Proposed
NORTHERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Minutes of the Regular Session
of
A regular session of the Board of Trustees of Northern Michigan University was held on Thursday-Friday, September 27-28, 2007, in the Cohodas Hall, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, Michigan. The meeting was convened at 12:55 p.m., Thursday, September 27, 2007, in the Board of Trustees Room, 602 Cohodas, by Chair Mary C. Lukens.
Trustees present included:
Mary C. Lukens, Chair Samuel S. Benedict Douglas B. Roberts
Alan T. Ackerman (via telephone) 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
Carol D. Bergman, Administrative Assistant, Office of the President
CLOSED SESSION AUTHORIZATION
President Wong presented the following recommendation:
It is recommended that the following resolution relative to holding a closed session of the Board of Trustees of Northern Michigan University be approved:
RESOLVED, that the Board shall meet in Closed Session at 1:00 p.m., on September 27, 2007, pursuant to Section 8 of the Open Meetings Act:
To consider matters connected with the strategy and/or negotiation of its collective bargaining agreements;
To consider the purchase or lease of real property on which the University does not hold an option;
To consult with the attorney for the University on matters relating to pending litigation, it being the opinion of the Board that consideration of such matters in an open meeting would have a detrimental financial effect on the litigation and/or settlement position of the University;
To consider material exempt from discussion or disclosure by state or federal statute.
Aye Nay
Mr. Ackerman
Mr. Adamini
Mr. Benedict
Mr. Cloyd
Mr. LaSalle
Ms. Lukens
Dr. Roberts
Mr. Ziegler
None
The resolution was thus approved unanimously.
Chair Lukens announced that Ms. Nease will be excusing herself from this closed session and all future closed sessions until negotiations with the AFSCME union are settled. Ms. Nease’s husband is an employee of the University and a member of the AFSCME union.
Chair Lukens recessed the meeting at 12:59 p.m.
RECONVENE
Chair Lukens reconvened the meeting at 8:45 a.m. on Friday, September 28, 2007.
Trustees present included:
Mary C. Lukens, Chair Samuel S. Benedict Douglas B. Roberts
Alan T. Ackerman (via telephone) 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
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
Mr. Ackerman, Chair of the ad hoc Bylaws Review Committee, presented the proposed revised bylaws for review. After discussion, the Board took the following action:
FOCUS DISCUSSION
Mr. Doug Kazma, JJR Consultant, gave an update on the progress of the development of the Campus Master Plan, including discussion topics of schedule, principle-driven planning, community context, building consensus, and specific master plan opportunities. Items highlighted were green space, parking, Presque Isle corridor, housing connection to academic core, and connection to the lake. Discussion followed, and Mr. Kazma responded to questions and comments from Board members. Feedback on the plan will be solicited from faculty, staff, and students, and the results will be presented to the Board of Trustees at the December meeting. (See Addendum # 2.)
RECONVENE -- Chair Lukens reconvened the meeting at 10:42 a.m.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Executive
Mr. Benedict, Chair of the Executive Committee, reported on the meeting held on
Thursday, September 27, 2007. A copy of the report is appended to these minutes (Addendum #3).
The following action item was presented. Mr. Benedict said the Board reviewed the President’s performance against the 2006-2007 goals. The Board believes the University is very well run, and the Board is pleased with and supportive of the activities of Dr. Wong in leading the University. The Board also recognized the accomplishments and activities of Mrs. Wong. Based on the recommendation of the Executive Committee, the Board took the following action:
It was moved by Mr. LaSalle, seconded by Ms. Lukens, and supported unanimously by the Board to approve President Wong’s incentive payout for 2006-2007.
Academic Affairs
Mr. LaSalle, Chair of the Academic Affairs Committee, reported on a meeting held on Thursday, September 27, 2007. A copy of the report is appended to these minutes (Addendum #4).
Dr. Roberts, Chair of the Finance Committee, reported on a meeting held on Thursday,
September 27, 2007. A copy of the report is appended to these minutes (Addendum #5).
The following action items were presented. Based on the recommendation of the Finance Committee, the Board took the following action:
It was moved by Mr. Adamini, seconded by Mr. Ackerman, and supported unanimously by the Board to approve the hiring of an additional outside firm to review the Cogeneration Project, and that a copy of the review be provided to the members of the Board of Trustees. This is conditional upon NMU being able to contract with a firm within 30 days at a cost not to exceed $100,000.
It was moved by Mr. Ziegler, seconded by Mr. Benedict, and supported unanimously by the Board to approve the change from a Traditional Investment Service to an Advisory Investment Program.
Ad hoc Nominating
Mr. Ackerman reported on the Ad hoc Nominating Committee meeting held on Friday,
September 28, 2007 (Addendum #6). 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. Cloyd, seconded by Mr. LaSalle, and supported unanimously by the Board to re-elect Mary Lukens as Chair and Douglas Roberts as Vice Chair of the NMU Board of Trustees for calendar year 2008.
Mr. Chris Storves, 2007-2008 ASNMU President, reported. A copy of the report is appended to these minutes (Addendum #7).
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
President Wong thanked the Board for their continued confidence in his leadership of the University. He gave credit to his team.
President Wong reported on his recent visit with Howard Schultz, NMU alum and Starbucks CEO.
President Wong announced NMU has been exploring an opportunity with the FCC to secure noncommercial spectrum that is currently unassigned. The FCC is considering lifting the ban and granting the petition. If approved, NMU will be the first university in the country to get into this bandwidth, and this will allow NMU to not only deploy WiMax earlier but to eventually bring educational Broadband services (particularly in the delivery of NMU programs) to the Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin.
Trustee Program Visits: President Wong thanked the Board for being an engaged and active Board and then encouraged Board of Trustee members to visit a class, be a guest lecturer, or participate in some aspect of the curriculum during the 2007-2008 academic year.
Legislative Update: NMU Lobbyist David Haynes gave a legislative update. He responded to questions and comments from Trustees.
Enrollment Report: President Wong, Mr. Bill Bernard, and Dr. Susan Koch gave an enrollment update focusing on current enrollment numbers and recruitment and retention goals. (Addendum #8). They responded to questions and comments from Trustees.
It was moved by Mr. Ziegler, seconded by Mr. LaSalle, and unanimously supported by the Board of Trustees to approve the Formal Recommendations, as amended. (Addendum #9)
ANNOUNCEMENT OF CLOSED SESSION TO BE HELD IN CONNECTION WITH THE THURSDAY-FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13-14, 2007, MEETING OF THE BOARD
President Wong made this announcement for the public record.
Chair Lukens adjourned the meeting at 12:40 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
___________________________________
Theresa M. Nease
Secretary of the Board