Approved
NORTHERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Minutes of the Formal Session
of
A formal session of the Board of Trustees of Northern Michigan University was held on Friday, September 26, 2008, in the Cohodas Hall, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, Michigan. The meeting was convened at 9:00 a.m. by Chair Mary C. Lukens.
Trustees present included:
Mary C. Lukens, Chair Samuel S. Benedict Douglas B. Roberts
Alan T. Ackerman Brian D. Cloyd Gilbert L. Ziegler
Stephen F. Adamini Jon G. LaSalle Leslie E. Wong, ex officio
Senior staff and counsel present included:
Catherine L. Dehlin, General Counsel
Susan J. Koch, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
R. Gavin Leach, Vice President for Finance and Administration and Treasurer of the Board
Theresa M. Nease, Executive Assistant to the President and Secretary of the Board
None
FOCUS DISCUSSION
Ms. Martha Haynes reported on NMU Foundation activities and gave an update on the progress of the fund raising campaign including reasons for the campaign; quiet phase activities; campus community role; Foundation role; campaign timeline; and internal, external, and financial progress.
Dr. Roberts initiated a discussion of a three-tiered tuition model including resident, out-of-state, and out-of-country tuition amounts. His proposal included a plan to use part of the revenue received from out-of-country tuition for faculty recognition programs and international studies initiatives. Discussion followed centering around enrollment issues and the possibility of different rates for students from bordering countries. Staff will gather data, and this will be a discussion item at the December meeting.
President Wong reported on the progress of the Roadmap to 2015, gave an enrollment update on trends over time and by geography, and community college programs. He responded to questions and comments from Trustees.
RECONVENE -- Chair Lukens reconvened the meeting at 10:45 a.m.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Executive
Mr. Benedict, Chair of the Executive Committee, reported on the meeting held on Thursday,
September 25, 2008. A copy of the report is appended to these minutes (Addendum #1).
The following action item was presented. Mr. Benedict said the Board reviewed the President’s performance against the 2007-2008 stretch goals. Based on the recommendation of the Executive Committee, the Board took the following action:
It was moved by Mr. Benedict, seconded by Dr. Roberts, and supported unanimously by the Board to approve President Wong’s incentive payout of $7,000 for 2007-2008.
Mr. Benedict stated this incentive payout is in recognition of the excellent progress in internationalization and the significant work completed on the Roadmap to 2015.
Academic Affairs
Mr. LaSalle, Chair of the Academic Affairs Committee, reported on a meeting held on Thursday, September 25, 2008. A copy of the report is appended to these minutes (Addendum #2).
Dr. Roberts, Chair of the Finance Committee, reported on meetings held on Thursday, September 4, 2008, and Thursday, September 25, 2008. A copy of the reports are appended to these minutes (Addendums #3a and b). Dr. Roberts said he’d like to state for public record that on page six of the financial report it appears that NMU is operating at a loss. This is because the University as a component unit of the State is required to report revenues received from State appropriations and Pell Grants as non-operating revenues. He stated that it may appear misleading as NMU is not operating at a loss.
Ad hoc Nominating
Mr. Ackerman reported on the Ad hoc Nominating Committee meeting held on August 6, 2008 (Addendum #4). Following the recommendation of the Committee, and there being no nominations from the floor, the election of officers was held:
It was moved by Mr. Ackerman, seconded by Mr. Ziegler, and supported unanimously by the Board to elect Dr. Douglas Roberts as Chair and Mr. Brian Cloyd as Vice Chair of the NMU Board of Trustees for calendar year 2009.
Mr. Hobie Webster, 2008-2009 ASNMU President, reported. A copy of the report is appended to these minutes (Addendum #5).
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
President Wong introduced Dr. Emmanuel Awuah, 2008-09 ACE Fellow. Dr. Awuah is currently the Director of Multicultural and International Services at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, New York, and will be studying areas of NMU including enrollment management, business and finance, development, and academic planning.
President Wong presented a revised Mission Statement. Feedback from the campus community showed appreciation of the brevity and succinctness of the proposed statement and the link to the Road Map and accreditation process.
The Board then took the following action:
It was moved by Mr. Ziegler, seconded by Mr. LaSalle, and supported unanimously by the Board to approve the revised Mission Statement. (Addendum #6)
It was moved by Dr. Roberts, seconded by Mr. Cloyd, and unanimously supported by the Board of Trustees to approve the Formal Recommendations. (Addendum #7)
POLITICAL SCIENCE INTERNS
Dr. Brian Cherry, Department Head of Political Science; Dr. Steven Nelson, Professor-Political Science; Dr. Charles Ganzert, Professor of Communications and Performance Studies; Mr. Jason Morgan, student delegate-DNC; and student interns Ms. Anke Hildebrandt, Ms. Lauren Mattioli, Ms. Danielle Stein,
Mr. Keith Voorheis, and Mr. Darren Widder were introduced to the Board. Dr. Nelson gave a brief presentation on the NMU/Democratic National Convention/Republican National Convention Internship Program. Dr. Ganzert emphasized the collateral impact the program had on students on campus that were web linked to the students at the convention site. The program was designed to provide students an inside view of the national conventions through internships with NBC News, Bloomberg News, and TIME/TIME.com. The faculty members and interns responded to questions and comments from the Board. Chair Lukens and Professor Nelson were recognized for their contributions to this effort. Participating interns unable to attend the meeting were Ms. Katherine Cox and Mr. Neil Passinault. A photo was taken.
ANNOUNCEMENT OF CLOSED SESSION TO BE HELD IN CONNECTION WITH THE THURSDAY-FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11-12, 2008, MEETING OF THE BOARD
President Wong made this announcement for the public record.
OTHER BUSINESS
Mr. Ziegler suggested sending a letter of appreciation to the Hospitality Management faculty and students who provided the wonderful dinner on Thursday evening. The Board concurred. He also discussed ways to revise the Commencement Speaker selection.
Chair Lukens adjourned the meeting at 11:45 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
___________________________________
Theresa M. Nease
Secretary of the Board