
staffed from 8 am to 5:30 on Mondays through Thursday s and 8 am to 11:30 on Fridays.
Offices that commonly serve the public such as Admissions, Police Department, President's
Office, Financial Aid, and University Development will remain open during the normal
business hours of 8:30 to 5:00 Monday through Friday.
Mayor Echols and the City Council have declared the week of August 19 to be Common
Book Week for Rock Hill. All area book clubs as well as the public library will showcase
the book " A Hope in the Unseen."
President DiGiorgio concluded his remarks with a summary of the most recent awards
and accolades won by Winthrop University in the past 8 weeks. The awards ranged from
athletics to chemistry to student life. As the President noted, our students, faculty,
staff, and programs are high achieving across the board. In other words, we are pervasively
good in all that we do.
Old Business
Lee Cox raised the question of dual GPA as old business. The former Life Sciences
Act before the South Carolina Legislature had included a call for a GPA to be calculated
for all colleges classes completed as well as a GPA per individual school. Although
the Life Sciences Act was declared unconstitutional, the dual GPA has been re-introduced
as a separate bill and will most likely receive approval next year.
New Business
There was no new business.
Executive Session
Larry Durham, 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. Karl Folkensthen moved,
seconded by Skip Tuttle, that the Board go back into Public Session. The motion passed
unanimously by voice vote.
Adjournment
Glenda Owens moved, seconded by Sanita Savage, that the Board adjourn. The motion
was passed unanimously by voice vote and the Board adjourned at 3:48 p.m.
Minutes submitted by Kimberly Faust, Secretary to the Board for 2004-05.
