NORTHERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

MINUTES

A meeting of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of Northern Michigan University was held on Thursday, July 23, 2015, in the 1899 Room of the University Center.  It was convened by Chair Richard M. Popp at 7:05 a.m.

Participating were:     

Mr. Richard M. Popp, Chair

Mr. Scott L. Holman

Dr. H. Sook Wilkinson

Dr. Thomas H. Zurbuchen

Dr. Fritz J. Erickson

President’s Assessment

The Executive Committee discussed the President's performance over the first year of his presidency.   Overall, we agreed his performance was very strong and we recognized several important accomplishments, including:

· Successful contract negotiations

· Fiscal management

· Work on the Core Values

· Fundraising

· Leadership skills

· Communication with the Board

· Relationships with all stakeholders

Based upon this positive performance evaluation the Committee recommends the Board approve the following:

1) An increase in base salary equal to the increase approved for non-represented NMU employees, effective July 1, 2015;

2) A bonus of $20,000 as outlined in the President’s contract

3) Extend the current contract with the same terms for an additional 2 years to include a comprehensive evaluation towards the end of the contract.  The committee will be working through details with President Erickson which will be finalized as soon as practicable.

This is not part of the Formals and requires a motion and a vote.

Overall Governance Approach

The Committee discussed the importance of continuing discussions with the Board, administration, and campus community regarding the University’s overall governance:

· Continue discussions on changes to the vision/mission

· Begin open forums on strategic planning to implement new plan mid-fall

· Core Processes – continue discussions on what processes we need and determine measurements to determine if we are executing them

· Continue discussions on topics for core forums within the campus community, the administration, and the Board

· Open meetings with faculty and the Board

· Key Strategic Priorities – The Committee discussed the importance of the five key strategic priorities – enrollment growth, student success, academic excellence, outreach and engagement, and investment and innovation.

Organizational Structure and Key Personnel Issues, Openings, and Transitions
The Committee discussed key personnel issues, organizational structure, and transitions that have occurred over the past few months.

Faculty Meetings

Trustees Zurbuchen and Wilkinson provided an update on their meeting in June and July with four faculty members.

Respectfully submitted,

____________________
Richard M. Popp, Chair