The Board of Trustees of Western Carolina University met in regular session on April 29, 1994, in the Board Room of the University Administration Building. The meeting was called to order at 10:00 a.m. by Chairman Stephen W. Woody, and the oath of office was administered to Mr. Westmoreland, newly elected President of the Student Government Association, by Mrs. Shuler, Notary Public.

The following members of the Board were present: Mrs. Allen, Mr. Allman, Mrs. Blankenship, Mr. Haire, Mr. McKee, Mr. Moore, Mr. Pine, Mr. Westmoreland, Mr. Wilson, and Mr. Woody.

Others present included Chancellor Coulter; Vice Chancellors Carter, Dooley, Stillion, and Wakeley; Mr. Scott, Outgoing Student Trustee; Dr. Dowell and Mr. Ramsey, Assistants to the Chancellor; Mr. Grooms, Alumni Representative to the Board; Dr. Wright, Faculty Representative to the Board; Mr. Kucharski, Legal Counsel; Mr. Rowell, Associate Director of Public Information; Mr. Wooten, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs; and Mrs. Shuler, Administrative Assistant to the Chancellor.

Mr. Woody informed the Board that Chancellor Coulter was named Distinguished Alumnus by Indiana University on April 14. Mr. Woody and Dr. Dowell attended the ceremony.

Mr. Woody also recognized the service on the Board of Mr. Scott, outgoing student trustee, and congratulated him for having been named Outstanding Male Student for 1993-94. Mr. Scott thanked the other trustees for the opportunity of working with them during the past year.

Upon motion by Mr. Pine, seconded by Mr. McKee, the minutes of the March 9, 1994, meeting were approved as circulated.

Prior to presentation of the committee's report, Mr. Wilson asked Chancellor Coulter to leave the room; and Dr. Coulter graciously complied with the request.

1. Appointment of Designer

Upon motion by Mr. Wilson, seconded by Mr. Moore, and unanimously approved, the firm of Foy, Lee, and Moody was appointed to design the renovation of Camp Laboratory School facilities.

2. Authorization of Renovations of Hinds University Center

The Board was asked to approve needed renovations for Hinds University Center at a total project cost of $4.25 million. The cost would be met by using $750,000 cash on hand in food service reserves and borrowing $3.5 million, the debt to be retired over a 25-30 year period from student fees. Upon motion by Mr. Wilson, seconded by Mr. Haire, and unanimously approved, the project and the method of financing were authorized.

3. Authorization of Renovations to Albright-Benton Residence Halls

The Board was asked to approve needed renovations to Albright-Benton Residence Halls at a total project cost of $1.1 million. Funds are available in the Dormitory System reserves on hand. Upon motion by Mr. Wilson, seconded by Mr. Pine, and unanimously approved, the project and the method of financing were authorized. Selection of the designer for this project was delegated to the Chancellor and his staff.

4. Naming of Campus Facilities

Upon motion by Mr. Wilson, seconded by several trustees, and unanimously approved, the Music/English Building was renamed the Myron L. Coulter Building; and the Faculty Center for Teaching Excellence was named the Myron L. Coulter Faculty Center for Teaching Excellence. The official announcement of these designations will be made at the retirement dinner this evening, and formal ceremonies will be held in the fall. The Faculty Senate Steering Committee, under the leadership of Dr. Wright, voted for the faculty in naming the Faculty Center.

Upon further motion by Mr. Wilson, seconded by several trustees, presentation of the Trustees' Award to Mrs. Barbara Coulter was approved unanimously.

Chancellor Coulter read several excerpts from the Board of Governors' report on Teaching and Tenure that highlighted Western's work in establishing teaching as the primary function of the institution. Western is regarded as the premier institution in the system for its teaching program, and Dr. Coulter paid tribute to the faculty for this accomplishment.

Approximately 1100 students are eligible for graduation, one of the largest graduating classes the institution has ever had. Some 185 students will graduate with honors, and there are eleven University Scholars, students who will graduate summa cum laude after completing all their university studies at Western.

Enrollment for the fall is looking good, with an increase of 323 housing deposits over last year. Freshman applications are up fourteen percent, and the number of admissions granted is up 26 percent. We expect to enroll between 1200 and 1300 freshmen in the fall of 1994, with non-resident freshman applications up 13.5 percent. There is a possibility that the Governor will require a budget reduction, so these out-of-state students become very important because of the tuition they generate. Applications from African-American students are up by ten percent.

The University's third commencement in Jamaica was held in early April, with Chancellor Coulter and Dean Chambers conducting the ceremonies. Twenty-one Jamaican students graduated, bringing the number of total graduates to almost 400. Nearly 3,000 Jamaican students have been enrolled in Western courses, and Chancellor Coulter commended Dr. Burton Fox for his efforts in this activity.

An Alumni Leadership Forum was initiated this year under the direction of Dr. Gordon Mercer. Nineteen outstanding alumni have returned to the campus and presented programs, conducted seminars, and worked with students in different ways. The program has received very favorable response.

As "good news" items, Chancellor Coulter mentioned the ten-year accreditation of the Human Environmental Sciences Department by the American Home Economics Association; the receipt of an Award of Merit by Dean J. Dale Pounds from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers; the selection of Western's unit as "Best Residence Hall Chapter" by a national organization; an invitation to Western's Criminal Justice students to present at a national conference, the only undergraduates invited to do so; the receipt of a Barry Goldwater scholarship (one of only six in North Carolina) by Rick Glover, a biology major; and Western's fifth Undergraduate Research Conference, at which over 100 papers were presented. Ten of these students were invited to present their papers at the National Undergraduate Research Conference. Chancellor Coulter commended the vice chancellor, the deans, and the faculty for their efforts which led to these achievements.

Chancellor Coulter also commented on the research and program grants which had been received, noting several first year faculty who had received grants. Of particular notice was Dr. James Reynolds, who received funding for work in Argentina on dinosaur fossils.

Chancellor Coulter then conveyed his special thanks, respect, and appreciation to all the trustees for their cooperation and confidence over the past ten years. He also thanked his office staff and told the trustees that Mrs. Coulter is one of their staunchest supporters. Mr. Haire moved, with many seconds, that the article written about Chancellor Coulter by Chairman Woody and printed in the Asheville Citizen Times be included in the minutes of the Board. The motion was unanimously approved, and the article follows:

(The article is not reproduced here because of its length but will be a part of the official minutes.)

Other trustees expressed their appreciation and their best regards to Chancellor Coulter as he retires.

Mr. Woody welcomed Mr. Westmoreland, a senior management major from Spartanburg, South Carolina, to the Board.

Mr. Westmoreland said he is honored to serve on the Board and looks forward to working with all the trustees. He has been working with Mr. Scott for the last couple of weeks to learn the job. The SGA Awards Banquet was held last week, and a new computer is being installed in SGA offices. Students are busy getting ready for finals.

Mr. Grooms reported that David Fowler is the new president of the Alumni Association, with Phil Walker the president-elect. Mr. Fowler will be attending Board meetings as the Alumni Association's representative.

Mr. Grooms and Mrs. Kathy Boydston, former president, attended a recent meeting of UNC Council of Alumni Presidents. An impressive casting of "The Enabler" was presented by the Council to each of the five living North Carolina governors.

The next meeting of the Alumni Board will be on June 25, and new Board members have been selected, with more African-American members added.

Dr. Wright reported that the Faculty Senate has incorporated recommendations from the Board of Governors' Report on Teaching and Tenure to require student evaluations each year. The senate also approved the curricula for the Physical Therapy program and the Master's of Health Sciences and is working on changes in the grievance process and the faculty constitution and bylaws. An information forum was held on teaching effectiveness, and a task force is preparing for the system-wide conference on teaching to be held at Western in September. Other items which the Senate considered were the campus solicitation policy, a policy on complimentary textbooks, and a statement of principles on professional research.

Vice Chancellor Carter told the Board that state auditors have completed their work on fiscal 1993, with a nice, clean audit being received. Revenues totaled $73.5 million, expenditures were $70.8 million, and physical plant values reached $115 million. Mr. Woody, on behalf of the Board, thanked the administration for the attention paid to fiscal matters which resulted in this exemplary audit.

Dr. Carter also reported on the audit of the intercollegiate athletics program which is performed by outside auditors. The purpose of this audit is to keep the chief executive officer informed on all support of athletics programs, examining sources of those funds and ensuring that the program is financially responsible. Western's program had $2.8 million in revenues, $2.75 million in expenditures, with approximately $50,000 balance. The program is solvent, there are no undue sources of support, and internal controls are all in good shape. A minor recommendation regarding concessions has been implemented.

Mrs. Blankenship, on behalf of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, presented to Chancellor Coulter a beautiful river cane basket.

Mr. Haire moved that the Board go into Executive Session to discuss personnel matters. Mr. Allman seconded the motion, and it was approved unanimously.

(Minutes of the Executive Session are not included here because of their confidential nature. They are, however, a part of the official minutes book.)

Upon motion by Mr. Haire, seconded by Mr. Allman, and unanimously approved, the open session was resumed.

Mr. Pine reported that the Personnel Committee recommends approval of Chancellor Emeritus status, one request for tenure to be forwarded to the Board of Governors, two administrative appointments, one promotion, one terminal notice, ten faculty appointments, and one leave of absence as discussed in the Executive Session. Mr. Allman moved approval of the actions, Mrs. Allen seconded the motion, and it was approved unanimously. (Lists of all personnel actions are on file with minutes material.)

There was a further discussion of research efforts among the faculty leading to proposals to outside groups. The rate of successes for these proposals is improving, and notice was taken of the grant to Professor Reynolds which provides funds for him to study in Argentina and take students with him. Approximately $4 million per year is received from grants and contracts, and steady progress is being made in this area.

With no further business to be transacted, the meeting was declared adjourned.