Proposed
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, February 16, 2024, in Peninsula II Conference Room, Northern Center, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, Michigan. The meeting was convened at 9:00 a.m. by Chair Stephen E. Young.
Trustees present included:
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Mr. Stephen E. Young, Chair |
Mr. Steven W. Lindberg |
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Ms. Lisa I. Fittante |
Mr. Gregory J. Seppanen |
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Ms. Alexis M. Hart, Vice Chair |
Mr. Greg M. Toutant |
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Ms. Melissa A. Holmquist |
Dr. Brock F. Tessman, ex officio |
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Ms. Brigitte R. LaPointe-Dunham |
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Senior Staff and Counsel present included:
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Ms. Cathy A. Andrew, Secretary of the Board of Trustees |
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Mr. Michael J. Bath, Chief of Police / Safety Director |
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Dr. Shawnrece D. Campbell, Assistant Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion |
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Mr. Brad Canale, Chief Executive Officer – NMU Foundation |
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Mr. Richard B. Comley, Athletic Director |
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Ms. Rhea E. Dever, Vice President – People, Culture, and Wellbeing |
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Ms. Laura J. Glover, Sr. Executive Assistant to the President |
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Dr. Christine G. Greer, Associate Vice President – Student Affairs and Student Success and Dean of Students |
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Dr. Derek J. Hall, Chief Marketing Officer |
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Ms. Deanna K. Hemmila, Executive Director – Board/Government Relations |
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Dr. Dale P. Kapla, Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs |
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Mr. Jeff Korpi, Associate Vice President – Northern Student Experience |
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Mr. R. Gavin Leach, Vice President for Finance and Administration and Treasurer of the Board of Trustees |
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Ms. Cindy L. Paavola, Assistant to the President – Strategic Initiatives |
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Dr. Jessica L. Thompson, Assistant Vice President for Sustainability |
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Dr. Abigail K. Wyche, Assistant Vice President – Wellbeing |
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Mr. Carrick Craig, Legal Counsel |
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Ms. Ashley Higginson, Legal Counsel |
The meeting was live-streamed on YouTube at: https://tinyurl.com/NMUAVStreaming
ROLL CALL
Secretary Andrew took roll call of the Trustees and noted a quorum was met with all Trustees present.
MOTION TO APPROVE AGENDA
The following action was taken:
It was moved by Trustee Toutant, seconded by Trustee Fittante, and supported unanimously by a vote of 8 – 0, to approve the agenda as presented.
MOMENTS OF SILENCE
Chair Young acknowledge the one-year anniversary of the February 13, 2023 tragedy that occurred on the Michigan State University campus when a gunman took the lives of three students and seriously wounded five others; a tragedy felt across the State and the entire country. He asked for a moment of silence to honor these students.
Interim Provost Kapla read a memorial for Dr. Jeffrey Horn, an Associate Professor in the Mathematics and Computer Science Department who passed away on February 5, 2024. A moment of silence was held in his honor.
INDIVIDUAL REQUESTS TO ADDRESS THE BOARD
Dr. Rick Mengyan, President – AAUP, addressed the Board with a general status update and the faculty perspective of how NMU is doing.
Chair Young thanked Dr. Mengyan for his comments.
HARDEN HALL RENOVATION
Vice President Leach provided the Trustees with an update on the status of the Harden Hall Renovation project, noting the following:
· The Board previously approved a budget of $32.7 million for the project.
· Minor demolition has begun on the project and the library has moved out of the space.
· Final bidding prices have been received for the actual construction component of the project.
· The bid was initially quite a bit higher than the original estimated budget by the construction manager.
· The university rebid some packages and changed some of the scope and was able to bring the amount down to approximately $36.975 million from the original $39 million.
· To move forward on the project, approval is needed for an additional $4.275 million.
The following action was taken:
It was moved by Trustee Hart and seconded by Trustee Seppanen that the NMU Board of Trustees approve additional funding of $4,275,000 for the Harden Hall Renovation Project.
Discussion followed:
Trustee Hart thanked Vice President Leach for his diligence and work in this project. She understands and appreciates the costs, time, and work it took to get the cost of the project down, noting the rise in labor, costs of materials, etc.
Being no further discussion, Chair Young called the question.
The motion was supported unanimously by a vote of 8 – 0.
SCIENCE COMPLEX RESEARCH AND TEACHING LABS
Vice President Leach provided an update on the status of the Science Complex Research and Teaching Labs project noting the following:
· The Board previously approved $550,000 for architectural work and hiring a construction manager for cost estimating and project design.
· Final bids were received this past week.
· The amount of the bid came in at $14,620,000 for the project – the original estimate was $11.7 million.
· The final bid is in line with the current market on construction costs.
· To move forward with the project, approval is needed for an additional $14,070,000, for a full project cost of $14,620,000.
The following action was taken:
It was moved by Trustee Holmquist, seconded by Trustee LaPointe-Dunham, and supported unanimously by a vote of 8 – 0, that the NMU Board of Trustees approve the construction of the Science Complex Research and Teaching Labs project in the amount of $14,620,000.
PRESIDENT TESSMAN EVALUATION AND COMPENSATION
The following action was taken:
It was moved by Trustee Hart and second by Trustee LaPointe-Dunham that the Board of Trustees approve the following compensation for President Tessman: a 2% increase in base salary consistent with the increase approved for non-represented NMU employees, effective retroactively to July 1, 2023.
Discussion followed:
Trustee Hart said NMU is seeing positive headwinds when looking at the enrollment and retention numbers and the relationships and outreach being built and reestablished across the many different bases across campus, faculty, students, board relations, etc. have not gone unnoticed. She also noted for context and history this topic is typically discussed with the academic calendar year; however, because President Tessman did not start until February 2023 the Board is a little behind in the calendar when they would normally discuss this item, which would have typically been done during the July 2023 timeframe. This item was pushed out a bit to wait in recognition of President Tessman’s one-year anniversary date.
Chair Young said President Tessman hit the ground running and everyone is pleased with the energy and progress that has been made in this short period of time.
Being no further discussion, Chair Young called the question.
The motion was supported unanimously by a vote of 8 – 0.
ANNOUNCEMENT OF INFORMAL CLOSED SESSIONS TO BE HELD IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE MAY 2024 SESSIONS OF THE BOARD
President Tessman made this announcement for the public record.
· Trustee Young recognized Dr. Dale Kapla, Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, who stepped into the position in October 2021 noting a few key items during his tenure:
o Worked diligently to ensure the highest support of NMU’s academic areas.
o Was instrumental in assisting NMU navigate the pandemic, especially regarding faculty and classroom issues.
o Addressed emerging innovation head on – creating task forces to study uses and impact of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, and new teaching styles, such as high-flex courses.
o Played a key role in the development and implementation of NMU’s wellbeing initiative.
Chair Yong presented Dr. Kapla with a photo of the Wildcat Statue signed by the Trustees and President Tessman. A photo was taken.
· Vice Chair Hart recognized Ms. Ashley Higginson, Attorney and Counselor at Law with Miller Canfield who will be awarded with a “Top 5 Under 35 Award” by the Ingham County Bar Association at its Annual Barristers Night on Thursday, March 14, 2024. Recipients are recognized for their talents, skills, professionalism, and civility in the practice of law.
Chair Young opened the floor to the Trustees for Good of the Order.
Trustee Hart made the following comments:
· Welcomed Dr. Shawnrece Campbell, NMU’s new Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion.
· Thanked Dr. Tessman noting how wonderful its been having him on board this past year, noting the many things he has accomplished in such a short time and is looking forward to what’s coming
Trustee Fittante touched on the following:
· Impressed and thankful for what has been accomplished during President Tessman’s first year.
· Welcomed Dr. Campbell to NMU noting she is excited to have her here.
Trustee Seppanen commented on the following:
· NMU is on the upswing and it’s a great time to be a Board member.
· The hires that have been made during the past year have been phenomenal.
· The work President Tessman, his team and faculty and staff are doing on campus is great.
Trustee Holmquist touched on the following:
· It’s been an amazing year and she’s honored to be a member of the Board.
· Highlighted the work done with students on Thursday during the Board’s Engagement Day.
· Excited to see the direction the university is going.
Trustee LaPointe-Dunham said the following:
· Reflected on the tour of Health and Human Performance, the area of her degrees, noting how she owes her life to the program and the faculty and how she uses what she learned in the program in her daily life and with her middle school athletes.
Trustee Lindberg made the following comments:
· As a community member he gets to campus often and is continually amazed at the programs he sees and the positive energy everywhere on campus
Trustee Toutant touched on the following:
· Grateful and humble to be a part of this Board and NMU
· Wonderful to see behind the scenes the hard work everyone is doing to make the university great.
· He has a lot of pride in the academic and student experience.
Chair Young made the following comments:
· Thinking back to all the changes in the administration and how so many individuals stepped up to fill positions – the Board has a lot to be appreciative and thankful of for all of them.
· Recognized Ashley Higginson’s award as it is quite the achievement noting he’s from Lansing and the list of past recipients of this award is a good “Who’s of Who” of Lansing attorneys.
Chair Young adjourned the meeting at 9:27 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
/signed/Cathy A. Andrew
Secretary of the Board of Trustees