Western Carolina University - Office of the Chancellor

The Board of Trustees of Western Carolina University met in regular session on March 6, 1996, in Room 510, University Administration Building. The meeting was called to order at 1:30 p.m. by Chairman Kenneth F. Wilson.

ATTENDANCE

The following members of the Board were present: Mr. Bissette, Mrs. Blankenship, Mr. Crocker, Mrs. Davis, Mr. Haire, Mr. Jones, Ms. Key, Ms. Laverty, Mr. McKee, Mr. Moore, Mr. Pine, Mr. Wilson, and Mr. Woody.

Others present included Chancellor Bardo; Vice Chancellors Carter, Dooley, Stillion, and Wakeley; Dr. Dowell and Ms. Cook, Assistants to the Chancellor; Dr. Wright, Chair of the Faculty; Mr. Fowler, President of the Alumni Association; Mr. Kucharski, Legal Counsel; Mr. Reed, Director of Public Information; Mr. Travis, Director of Athletics; and Mrs. Shuler, Administrative Assistant to the Chancellor.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

The draft minutes were corrected by taking out an extraneous sentence. Mr. Pine then moved that the minutes as corrected be approved. There were several seconds and the motion carried unanimously.

Chairman Wilson asked all trustees to sign a get-well card for Dr. Max Williams, member of the Chancellor Search Committee and long-time faculty member.

REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

The Executive Committee, on February 2, 1996, had approved a resolution authorizing Chancellor Bardo to apply for federal grant funds. Upon motion by Mr. Jones, seconded by Mr. McKee, the following resolution was ratified:

DESIGNATION OF AGENT

Be it resolved by the Board of Trustees of Western Carolina University that JOHN W. BARDO, Chancellor, is hereby authorized to execute for and in behalf of Western Carolina University, a public entity established under the laws of the State of North Carolina all required forms and documents for the purpose of obtaining financial assistance under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Public Law 93-288 as amended by Public Law 100-707).

Passed and approved this 2nd day of February, 1996.

s/s Kenneth F. Wilson, Chairman, Board of Trustees
s/s Jim L. Moore, Vice Chairman, Board of Trustees
s/s Charles Pine, Member, Executive Committee
s/s Stephen W. Woody, Member, Executive Committee
s/s William D. McKee, Jr., Member, Executive Committee

REPORT OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

Mr. McKee said the Academic Affairs Committee had met earlier and heard from Dr. Bardo about his plans for enhancing the academic programs. He asked Dr. Bardo to discuss with the Board his plans.

Chancellor Bardo said he is addressing the perception that WCU is not very strong academically. His plan was shared with the faculty at a February 2 meeting. He has asked that academic standards be raised across the board and that faculty teach to the level of the course, raising expectations for their students. He has asked the faculty to create portfolio assessment models for international standards. He has established a $10,000 undergraduate research fund, has added $10,000 to enhance the Honors program, and has established a $10,000 fund for scholarship awards to community college transfer students who have at least a 3.5 GPA.

Chancellor Bardo is asking that Western be qualified as a National Merit University by 2001. There are only 199 certified to date. To assist in meeting this goal, he has authorized the Admissions Office to offer to all National Merit finalists who apply a package for tuition, required fees, room and board, and a computer. Last week seven National Merit scholars visited the campus.

Chancellor Bardo is also asking the faculty to create a residential Honors College. Reynolds Hall would be used for a 24-hour learning environment, with a Dean located in that building.

Additionally, Chancellor Bardo has called for a review of general education to be sure it performs as needed. He noted that fifty percent more students were failed this year than last year.

These actions will not cut off access to the institution; remedial efforts as needed will be offered by instructors from Southwestern Community College.

Mr. McKee moved that the Board support the Chancellor's program as outlined. Ms. Key and Mr. Pine seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously.

REPORT OF PROPERTY AND BUILDINGS COMMITTEE

Mr. Moore noted that the NCCAT grounds are within the purview of this Board and asked Dr. Carter to explain a proposal and pass around a picture of a sculpture to be placed there. This work invokes a sense of pupils and teachers working together, and its development was encouraged by Rep. Liston Ramsey. Bill Eleazer, a Western alumnus, and six of his students executed the pieces. It will be cast in bronze and placed in front of the NCCAT building on a concrete base. Mr. Moore moved that the proposal be approved, Ms. Key seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously. There will be no cost to WCU for this work; NCCAT is working with the Jackson County Arts Council to raise funds for the bronzing.

The Executive Committee, authorized to approve property leases up to $25,000, had approved a lease for office space for the Developmental Evaluation Center. Upon motion by Mr. Moore, seconded by Mr. Pine, the action was ratified.

Mr. Moore told the Board that Dr. Dooley and others continue to study the program of university honors and that they may have a report at the next meeting.

REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON COMMITTEES

The Committee on Committees is working to develop ways the trustees can increase their knowledge and service to the university. They are still working on the committee structure, and Mr. Moore requested that any comments be directed to him. The draft proposal is structured to provide four standing committees along lines of the vice chancellors' field, continue the Executive Committee, and initiate a University Honors Committee. The committee will continue its work and hopes to have a report at the next Board meeting.

COMMENTS FROM CHAIRMAN WILSON

Mr. Wilson attended a meeting at General Administration with Board of Governors' chairman Sam Neill and chairmen of other Boards of Trustees. It was an informative meeting, and the agenda included the following items.

Regional legislative workshops are being planned across the state. On March 18, Appalachian and UNC-Asheville will join Western to host this area's workshop. Chancellor Bardo, Vice Chancellor Carter, and Mr. Wilson will attend. Items to be included in the discussion will be faculty and SPA salaries, funding of technology initiatives, efforts to assist public schools, capital expenditures on each campus, and the need to keep tuition low. Cooperation with the public schools and community was stressed.

Mr. Wilson expressed his pleasure at the progress toward challenging the faculty to "raise the bar" in elevating academic standards. Such elevation will be of benefit to western North Carolina and the state. He thanked Chancellor Bardo his vision and leadership that will make this come to pass. A copy of the Chancellor's February 2 speech was distributed, and Mr. Wilson asked that trustees read it, refer to it in the future, get behind it, and make it happen. Mr. Wilson challenged all the trustees to contribute to the university through their loyalty and in other ways.

Mr. Wilson also expressed his appreciation to Coaches Hopkins (men's basketball) and Williamson (track and cross country) for their conference championships.

Mr. Wilson invited all to the investiture of Chancellor Bardo in April. The day's activities will be a wonderful celebration of a wonderful year.

COMMENTS FROM CHANCELLOR BARDO

The spring semester has been devoted to activities celebrating Western. The announcement of the first endowed professorship began the semester, people have come together to celebrate various accomplishments, there have been kind articles in the Charlotte Observer, the baseball team beat Appalachian for the third time to win the Southern Division, and the celebration on Sunday night for the men's basketball team brought about 2000 people together in Ramsey Center.

The Chancellor said he had taken some heat for cancelling classes on Monday morning, but that he felt the primary question was safety. There was no property damage, no one killed, no DUI's, no one injured in the widespread celebration, so he felt by giving a little the institution gained a lot.

The state office of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is now on the WCU campus, with Dean Gurney Chambers as its Executive Secretary.

Dr. Robert Shirley, President of the University of Southern Colorado and a nationally known strategic planner, made a presentation to a leadership retreat on rethinking undergraduate curriculum and outlined a very solid approach.

Referring to the copy of his speech that had been distributed, Chancellor Bardo told the trustees of the standing ovation from the faculty and how touched he was by their support.

Response to items in the speech has been very good. Dr. Dorondo has been working on the Honors College proposal. The Faculty Senate and the Strategic Planning Committee will have open discussions on it, and there will be a campus-wide open hearing. Dr. Bardo hopes to bring a proposal to the June Board meeting.

Work is progressing on creating two electronic classrooms which will be fully networked. We will try to add two each year until a total of 18 is reached.

The series of receptions "From Murphy to Manteo" has been well received. Each one has been special and different: in Charlotte there were lots of alumni, in Hickory some major achievements; in Raleigh Dr. Wallace Hyde and Dr. Bardo met with the Governor; in Greensboro Dr. Bardo appeared on television for a call-in show about the University Systems.

The Family Night programs have been larger than ever before, with 240 to 300 people attending various ones.

Doug Reed and the Public Information staff have developed advertising which has been sent around the country on "the academic resort in the mountains." This has gone to the Ohio Valley, the Tennessee Valley, Florida, and into Massachusetts, where credit for teacher recertification has been approved for our summer program.

The SACS and NCAA self-study teams will be here for their site visit later in March. Dr. Bardo visited a university in Texas in late February on this type of activity. The national accrediting agency for music had a team here earlier this week and they were most complimentary of our Department of Music.

Chancellor Bardo has given several talks around the region and has been involved in lots of work with other universities. Three North Carolina medical school deans were here for a meeting with some of our pre-professional majors. The institution has celebrated Black History Month and Women's History Month. The reorganization of CIML is now complete, with the international efforts being housed in Academic Affairs and the economic development efforts being conducted by the Mountain Resource Center.

Major efforts have been underway to include a performing arts center in the Board of Governors' budget request for the short session of the legislature. Dean Rosemary DePaolo and SGA president Jessica Laverty have been instrumental in developing this proposal. Jessica obtained the support of other SGA presidents for Western's building. The proposal will be presented at the March 15 Board of Governors' meeting.

Searches are on-going, with over one hundred applications received for Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. An offer has been made to a Dean of Continuing Education and Summer School. The Director of Admissions is here. Candidates for the deanship, College of Business, will be on campus within the next few days. The Registrar's search is continuing, with candidates selected and interviews being arranged.

WCU is cooperating with Jackson County Schools and Southwestern Community College in the New Century Scholars program. The public schools identified 55 at-risk children in the 6th grade who will be given special help until they graduate from high school; Southwestern will guarantee them the two-year associate degree at no cost; and Western will guarantee the bachelor's degree at no cost. Western will extend this program to all counties in western North Carolina where the community college will make the same guarantee.

President Spangler singled out Western for its articulation work with community colleges.

Upcoming events include the NCAA "pairing party" on Sunday, a third Commencement in Jamaica in early April, several deans overseas working on international recruitment and exchange programs, a possible trip to Hungary to set up a community college program. Today two different CBS-TV groups are here interviewing.

Dr. Dowell reported on the investiture plans, saying that Chairman Wilson and Dr. Wright are honorary co-chairs with an executive committee composed of Dr. Dooley, Mr. Reed, Mr. Wooten, and Dr. Dowell. A large number of university and community people are working on various activities. The theme is "Celebrating Western," and formal invitations are being sent to many Western friends. On the evening of April 25 noted tenor William Brown will give a concert; there will be a symposium on April 26 at 9:30 a.m. with three national speakers; a picnic lunch will be held at 11:30 at Ramsey Center; and the investiture ceremony will be held at 2:00 p.m., with a reception following on the concourse. Dr. Dowell invited the trustees to be part of the platform party.

INFORMATION REPORTS

Dr. Carter reported that the audit report was clean, with only two recommendations received. Steps have been taken to implement those recommendations and counsel given to the offices involved.

REPORT FROM STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION

Ms. Laverty congratulated the athletic teams on their championships and was pleased at the student involvement shown in the celebrations. Students have been involved in the Black History and Women's History celebrations. Work is in progress on a shuttle and extended visitation, getting students registered to vote, working to make SGA more visible by doing a radio show each Monday evening and participating in more charities. Student leaders will go to a leadership workshop in Orlando in April. The UNC Association of Student Governments met at Pembroke and as one of their items of business passed the resolution supporting Western's performing arts center. The Asheville Citizen-Times has about 50 letters from students protesting the Keith Jarrett column, and others will be sent. She commended the New Century Scholars program and hoped ways could be found to make college more accessible to young mothers, such as a day care center to be run by students. Student elections will be held on April 3.

Chairman Wilson commended Ms. Laverty for all she has and is doing to promote Western.

REPORT FROM THE FACULTY

Dr. Wright described the Faculty Forum Assembly on teaching and learning and said many faculty are working on various task forces. There has been a lot of discussion about "raising the bar" and the Honors College. Guidelines are being developed on the undergraduate research grants. A committee is looking at general education and a forum will be held about expectations for graduates in the 21st century. The Faculty Senate passed a resolution asking for a faculty governance office, and there has been discussion of a workshop for new faculty senators. A committee is looking into cooperative education and internships. The faculty election is being held today, so there will be a new faculty chair.

REPORT FROM THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

Mr. Fowler thanked Dr. Wright for her service as Chair of the Faculty. The Alumni Association's major thrust at the moment is the investiture. Mr. Fowler thanked the trustees who have participated in the Murphy to Manteo receptions with him and said the group will be in Atlanta on March 13. Mr. Fowler also thanked Dr. Dowell and Ms. Cody for their work in bringing to fruition the student alumni group, "Golden Ambassadors."

CLOSED SESSION Open Meeting Act

Meeting was moved to closed session according ot Open Meetings Act.

RETURN TO OPEN SESSION

Mr. Jones moved that the Board return to Open Session. Ms. Key seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.

REPORT OF THE PERSONNEL COMMITTEE

Mr. Pine moved that actions as discussed in the closed session--five administrative apointments, 20 recommendations for tenure, 19 promotions, 61 reappointments, two faculty and four coaching appointments--be approved. There were several seconds and the motion carried unanimously.

ADJOURNMENT

Mr. Wilson announced that the next meeting of the Board would be held on June 5, 1996, and then declared the meeting adjourned.