BOARD OF TRUSTEES FOR FORT LEWIS COLLEGE

February 15-16, 2005

Directors Room, Burnsley Hotel

Denver, CO  81301

 

Vol. 05-20

 

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2005

 

Call to Order

 

Chair Sally Schaefer convened the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees for Fort Lewis College at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 15, 2005.

 

Trustees Present:

 

Richard Ballantine, Linda Campbell, Jim Cross, Julie Levy, Pat Noyes, Sally Schaefer, Tom Schilling, and Leonel Silva.  Absent:  Michael Pugh

 

Staff Present:

 

Brad Bartel, President; Steve Roderick, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs; Steve Schwartz, Vice President for Finance and Administration; Glenna Sexton, Vice President for Student Affairs; Fred Kuhwilm, Legal Counsel; Peggy Sharp, Executive Assistant to the President; David Eppich, Assistant to the President for External Affairs; and Mike Larson, Audio Consultant.

 

Chairman’s Report & Announcements

 

Chair Schaefer welcomed Pat Noyes, the newly appointed Trustee, and introductions were made.  She stated that the performance contract for President Bartel will be on the agenda for the next Board meeting.

 

Committee Reports:

 

Leonel Silva reported on the activities of an ad hoc committee on which he represents the Board.  This committee is working with legislators, as well as the Governor’s staff, to find ways to assist in funding higher education and consists of Board representatives from all the colleges and universities in the state, including community colleges. 

 

Richard Ballantine will soon be convening the Finance Committee to begin discussions on the 2005-06 budget.  

 

 

 

 

PRESIDENT’S ORAL REPORT

 

President Bartel updated the Board on the status of the Center of Southwest Studies situation.  He stated that several institutional reforms are now in place or are being planned:

  • David Eppich has prepared a White Paper on the history of the Native American tuition waiver at Fort Lewis College;
  • Pearl Casias, former chairwoman of the Southern Ute Tribe, has agreed to assist the College in monitoring progress on Native American reforms;
  • An American Indian Studies major is currently under consideration by the Curriculum Committee, and should be ready for Board approval at the June meeting;
  • Establishment of a external advisory board for the Center of Southwest Studies;
  • Addition of a segment in our student orientation program that will cover cross-cultural understanding;
  • Orientation for new faculty on intercultural instruction and student/faculty relations;
  • Registrar’s Office will conduct workshops on FERPA regulations for faculty and staff;
  • Addition of two students – one Native American & one Hispanic -- to the Intercultural Committee;
  • New section in Faculty Handbook related to the transmission of traditional and sacred knowledge in the classroom

 

Native American students have had many conversations with President Bartel and are gratified by the reforms taking place. 

 

Steve Roderick reported on the status of the search for a Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Sponsored Research.  Off-site interviews were conducted with ten candidates.  Finalists will be announced within a week and campus visits will begin on February 24.  It’s anticipated that an offer will be made and accepted by the first of April. 

 

As part of the College’s self-study required in our reaccredidation process, an on-line survey was conducted for all faculty and staff.  The response rate was 57%.  As a follow-up to the survey, a series of “speak your mind” meetings were conducted with a cross section of faculty and staff.  President Bartel reported that a faculty climate survey is currently being conducted to establish a baseline for measuring faculty opinions.  These two surveys will serve as tools for measuring progress on faculty/staff issues. 

 

Eight hundred forty students responded to the ACT Student Survey.  Fort Lewis College exceeded the national average in most areas, with a few being below national average – such as food, career services, and advising.

 

Preliminary figures indicate that applications for Fall 2005 are down.  Several steps are being taken to increase our enrollment – especially for out-of-state students.  Efforts are also being made to ensure that students – both new and returning – are aware of the newly-implemented College Opportunity Fund. 

 

Steve Schwartz reported on the budgetary impact of the drop in winter enrollment.  The College has been able to cover the $610,000 shortfall without spending down excess reserves. 

Break

 

President Bartel stated that he has been working with the Mike Davis, President of Pueblo Community College, as well as the presidents of Adams State and Western State, to expand the presence of PCC in western Colorado. 

 

An offer on property jointly owned by the Foundation, the College, and other entities was received.  The offer was far below market value of the property and was rejected by the Fort Lewis College Foundation Executive Board and will also be rejected by the College.  It was suggested that at a future meeting, Steve Schwartz provide the Trustees with an inventory and map show all the property belonging to the College. 

 

A report prepared by the College’s Grants and Contracts Office was distributed to the Board indicating the activity in grant awards as well as grant applications.  This report was on the agenda for the December 1, 2004 meeting but due to time constraints, was not presented. 

 

A joint presentation by Steve Schwartz and Michele Peterson, Budget Director, was given on the 2005-06 tuition proposal.  The College will be requesting permission from the legislature to increase resident tuition by 5 ½% and non-resident tuition by 10% -- an increase above the 3.1% set by the CCHE.  Information sheets were provided to the Trustees as background for this request.  An in-depth discussion ensued concerning the budgetary issues facing the College, the need to increase tuition above the CCHE recommendation of 3.1%, and the fiscal impact of the continued decline in state funding to higher education.  The Board’s Finance Committee will be conferring with College staff as budget discussions continue. 

 

President Bartel reported that the College’s Performance Contract had been reviewed by CCHE and returned with recommended changes.  The changes in Efficiency of Operations and Grade Distribution (now titled Academic Assessment) are acceptable to both CCHE and the College.  However, the section on General Education is still being negotiated.  Steve Roderick stated the discussions with CCHE staff are heartening as attention is being given to our needs in order to maintain our General Ed program and be in compliance with GT Pathways.  Jim Cross distributed position statements from the Faculty Senate and the General Education Council regarding the structure of the Gen Ed program.  Chair Schaefer asked that particular attention be given to assuring that credits are transferable both in and out of the institution.  President Bartel indicated that within about a month’s time, we can probably have the Gen Ed section resolved with CCHE.

 

Danny Tomlinson, the Fort Lewis College lobbyist, and his associate, Erin Silver were introduced by President Bartel.  Mr. Tomlinson reviewed the State’s fiscal situation and the various pieces of legislation affecting higher education that will be considered during this legislative session.

 

Meeting Recessed at 4:50 p.m.

 

 

 

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2005 

 

Call to Order

 

Chair Schaefer reconvened the Trustees meeting at 8:05 a.m. with all nine Trustees and eight staff present.  She introduced Rich Schweigert, Executive Director of the Colorado Commission on Higher Education.  He addressed some of the issues facing higher education such as state budget deficit, TABOR, status of the Performance Contracts, and controlled maintenance concerns facing campuses.

 

ACTION AGENDA

 

CONSENT ITEMS

Tom Schilling moved to approve the Consent Agenda.  Leonel Silva seconded the motion.  Motion passed and the following items were approved:

 

Approval of the Minutes of the December 1, 2004 Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees for Fort Lewis College

 

Approval of the Non-Delegated Personnel Actions

 

Approval of Degree Candidates for Winter Trimester and Summer Sessions

 

Approval of Emeritus/Emerita Rank Designation

 

ACTION ITEMS

Approval of a Resolution to Designate Fort Lewis College as an Enterprise

 

Linda Campbell moved for approval of the resolution with a second by Tom Schilling.

 

Steve Schwartz explained that by designating the College as an enterprise, we will be exempt from the TABOR limitations and will – theoretically- have less constraints on tuition increases.  He stated, however, that even if we become an enterprise, state dollars will continue to decrease.  Further, enterprise status combined with legislation passed last year (SB 04-252) will allow institutions to pledge tuition and/or fee revenue toward the repayment of bonds for academic buildings.  He emphasized that this designation will not have a negative effect on access to students in lower economic category.

 

Approval of Performance Contract with CCHE

 

Based on prior discussion under the President’s Report regarding Performance Contract, Leonel Silva moved to table approval of the Fort Lewis College Performance Contract, seconded by Tom Schilling.

 

Motion passed.   

 

Break

 

President Bartel gave a presentation on Strategic Planning.  He intends to meet with various campus constituencies to gather input during the planning process.  He stated that a final version of a mission statement will be brought to the Board for approval in June.  Following his presentation, discussion ensued regarding the four basic themes, the scorecard approach for measuring improvement and other aspects of the strategic planning process.  Several suggestions were made by the Trustees to consider while engaging in this process:

 

  • creating a fifth theme based on what we need to do to support student learning;
  • consider private partnerships to build new student/faculty/staff housing;
  • determine who are we marketing to both in and out of state and who is our competition;
  • offer automatic admittance to top 10% of seniors in surrounding high schools & even top 10% of community college students who transfer;
  • create another measure that would hold the student cost constant for a certain number of years.

 

Chair Schaefer requested that the Trustees consider setting a business meeting in April as decisions regarding budget are needed prior to the scheduled meeting in June.  It was decided to meet from 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 19 and from 8:00 – 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 20.  The Finance Committee will have met prior to the April 19-20 Board meeting.  Tom Schilling and Sally Schaefer will be added to the Finance Committee.  The previously scheduled June 1 Board meeting will be replaced with a retreat beginning at noon on Tuesday, June 7 and ending at noon on Wednesday, June 8.    A short business session will be held in conjunction with the retreat.  Both the April and June meetings will be in Durango.  The retreat will likely be held off campus. 

 

 

ACTION AGENDA (Continued)

 

Approval for Changing Fort Lewis College’s Statutorily Defined Selectivity Standard  

 

Richard Ballantine moved to approve this item.  Pat Noyes seconded the motion.

President Bartel provided data and background information on the benefit to the College by changing the selectivity standard from “moderately selective” to “selective.”   He stated that if the Board endorsed this change, Senator Jim Isgar will introduce the legislation.  If it passes, the College will work with CCHE to phase in the new standards over a three to four-year period.  In response to questions concerning impact on minority access, President Bartel assured the Board that the College is committed to maintaining a 25% minority enrollment. 

 

Motion passed.

 

 

REPORT AGENDA

 

Report:  Faculty Representative and Student Representative Written Reports

 

Jim Cross, Faculty Representative, cited examples of why Fort Lewis College attracts students who are interested in the outdoor experience and activities and how those interests and activities fit with a liberal arts education.

 

Julie Levy, Student Representative, stated that her written report covered a variety of activities in which Student Government has been involved.  She reported that in considering proposals for new or increased student fees, there is concern that the cost of extra programs and field trips are increasingly being placed on the backs of students.   Julie also distributed folders to the Trustees that provided information about the Environmental Center.  Chair Schaefer stated that the Board would like to visit the Center when they are on campus in April.    

 

Report:  Sabbatical Leaves Completed in Academic Year 2003-04

 

Steve Roderick invited any comments or questions regarding faculty summary reports on sabbatical leaves.  Chair Schaefer stated that she found these reports interesting and served a purpose of informing the Trustees of the type of activities in which faculty are involved during their sabbatical.   

 

 

Meeting adjourned at 11:30 a.m.