The Board of Trustees of Western Carolina University met in regular session on November 19, 1993, in the Board Room of the University Administration Building. The meeting was called to order at 10:30 a.m. by Chairman Stephen W. Woody.

ATTENDANCE

The following members of the Board were present: Mrs. Allen, Mr. Allman, Mr. Lindsay, Mr. McKee, Mr. Moore, Mr. Pine, Mr. Scott, Mr. Wilson, and Mr. Woody. Mrs. Blankenship was ill, Mr. Haire was in court, and Mrs. Key was meeting with personnel from the Governor's Office.

Others present included Chancellor Coulter; Vice Chancellors Carter, Dooley, Stillion, and Wakeley; Assistants to the Chancellor Dowell and Ramsey; Mr. Kucharski, Legal Counsel; Mr. Reed, Director of Public Information; Dr. Wright, Faculty Chair; Mr. Wooten, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs; and Mrs. Shuler, Administrative Assistant to the Chancellor.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Upon motion by Mr. Pine, seconded by Mr. Allman, the minutes were approved as circulated.

APPROVAL OF FEES FOR 1994-95

Vice Chancellor Carter presented for approval the proposed fees for the 1994-95 academic year. He reviewed with the trustees Western's position among the constituent institutions and average costs nationwide. He also reviewed the study of fees mandated by the Board of Governors two years ago and the four principles that emerged from that study: that Western charge reasonable fees for services rendered; that adequate representation of constituencies is reflected in any proposed increases; that reserves not be excessive; that increases not create a burden on needy students. These proposed fee increases have not departed from those principles: all vice chancellors and student leaders were involved in developing the proposal submitted to the Chancellor; the reserves are prudent but not excessive; and the scholarship programs continue to grow, with expenditures of $130,000 projected for next year.

He then listed the proposed changes, which result in a 1.4 percent increase:

Food Services:


21 meal plan, from $570 to $587/semester
15 meal plan, from $530 to $546/semester
10 meal plan, from $415 to $427/semester
Declining Balance plan, standard option, from $600 to $618/semester
Declining Balance plan, low option, from $545 to $561/semester

Health Service, from $70 to $77/semester
Recreation and Culture, from $62 to $64/semester
University Center, from $49.50 to $51/semester
Education and Technology, from $15.00 to $15.50/semester

Following discussion and upon motion by Mr. Allman, seconded by Mrs. Allen, the fees for 1994-95 were approved. (A complete listing of fees is on file with minutes material.)

COMMENTS FROM THE CHAIRMAN

Mr. Woody tendered his personal thanks to everyone who contributed to the successful passage of the bond issue. The "Western plan" was effective and the Board owes a debt of gratitude to Chancellor Coulter and the staff for their efforts.

COMMENTS FROM CHANCELLOR COULTER

1.  Bond Issue

Chancellor Coulter also thanked everyone for their involvement in the activities carried out in raising the funds requested by General Administration. He distributed a summary of activities and noted that the bond issue passed in every county where there is a campus of the University system. Mr. Moore commended the cooperation with the three community colleges within the WCU region.

2.  Funds for repairs and renovations

From the General Assembly allocation of $35 million to the Board of Governors, WCU received $903,006 for minor repairs, roof repairs, removal of architectural barriers, fire warning systems, and walks, drives, and landscaping.

3.  Academic Programs

a.  The Institute for College and University Teaching (ICUT) now has programs underway.

An inaugural celebration held in October was attended by a large group which included two members of the Board of Governors. The Board of Governors has reiterated its support for improving teaching, and other campuses are developing similar programs.

b.  M.A. in School Administration

The General Assembly decided to reduce the number of programs from twelve to seven, with the decision to be made in October, 1994. The twelve campuses will each plan a new program which will then be reviewed by a national committee. Western will develop a good proposal and will expect to keep its program.

c.  M.S. in Physical Therapy

The master's program in Physical Therapy will begin in the fall of 1994, the only such master's program west of Chapel Hill. An appropriation of $165,000 was received for faculty and equipment costs.

d.  Ed.D. in Educational Administration

The proposal for the doctorate in educational administration is now being evaluated and will hopefully be authorized in early 1994.

4.  Enrollments

Dr. Coulter reviewed the projected and actual enrollments and said that WCU was below the mid-point of its range for this year. No budget reductions will be made this year but will be adjusted in July. Preparations have already been started to cover the deficiencies, and the admissions people are working to get back to where we should be.

5.  Assessment Report

The annual assessment report showed good indicators of improvement in faculty development. There is a low percentage of terminal degrees and attention is being given to this deficiency.

6.  Good News

WCU had a 100 percentage passing rate for nursing students. The campus Pi Gamma Mu chapter has been declared the number one chapter in the nation, and the student chapter of American Chemical Society has been named an outstanding chapter. There have been a number of individual awards: student Deborah Green and faculty member Norma Cook received awards from the American Society of Medical Technologists; Otto Spilker was named Physical Education Teacher of the Year by the North Carolina professional organization; Ron Marshall was named Teacher of the Year by the North Carolina Teachers of Mathematics; Glenn Stillion received the Melvine Hardy Award for excellence in student development activities; James Dooley was honored by the North Carolina Music Educators' National Conference with a life membership. One sad note: Chuck Ambrose has resigned to accept an opportunity with Carson-Newman College.

Also in the area of good news, WCU has the lowest crime rate among state institutions, with the third lowest ratio of officers to student population. Two programs, Emergency Medical Care and Health Information Systems, have received reaccreditation from their respective agencies.

7.  Use of Bond Funds

Action is needed to get the four renovation projects included in the bond issue started as soon as possible. The renovation of Moore Hall for use by the physical therapy program is especially urgent. Priorities need to be established and architects appointed at the earliest possible time. Following discussion, Mr. Wilson moved that the Board of Trustees authorize the Property and Buildings Committee to hold meetings as soon as possible to begin the process of interviewing architects and getting these projects started. Mr. Scott seconded the motion, and the vote was unanimous for approval.

Mr. Woody again thanked everyone for the work done on the bond issue passage.

REPORT FROM STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Mr. Scott said the student senate has one more meeting in the semester and thanked Vice Chancellor Stillion for his assistance with student government affairs. He discussed the possibility of reactivating a student escort service, finals coming soon, and the SGA annual leadership conference in San Francisco.

Chancellor Coulter thanked Mr. Scott for the great efforts he and other students expended on the bond issue and mentioned the banners displayed at the football games.

In response to questions about the escort service, Mr. Scott said that two organizations were interested in starting such a service, that it was strictly a voluntary effort, and it was planned to have teams dispatched from a central location to provide escort service on the campus.

Chancellor Coulter also expressed thanks to the Alumni Association leaders for their efforts which were a big help with the bond issue. Mr. Grooms was not able to attend the meeting today.

REPORT FROM THE FACULTY

Dr. Wright thanked the trustees for their efforts with the bond issue and said the faculty are looking forward to reaping the benefits of the local projects. The Faculty Senate has recommended several new academic programs for approval, including a minor in gerontology to be housed in the Psychology Department, a B.S. in Communications with four program tracks, and a B.F.A. in Theatre; these proposals are being handled through appropriate channels for university approval and submission to the General Administration. The Senate has also approved changing the B.S.B.A. requirements to 120 hours instead of 128 hours and has recommended changes in the general education program.

The Faculty Senate has also passed resolutions supporting the bond issue, commending the tenure and teaching report of the Board of Governors, and requesting the Board of Governors and the Faculty Assembly to support ICUT. Work is in progress on a plan for improving graduation rates and Chancellor Coulter has appointed a Task Force on Sexual Harassment.

REPORT ON ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

Vice Chancellor Wakeley presented a comprehensive report on the academic programs of the institution, with some of his major points being these: the faculty is in a major transition, with several retirements taking place each year; there will be a need for very strong faculty leadership over the next few years; the student head-count has held steady over the past four to five years; there are more full-time graduate students, with more than eleven percent of the FTE coming from graduate courses; several courses are saturated--psychology, communication disorders, English, history; minority enrollment has doubled although the numbers are still small; every student takes 41 hours of general education, and there has been a major review of these courses over the last three years; accreditation has been received on everything possible; WCU is one of only two institutions in the state that met all NCATE standards; combining the schools of Technology and Applied Science and Nursing and Health Sciences into the School of Applied Sciences has worked out beautifully; Western has the third largest MBA program in the state.

In response to questions, Dr. Wakeley said that high schools are doing a better job of preparing students for college, that WCU raised its admissions standards before the deadline imposed by the Board of Governors, and that students who apply to Western are moving up in their high school class ranks.

Dr. Wakeley also said that the physical therapy program will enroll 24 students per year, and it is a three-year program. There will be little expansion within the next five years; the faculty/student ratio is 16.3 to 1, with the health sciences being 10 to 1. It is probable that the interest in nursing will decline over the next five years but that physical therapy will hold steady. (A complete text of Dr. Wakeley's remarks is on file with minutes material.)

Mr. Woody expressed the Board's appreciation for the work being done in so many areas.

REPORT ON CIML ACTIVITIES

Vice Chancellor Dooley told the trustees that CIML has an increased emphasis on rural and regional development and is serving as a catalyst for major development within the region. There has been an internal reorganization of CIML, with all domestic programs consolidated into one division under the leadership of Tom McClure, who has a well-rounded knowledge of all the programs. Mr. McClure is serving as president of NAMTAC, a national organization related to manufacturing and technical processes. The reorganization will not affect the international activities of CIML.

Dr. Dooley distributed the latest annual report and other informational material on CIML and said that county profiles for all 100 counties in the state are available upon request.

ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT

Mr. Wooten presented the annual financial report for the year ending June 30, 1993, and said the auditors have now completed their work with no adverse findings for the year. He presented an overview of the financial activities, citing $73.5 million in current revenues and $70.8 million in current expenditures. He also presented the consolidated balance sheet for all university activities.

STUDENT SUPPLY STORE AUDIT

Vice Chancellor Carter presented the supply store audit which is performed by an external audit firm. This is a clean audit, the bookstore has had a good year, and the profits are used for one purpose only: student financial aid.

EXECUTIVE SESSION  Open Meeting Act

Mr. Lindsay moved that the Board go into executive session to consider personnel matters. Mr. Pine seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously.

(The minutes of the Executive Session are not printed here because of their confidential nature. They are a part of the official minutes.)

Upon motion by Mr. Pine, seconded by Mrs. Allen, the Board returned to regular session.

REPORT OF THE PERSONNEL COMMITTEE

Mr. Pine reported that the Personnel Committee recommended the reappointment of 21 second-year probationary faculty members, the non-reappointment of one second-year faculty member, and two faculty appointments; and he moved that the Board approve these recommendations. Mrs. Allen seconded the motion, and the vote carried unanimously.

RESOLUTION TO THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS

Upon motion by Mr. Allman, seconded by Mr. Wilson, the Board approved with enthusiasm the following resolution:

WHEREAS, the Board of Governors has endorsed the importance and central position of teaching within the University system; and

WHEREAS, the Board of Governors approved the establishment of the Institute for College and University Teaching at Western Carolina University this year; and

WHEREAS, the Institute is the home of the Carolina Colloquy for University Teaching, which has provided state-wide programs designed to improve the quality of teaching and the supportive climate for teaching within the University system for the past five years; and

WHEREAS, the Carolina Colloquy for University Teaching has an Advisory Board that is representative of the entire system as well as liaison representatives on each campus; and

WHEREAS, the Carolina Colloquy for University Teaching has been of use to several universities within the system in establishing their campus-based teaching centers;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Trustees of Western Carolina University requests that the Board of Governors utilize this Institute as a primary means of accomplishing their stated goals of supporting and rewarding quality teaching within the University system and that funding for programs directed at teaching excellence be used to support the programs of the Institute for College and University Teaching.

/s/ Stephen W. Woody
Chairman, Board of Trustees
Western Carolina University

Chancellor Coulter announced that Ben Ward had been appointed to the committee to consider distinguished teaching awards by the Board of Governors.

Mr. Woody asked that The Western Carolinian and publications from the Faculty Center continue to be sent to the trustees.

ADJOURNMENT

With no further business to be transacted, the meeting was adjourned by common consent.