Minutes
UWF Board of Trustees
University of West Florida
October 25-26, 2001
The agenda:
Chair's greetings
President's greetings
Trustee Search Committee meeting
Presentation by Bob Hart, chairman of the UWF Foundation Board of Trustees
College of Business reception (Thursday, 5:30 p.m.)
Approval of minutes
Consent agenda
1. Approval of language for change in bylaws.
Action items
1. UWF Strategic Plan
2. Budget update
3. School code revision
4. Professional search firm contract
5. Presidential assessment tool
6. Messages and reports
7. Other business
Adjournment
11 a.m. Friday - Attend speech on "College Towns and Urbanism" by Robert Davis, founder of Seaside.
12 p.m. Friday - Lunch at IHMC
1 p.m. Friday - Tour of IHMC
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Chair Collier Merrill convened the meeting at 4:13 p.m. on October 25, 2001 in the Alumni Room of the University of West Florida. Trustees present for all or portions of the October 25-26 meeting were:
Honor Bell
Pam Bilbrey
Angie Bowler
Travis Bowden
K.C. Clark
Carol Dover
Lornetta Epps
Sharon Hess Herrick
Charles Horner
Collier Merrill
JoAnn Morgan
Eddie Phillips
Roy Smith
President Morris Marx told trustees that the university does not yet know the extent of the impending budget cuts, which are being considered by the Legislature. A proposal to advance capital funding could benefit UWF, which is seeking money to restore the historic properties in downtown Pensacola.
Janice Gilley, the UWF director of governmental relations, was asked by the speaker of the House to become the staff director for the House Majority Office, President Marx said. In her temporary absence, Heffley & Associates has been hired as the university lobbyist. Kelly Horton with that firm will handle university issues.
President Marx also praised UWF athletes for having an average gradepoint average higher than the overall UWF student average, placing them in the top of the NCAA in academic performance.
Chair Merrill appointed Trustee Phillips as the Board liaison for research, technology transfer and economic development.
Trustee Search Committee
The Board of Trustees met as a committee of the whole to act as the Trustee Search Committee.
Chair Merrill reported that the Trustee Search Committee met on October 19 and selected Bill Funk of Korn/Ferry International as the presidential search consultant. Funk has recruited 25 percent of the presidents at prestigious Association of American Universities, 10 of the 11 presidents in the Big 10 and 150 of the sitting presidents in the nation. Trustee Clark moved and Trustee Phillips seconded a motion to hire Bill Funk as the consultant (Action Agenda Item 4). It passed unanimously.
Trustee Smith said that the Trustee Search Committee looked at the seven firms in the pool created by the Florida Board of Education, specifically for experience in Florida presidential searches under the state sunshine laws. The main job of the search consultant is to educate candidates about UWF.
The fee for search consultants is usually one-third of the first year presidential salary and bonuses.
Chair Merrill reported that the Selection Criteria Subcommittee submitted a recommended minimum criterion, a modified version of one developed earlier by the Trustee Search Committee. The recommended version is: An earned Ph.D. required but may be waived if career experience is deemed equivalent or superior.
Dr. Chula King, subcommittee chair, said that the original "earned doctorate" language could mean many things to many people. "It has to be the highest degree, and that is a Ph.D.," she said.
A lengthy discussion followed on the issue of requiring a Ph.D. Trustee Smith said that the criteria had to have flexibility to allow someone such as Colin Powell or a corporate CEO to qualify. Trustee Bowden said his concern was that the university should "cast the net as wide as we can." Chair Merrill said that faculty are very much in favor of having a Ph.D. required, and Dr. King added that a number of faculty expect the president to have academic credentials that equal their own. Without a Ph.D., a president would be disadvantaged in working with faculty and other presidents. It was noted that the recommended language requires a Ph.D., but it can be waived, which allows others with experience of equal or superior qualities to be eligible.
Trustee Epps moved to accept the recommendation of the Selection Criteria Subcommittee. Trustee Clark seconded the motion. It passed unanimously.
The Board discussed other criteria, focusing on those recommended by Trustee Smith. The Board then adopted three additional criteria:
1. Extensive senior executive experience, preferably in academic governance, demonstrating outstanding leadership qualities, professional accomplishments and ability to work within complex systems.
2. Record of unquestionable personal integrity and character.
3. Outstanding interpersonal/communication skills necessary to successfully attract talent, build strong external community relationships and raise funds from private sources, government and industry.
Bob Hart, president of the University of West Florida Foundation Board of Trustees, provided an in-depth presentation on the activities of the Foundation, stressing that the "foundation is your partner." Founded in 1965, the Foundation has about $58 million in assets and is governed by Foundation rules on how much of that can be spent annually. When compared to the University of Central Florida, University of North Florida and the University of South Florida, the UWF Foundation is about equal to UCF and twice as large as UNF. When comparing the endowment on a per-student basis, UWF is slightly behind USF and substantially greater than UCF and UNF.
Hart also announced that the Foundation Board has pledged to fully fund the search for the president.
The Board of Trustees recessed at 5:42 p.m.
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The Board of Trustees reconvened at 9:08 a.m., Friday, October 26 at the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition.
Trustee Bilbrey moved and Trustee Dover seconded approval of the minutes, which passed unanimously.
Consent agenda
Trustee Bell moved and Trustee Epps seconded a motion to approve the consent agenda item concerning a change in the bylaws. It passed unanimously.
Action agenda 1
Vice President Parks Dimsdale explained that the planning cycle at UWF is continuous and unlike any other in the State University System because it includes community involvement in the process. The Community Liaison and Advisory Council has been active four three years and extremely helpful. "All of our focus is on the students," he said. The University Planning Council meets regularly during the year, examining ideas that flow from the campus and the community. The extensive committee review results in a final planning product, and the Strategic Plan is modified, if necessary.
Trustee Phillips asked about the process for adding new degree programs, and Dr. Dimsdale said that the Florida Board of Education still has a role in approving doctorate programs, but boards of trustees will approve the bachelor's and master's programs. Ideas for new programs rise from the bottom up and go through the campus planning process. The university does not want too many doctoral programs because of expense, and any doctoral program at UWF likely would be a professional program, he said.
Dr. Parks further explained that the planning process at the university incorporates needs and ideas from the community and campus. Proposed degree programs would flow through that same process and then to the Board of Trustees for approval. Two programs, one for the bachelor's degree in electrical engineering at UWF and the Fort Walton Beach campus and the other for general nursing, originated in the community.
Trustee Morgan said that the enrollment and retention portion of the goals and objectives needs to be strengthened with reference to recruitment and graduation, which are accountability measures. Also, because of the events of September 11, the plan should include more about the safety, security and health of students, faculty and staff. They should be a core value.
Dr. Dimsdale said that graduation rates are improving and equal to those across the state. UWF now has a much larger portion of first-time-in-college students, who tend to move more quickly through the program.
Vice President Linda Dye said the university has placed an emphasis on safety through such things as escort services and having controlled access in the residence halls. Vice President Cornelius Wooten said the university is in the process of reviewing safety and security procedures in light of the September 11 attack. The review includes evaluating academic departments with chemicals and mail procedures.
Trustee Smith suggested that the list of strategic issues included in the agenda would be good for the Board to address and evaluate how the university is doing.
Trustee Clark moved and Trustee Bowler seconded approval of the Strategic Plan. It passed unanimously.
Agenda item 2
President Marx reported that the Legislature is considering cuts of about $3 million for UWF, but there was a dramatic turn of events in legislative procedure, and it is difficult to determine the outcome. Trustee Dover, who was in Tallahassee for the budget debate, said the procedures followed on the budget were unprecedented. The House and Senate were expected to continue negotiations during the weekend in an attempt to get beyond the impasse.
President Marx said the university has prepared for the cut by freezing most traveling and hiring and by identifying money that could be used for other purposes from non-recurring funds, auxiliaries, UWF Foundation, carry-over funds and the over collection on tuition, which could total about $1.2 million. The university has established priorities for instructional and essential student services, with specific priorities to be established by divisions. The academic division will be spared as best as possible, but it has two-thirds of the budget, he said.
Dr. Dimsdale reported that there is little salary savings from open faculty positions because they were filled to meet university growth. President Marx said he did not anticipate any layoffs.
Chair Merrill said he is comfortable with the plans the university has put in place for the cuts, and he noted the governor is interested in accelerating construction projects to spur the economy. Thus, UWF has asked for $3.1 million for restoration of historic properties.
United Faculty of Florida UWF Chapter President Nicholas Power addressed the Board about the shared governance system on campus. He said that it appears collective bargaining will move from statewide negotiations to individual campus negotiations and asked the board to prepare for that.
Agenda item 3
President Marx conducted a PowerPoint presentation on the progress of the school code rewrite. Several groups within the State University System and the Florida Board of Education (FBOE) are working on the rewrite, which will be taken up during the next legislative session. The boards of trustees were given some powers and the presidential powers remained relatively the same, but much work needs to be done, he said.
The four things the FBOE must do are submit a budget request for the K-20 system, rewrite the school code, reorganize the Department of Education and adopt a strategic plan. Universities want a local control system and to move from state agency status with the devolution of power and duties from the FBOE and the Legislature.
President Marx said some of the key issues being pursued are:
Agenda item 5
Trustee Epps moved and Trustee Clark seconded a motion for the executive committee to develop a presidential assessment tool and bring it back to the Board for approval. It passed unanimously.
Agenda item 6
Trustee Smith said that the report from the Faculty Senate asked for a closer relationship with the Board. A short discussion resulted in consensus that the Board is not authorized to change its membership and a Board member would attend the Faculty Senate meetings, whenever possible. Trustee Smith moved with several seconds that the Board allow for a member of the Faculty Senate, chosen by the Senate, to sit as an ex-official, non-voting member of the Academic and Student Affairs Committee. It passed unanimously.
Agenda item 7
Trustee Phillips raised the issue how the Board should respond after being contacted by individuals on personnel matters. "We are not an arbitration board; we are a policy board," he said. A lengthy general discussion ensued about the need for university administration to handle personnel issues through its processes, rather than them being matters for the Board. UWF attorney Pat Lott said the university administration has procedures in place that should be followed by employees, but some now see the Board as an additional source for taking their grievance. Personnel matters are currently covered under statute, which lies within the purview of the president and his staff, she said.
Trustee Phillips moved and Trustee Clark seconded a motion to authorize the chair to work with the general counsel to draft a response on behalf of the board to reflect that the Board is a policy making Board. It passed unanimously.
The meeting adjourned at 10:50 a.m., with trustees then attending a presentation by Robert Davis, founder of Seaside and receiving a tour of the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition.