Meeting of the Winthrop University Board of Trustees

Monday, July 12, 2021 | 5:00 p.m.
Thompson Conference Room | Tillman Building
Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC

 

Members present: Glenn McCall, Gary Williams, Kathy Bigham, Isaiah Venning, Sandra Stroman, Jane LaRoche, Tim Hopkins, Randy Imler, President George W. Hynd (ex-officio) / Ashlye Wilkerson, Julie Fowler, Tim Sease, Janet Smalley, John Brazell, Robby Sisco

Members absent: Ed Driggers

Others present: Justin Oates, Adrienne McCormick, Cheryl Fortner-Wood, Kimberly Faust, and Caroline Overcash.

 

The Board of Trustees met on Monday, July 12, 2021 on the campus of Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC.

 

Call to Order

Chair McCall called the meeting to order at 5:03 p.m. He welcomed all present. Mr. McCall delivered an invocation.

 

Action Items

Gary Williams brought forth a motion to accept the Public Comment Policy as written. Sandra Stroman seconded the motion. The policy is not a departure from usual protocols used to make public comment before Board meetings; the policy’s intent is to codify practices and procedures previously used.

The policy will reside in the university’s policy repository making it easily accessible to anyone interested in learning about the procedure to make public comment. Also attached to the policy is a formal request form to be used when requesting to make public comment.

Chair McCall called the vote. It was unanimous in favor of the resolution.

Jane LaRoche brought forth a motion to accept the Oath of Office and Code of Conduct and Statement of Commitment. John Brazell seconded the motion. While not a formal university policy, this document reinforces the Trustee bylaws with a focus on Trustee expected behavior and commitment to the university.

Chair McCall called the vote. It was unanimous in favor of the resolution.

The board approved a change to the bylaws that was overlooked in June when members considered a comprehensive bylaws review. Board Chair Glenn McCall said earlier this summer the review was undertaken to determine whether any articles should be eliminated, updated or revised, or any new articles added.

Julie Fowler brought forth a motion to accept a minor revision to the bylaws. Kathy Bigham seconded the motion. In the first paragraph regarding the responsibilities of the Committee on Finance, a phrase was omitted from the version presented for a vote at the June 25, 2021 meeting. The revision referred to in this motion is to include the phrase “to include its unrestricted resources” to Article V, Committee on Finance opening paragraph. The new sentence is “The Finance Committee shall provide general oversight and guidance of the University’s fiscal resources and employee welfare, to include its unrestricted resources to support the University's mission.” Chair McCall called the vote. It was unanimous in favor of the resolution.

 

Executive Session

Robby Sisco moved with a second from Isaiah Venning to move into executive session pursuant to South Carolina Ann. §30-4-70(a)(1) and (2) for the purpose of discussions of proposed contractual arrangements and personnel issues. The vote was unanimous in favor of the motion.

Kimberly Faust, Justin Oates, Caroline Overcash, and Adrienne McCormick were invited to remain for portions of the executive session.

Gary Williams moved to end executive session with no report. Tim Hopkins seconded the motion. The vote was unanimous to end executive session.

 

Adjournment

Hearing no objections, Chair McCall adjourned the meeting at 6:49 p.m.

Minutes submitted by Kimberly A. Faust, Secretary to the Board