Thursday, September 27, 2018
Teleconference
Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC
Members present: Glenn McCall, Ed Driggers, Tim Hopkins, Isaiah Venning, Janet Smalley, Ashlye Wilkerson, Donna Glenn Holley, Julie Fowler, Robby Sisco, Kathy Bigham, and Dan Mahony (ex officio).
Members absent:Jane LaRoche, Randy Imler, Sandra Stroman, Don Long, Tim Sease
Representatives present: None
Representatives absent:Ximena Perez, Student Representative; Michael Lipscomb, Faculty Representative
Others present: Debra Boyd, Jeff Perez, Judy Longshaw, Shelia Burkhalter, Lisa Cowart, Justin Oates, Kirk McSwain, Tammie Phillips
The Board of Trustees met on Thursday, September 27, 2018 via teleconference originating in the Tillman Hall Thompson Conference Room on the campus of Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC.
Call to Order
Chair McCall called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. He welcomed all present and thanked Dr. Jeffrey Perez for his service to the university as well as to wish him luck in his future career as president of the South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities organization.
Executive Session
Kathy Bigham moved with a second from Tim Hopkins to move into executive session pursuant to South Carolina Ann. 30-4-70(a)(1) and (2) for the purposes of discussion of employment and for a discussion of proposed contractual arrangements. The vote was unanimous in favor of the motion. All persons in the room with the exception of Judy Longshaw were invited to remain for the executive session.
Kathy Bigham moved with a second from Julie Fowler to end the executive session and return to public session. The vote was unanimous in favor of the motion.
Fall Semester Campus Update
Owens Hall Elevator:
Vice President for Finance and Business Affairs, Justin Oates, gave the board an update
on the status of the elevator in Owens Hall. It had been out of order and repairs
had been delayed due to an issue with the manufacturer of the elevator. Vice President
for Student Life, Shelia Burkhalter, added that those students who have disabilities
on campus had been contacted directly during this process.
Enrollment and housing occupancy numbers:
President Dan Mahony reported that both degree and non-degree seeking students enrollment
numbers were down approximately 150 students, with the former category being far more
costly than the latter. He also reported that the total of students living in campus
housing was down by 183 students and that this was higher than expected. VP Burkhalter
explained that this was likely due to an increase in exceptions granted to on-campus
living requirements for students living within a 50 mile radius of campus in line
with a higher emphasis on recruiting students from the York County area. VP Oates
reported that as a result of this as well as the decline in enrollment had led to
a $4 million dollar impact on the budget. He will work with other Vice Presidents
at reducing costs and potentially using the unrestricted net-position to rectify the
budget shortfall. He plans to take a multi-year approach and to minimize the impact
on departments as much as possible but released only half of budget totals in the
interim as a precautionary measure.
Tuition communication and creation of Tuition Review Advisory Committee:
President Dan Mahony spoke about his intentions to give a presentation about the budget
to the Council on Student Leaders. Chair McCall mentioned that he would like pursue
the idea of a committee on tuition at the November Trustees meeting that would include
students, faculty, and parents so that their voices could be heard on the matter.
Preview of November presentation on higher education analytics:
Chair McCall stated the intention of Trustee Imler to give a presentation about higher
education analytics at the upcoming November Board of Trustees meeting.
Preview of November discussion on Trustee Code of Conduct:
Chair McCall stated the idea was started by Trustee Driggers and Trustee Sisco when
asked about an oath of office and that his research uncovered peer code of conducts
at other universities. Liking the idea, his proposed code would include a variable
dress code dependent on the meeting type as well as other standard measures. He anticipates
the rest of the trustees will sign in November.
New Business
Trustee Bigham suggested that the Thompson Conference Room needed a better phone system and VP Oates replied that a VOiP service had been included in the upcoming budget therefore the technology should improve the current teleconferencing system's capabilities.
Adjournment
Janet Smalley moved to adjourn the meeting with a second from Julie Fowler. The vote was unanimous. The meeting was adjourned at 10:16 a.m.
Minutes submitted by Kirk McSwain, Assistant to the Secretary to the Board
