June 5-6, 2008
1:00 pm
Baruch Room, Joynes Hall
Winthrop University
Rock Hill, South Carolina
Minutes of Meeting of the Board of Trustees
Members present:Karl Folkens (Chair), Kathy Bigham, Janet Smalley, Glenda Owens,Frances Davenport, Jane LaRoche, Leland Cox,Dalton Floyd, David Vipperman,Anthony J. DiGiorgio (ex officio)
Members absent: Samuel Foster, Susan Smith-Rex, Donna Tinsley
Representatives present: Tatiana Sosa, Student Representative; Cheryl Fortner-Wood, Faculty Representative
Others present: Faculty and staff of Winthrop University, Christy Mullins,The Herald.
The Board of Trustees met on Thursday, June 5 and Friday, June 6, 2008 on the campus of Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC.
Call to Order
Chair Folkens called the meeting to order at 4:08 on June 5. Dalton Floyd made a motion for the Board to move into Executive Session, Kathy Bigham seconded. The Board met in executive session for the purpose of reviewing the recommendations of the Executive Committee on the performance evaluation of President DiGiorgio. Janet Smalley moved the Board return to public session. The motion was seconded by Jane LaRoche. The motion passed unanimously by voice vote. At that time, the meeting was recessed with continuation planned for the afternoon of June 6.
As there were no requests made for public comments, the meeting continued on June 6, 2008 at 1:00p.m.
Approval of Board Minutes of April 11 2008
Lee Cox moved, seconded by Sam Foster, that the Board approve the minutes. This motion was approved unanimously as presented by voice vote.
Report of the Executive Committee and Chair of the Board
Chair Folkens reported that the Executive Committee had met on campus on May 23, 2008. 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.
Kathy Bigham of the Executive Committee asked that the Board consider a number of resolutions for meritorious service:
Resolution to Honor Karl A. Folkens for Meritorious Service as Chair of the Board of Trustees. The resolution passed unanimously by voice vote.
Resolution to Honor W. Dustin Evatt for Meritorious Service as Chair of the Council of Student Leaders and Student Representative to the Board of Trustees. The resolution passed unanimously by voice vote.
The Chair of the Board, Karl Folkens then asked that the Board consider the following resolution pertaining to the performance of President DiGiorgio as set forth in the bylaws:
Resolution Concerning the Annual Evaluation of President DiGiorgio. The resolution passed unanimously by voice vote.
Resolution Concerning the Contract of President DiGiorgio. The resolution passed unanimously by voice vote.
Chair Folkens reported the Executive Committee 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 Lee Cox brought forth a Resolution to Confer Emeriti Status upon ten faculty members who recently retired with a combined total of 245 years of dedicated service. They are: David Freeman, professor of fine arts; Ronnie Goolsby, professor of mathematics; Lorraine Gorrell, professor of music; Edward Haynes, associate professor of history; Dianne Hockett, assistant professor of management; Terry Norton, professor of education; Sue Peck, associate professor of education; Wilhelmenia Rembert, professor of social work; Margaret Tebo-Messina, professor of English; and Nell Walker, Assistant professor of management. The resolution passed unanimously.
Chair Cox continued with his report by applauding Vice President of Academic Affairs Tom Moore for the progress being made in faculty governance and the academic calendar review processes. Additionally, the preliminary work on the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is moving forward in a timely fashion. No stumbling blocks are perceived as we prepare for the upcoming SACS accreditation review.
Highlights from the Deans reports include: the author of the 2008-09 Common Book, Nine Hills to Nambonkaha, Sarah Erdman, will be on campus to meet with students during the first days of class. Ms. Erdman will present at two events open to students and the public; Enrollment in the Graduate School has increased by 18% for the Spring semester and is projected to increase by 88% for the Summer sessions. New applications for graduate students for Fall 2008 have increased by 155% over last year; Create Carolina has a successful second year; the Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) teams did well in both regional and national competitions; Undergraduate research continues to impress with multiple student presentations at the regional and national level conferences.
Report of the Finance Committee
Chair Kathy Bigham stated the report of the Auditor showed no findings needing to be addressed, Board Chair Folkens mentioned the fee charged by the auditing firms is only $28,000 as compared to the over $125,000 paid by other South Carolina Schools. Auditing firms charge a fee based on the severity and type of issues expected to be uncovered during the audit. Our fee is so low because the auditors do not expect to find issues of concern at Winthrop.
The Allocation Status Report shows Winthrop will finish the fiscal year in the black. The committee did bring forth two resolutions pertaining to financing. The first, a Resolution Authorizing and Approving Certain Equipment Lease/Purchase Transactions under the State Master Lease Program with Banc of America Public Capital Corp, through the South Carolina Office of State Treasurer in the Aggregate Amount of $6,350,900 passed unanimously as did the second resolution, a Resolution Regarding the Operating Budget and Student Fees for Fiscal Year 2008-09 which gives authority to the Executive Committee to set tuition and fees at a later time when the specifics of the state allocations budget have been finalized.
Report of the University Relations Committee
Chair Glenda Owens commented on the hard work of the Admissions Office who expect enrollment to hold steady for the upcoming academic year. University Relations staff and members of the Visual Enhancement group have been working to prepare the new logos for banners, awnings, and signs.
Development reported 371 alumni at the recent alumni weekend event. Future events continue to be planned and will be facilitated by the restructuring in the Development Office.
Summer orientation has been condensed to two day events in response to student and parent suggestions. Residence Life staff gave a presentation of amenities and resources available to students in the residence halls including Eagle Cinema and LaundryView, an Internet application that allows the monitoring of the status of washers and dryers in connected laundry rooms through a Web browser. LaundryView permits students to see which washers and dryers are available for use on a real-time basis.
Report of the Nominating Committee
Glenda Owens as Chair of the Nominating Committee (Glenda Owens, Sam Foster, and Frances Davenport) reported on the slate of officers for the 2008-09 term. Kathy Bigham was nominated as Chair, Karl Folkens was nominated as Vice Chair, and Sue Smith-Rex was nominated as Secretary of the Board. No other nominations from the floor were made. Lee Cox moved, seconded by Jane LaRoche to accept the nominations as presented. The vote was unanimously passed by voice vote.
Report from Faculty Representative
Dr. Fortner-Wood focused her report on the April 25, 2008 meeting of the faculty conference highlighting the work of the faculty governance committees as well as conversations about potential calendar changes. The work of the governance committees is moving in a positive direction as the committees continue to meet and discuss pertinent issues. The potential calendar changes include discussions on the use of 50 minute classes and 75 minute classes as well as better use of the Friday times.
Report from the Student Representative
Tatiana Sosa presented to the Board her new capacity as Chair of the Council of Student Leaders and Student Representative to the Board of Trustees. She reviewed the plans for the upcoming Council of Student Leaders' retreat at which the agenda for the 2008-09 academic year would be set. All seats on the Council are filled with the exception of five seats that will be held for new freshmen to fill in the Fall.
Report from the President
The president began his report by reviewing the progress the university has made over the past academic year. Many areas have reached points of major transitions and are poised to move forward. Reorganizations in the areas of admissions, graduate studies, and development have created new opportunities to grow. The academic programs continue to be strong as evidenced by the positive accreditation visits and reports submitted this past year. A number of new initiatives have been started and current programs have been strengthened.
The president reminded the Board that while it is important to recognize the challenges inherent in these economic times, by focusing on a commonality of purpose we will be able to meet the upcoming challenges presented to us. Our commitment to our focus on providing an exceptional educational experience for our students will remain our overarching goal as we look toward the future.
Old Business
There was no old business.
New Business
There was no new business.
Adjournment
Kathy Bigham moved, seconded by Frances Davenport, that the Board adjourn. The motion was passed unanimously by voice vote and the Board adjourned at3:40 p.m.
Minutes submitted by Kimberly Faust, Secretary to the Board for 2008-09.
