BRIDGEWATER STATE UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES JUNE 12, 2017

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1 MEETING NO. 276 APPROVED OCTOBER 11, 2017 BRIDGEWATER STATE UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES JUNE 12, 2017 MEMBERS PRESENT: Trustees Alexander, Bueno, Durgin, Caulfield, Denterlein, Longo, MacCormack, Pimental, Murphy MEMBERS ABSENT: ALSO PRESENT: Trustees Oliari and Szachowicz President Clark; Acting Provost Ismaili; Vice Presidents Molife, Powers, Jean, Jason, Lefebvre, Gentlewarrior, Shropshire; Chief of Staff Leuenberger; Interim Vice President Jablonski The provision of the Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 30A having been complied with, and a quorum of the Board present, the Board of Trustees held their annual meeting on June 12, 2017 in the Dunn Conference Suite, Crimson Hall with Chairman Durgin presiding. Chairman Durgin called the meeting to order at 7:05pm. Consideration of Minutes On motion duly made and seconded (MacCormack, Alexander) it was that the minutes from the April 13, 2017 meeting be approved. CHAIRMAN S REPORT Chairman Durgin welcomed everyone and congratulated all for a great academic year. This has been a tremendous year and the progress has been extraordinary. He thanked the President s Cabinet, deans and department heads. The Board appreciates all of President Clark s efforts. He looks forward to the next academic year. PRESIDENT S REPORT President Clark thanked everyone in the audience and thanked the Board and Chairman Durgin for their guidance over the course of the year. He provided his accomplishments and noted everyone has worked together this year on behalf of our students and their success. A few things of interest: orientation began today; family members enjoyed themselves. Trustee Bueno serves as an orientation leader.

2 BOARD OF TRUSTEES JUNE 12, 2017 Trustee Bueno acknowledged his fellow orientation leaders as well. President Clark noted the three commencement ceremonies went very well. 2,500 students graduated in total. The Leadership Celebration also went very well; the Lt. Governor was able to attend. BSU recently received a donation from the John Joseph Moakley Charitable Foundation for an endowed internship. The MPA service recognition dinner was recently held. BSU signed a memorandum of understanding with MCC and BCC and a presentation will be made to the Board. Recently the Barishnakov statue donation was unveiled. The Bartlett Scholarship Lunch was held where thirty $5,000 scholarships were awarded. Matt Light worked with BSU to hold a leadership conference where 150 students from the areas of Brockton, New Bedford and Fall River attended. The Children s Center closed and we celebrated the 30-year history of the center. BSU students were represented at Cannes Film Festival. Joshua Winsper represented BSU in Paralympic games and won a gold and silver medal. He is on his way to an international competition. Lastly, President Clark announced Dean Krebs is leaving BSU. She will be the new Executive Director of the Modern Language Association. Strategic Planning Chief of Staff Leuenberger noted all of the work, conversations and input has led to a place where we have a draft strategic plan to formally present to the Board. The current plan will go to the BHE and Secretary of Education for a formal vote, then back to our Board in December for a final vote. President Clark thanked Dr. Leuenberger for her leadership role in developing the strategic plan. There will be divisional plans as well as departmental plans which will all link to each other. Chief of Staff Leuenberger thanked everyone on the team for their assistance, in particular: cabinet members, provost council, Tracey Keif, Chris McMillan, and Michael Young who assisted with dashboard items and making this plan unique. Vice President Lefebvre and Vice President Jean s team have offered a lot as well. She thanked President Clark for giving his commitment to this strategic planning process. A draft mission statement, vision statement and goals have been embedded in this plan. ACTION/ INFORMATION ITEMS EXECUTIVE Approval of BSU s Draft Institutional Strategic Plan Chairman Durgin commented the plan is well done and is pleased to bring this forward.

3 BOARD OF TRUSTEES JUNE 12, 2017 On motion duly made and seconded (Longo, Denterlein) it was that the Board of Trustees approves the recommendation to approve BSU s Draft Institutional Strategic Plan as outlined in President Clark s memorandum dated May 25, Board of Trustees Budget Committee Chair Durgin noted the Board has a modest budget. This year there was an increase primarily due to the engagement of BoardEffect and the catering budget. A modest amount is allocated for Trustee travel if there is a program or symposium a Trustee may be interested in attending. On motion duly made and seconded (MacCormack, Pimental) it was that the Board of Trustees approves the Board of Trustees Budget for FY2018 as recommended by the Executive Committee and outlined in the memorandum from President Clark dated May 25, President s Expenses and Upcoming Travel (February-April, 2017) Committee Chair Durgin noted President Clark provided his expenses for the past quarter as an information item. President s Accrued Vacation and Sick Time Chairman Durgin noted this was provided as an information item. Academic Affairs Organizational Chart Acting Provost Ismaili provided his organizational chart that he plans to implement. President Clark noted it is a very comprehensive plan and he has done a terrific job in putting this together. He offered his congratulations. AUDIT FY2018 Proposed Internal Audits Committee Chair Longo noted a list of proposed audits was provided. President Clark commented they will reposition the audit function. On motion duly made and seconded (Longo, Denterlein) it was that the Board of Trustees accepts the FY18 Proposed Internal

4 BOARD OF TRUSTEES JUNE 12, 2017 Audits as recommended by the Audit Committee and described in the memorandum from President Clark dated May 25, Completed Internal Audits for FY2017 Committee Chair Longo noted administration is working with department chairs regarding controls for cash on campus. Regarding petty cash, there has been a big effort on campus to alleviate cash. Vice President Shropshire has worked on a procedural plan for student clubs and activities. On motion duly made and seconded (Longo, MacCormack) it was that the Board of Trustees accepts the audit of the Music Department as recommended by the Audit Committee and described in the memorandum from President Clark dated May 25, Aviation Audit Addendum Committee Chair Longo thanked Dean Alexander for the visit to the Flight Center. A terrific overview of the training school was provided. Safety was addressed and the safety officer provided a very detailed report. They also addressed the refueling of planes. Vice President Shropshire and his team did a terrific job in researching the discrepancies. A better process is now in place. Trustee MacCormack felt it was a very informative meeting and came away with a better understanding. Chairman Durgin appreciated the President s Cabinet for attending. Trustees came away with a complete understanding of the program and its importance. On motion duly made and seconded (Longo, Denterlein) it was that the Board of Trustees accepts the language in the attached memorandum from President Clark dated May 25, 2017 addressing the Aviation Audit provided by Internal Auditor Pidgeon at the February 27, 2017 Audit Committee meeting. Ongoing Internal Audits for FY2017 Committee Chair Longo noted the ongoing audits are: BSU Cape Cod and University Advancement. Annual Audits and Findings Summary FY2017 Committee Chair Longo said a running list of audits performed

5 BOARD OF TRUSTEES JUNE 12, 2017 for the year were provided as an information item. FINANCE AND OPERATIONS Continuation Budget for FY2018 Committee Chair Longo said the continuation budget is an annual item that comes before the Board. President Clark noted the state budget process does not get resolved until July or early Fall at the latest. A continuation budget is brought before the Board through October 31, On motion duly made and seconded (Longo, Denterlein) it was that the Board of Trustees approves the Continuation Budget for FY2018 based on the approved FY2017 budget ($182M) prorated through October 31, FY2016/Q3 Trust Fund Report Committee Chair Longo noted the income and expenses were reviewed by the Committee and there is nothing unusual to report. Vice President Shropshire noted the residence hall trust fund was slightly off, however, they have managed the shortfall. On motion duly made and seconded (Longo, Murphy) it was that the Board of Trustees approves the FY2017/Q3 Trust Fund Report as recommended by the Finance and Operations Committee and outlined in the memorandum from President Clark dated May 26, Uncollectible Student Accounts Receivable President Clark said last year the Budget Committee had a long discussion about the write-offs. Administration was asked to bring a sense of compassion to our students, but to also provide interventions. A billing change was implemented this summer where students had to pay upfront for summer classes. This current write-off is determined to be uncollectible. The state is developing new financial metrics and we want to get ahead of this now and take care of it. Trustee Alexander asked how long this has been a problem. Vice President Shropshire noted it goes back 30 years. A lengthy schedule was prepared back to Starting in 2013, the write-offs have gone down compared to previous years. Interventions with student success

6 BOARD OF TRUSTEES JUNE 12, 2017 have helped immensely. Trustee Alexander noted the interventions are a collective effort from everyone, which is a better approach. President Clark thanked Financial Aid and Student Affairs for their partnership. On motion duly made and seconded (Denterlein, Longo) it was that the Board of Trustees approves the recommendation pertaining to Uncollectible Accounts Receivable as recommended by the Finance and Operations Committee and outlined in the memorandum from President Clark dated May 26, Student Fee Schedule for AY President Clark said they are fully aware of the impact that the fee increase has on our students. They project there will be a collective bargaining increase. The fringe benefit continues to increase slightly as well. Strategic investments have been made through financial aid for our students. Deferred maintenance funding from the state is a concern. Vice President Shropshire said the capital fee of $200 is disclosed to carve out transparency for our students. BSU is the 4 th lowest in price and we remain very competitive. Committee Chair Longo noted the resnet fee was increased (it has been 13 years since this was raised). On motion duly made and seconded (Longo, MacCormack) it was that the Board of Trustees approves the Student Fee Schedule for AY as recommended by the Finance and Operations Committee and outlined in the memorandum from President Clark dated May 26, FY2017/Q3 Contracts Report Committee Chair Longo noted the quarterly contracts report was provided as an information item. Vice President Shropshire recognized Vice President Jason for obtaining $600,000 in funding in working with DCAM for the Boyden roof. FY2017/Q3 Budget Report Committee Chair Longo noted the quarterly budget report was

7 BOARD OF TRUSTEES JUNE 12, 2017 provided as an information item. Capital Projects Update Committee Chair Longo noted a capital projects update was provided as an information item. Vice President Jason noted the Bears Den kitchen will be completed by the end of summer; all kitchens will now be updated. UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT FY2017/Q3 Advancement Activity Report Committee Chair Caulfield spoke about the quarterly report which is consistent with what we have been seeing. Good news is that the endowment is up. Significant investment returns were realized in the 3 rd quarter. Need to be cautious about this as it is not the norm. The report shows giving is slightly down. For the 4 th quarter, we will meet or surpass the goals. Overall impact is $750,000, which will be dispersed to a variety of areas to assist our students. She noted there have been many staffing changes in University Advancement. On motion duly made and seconded (Caulfield, MacCormack) it was that the Board of Trustees approves the FY2017/Q3 Advancement Activity Report as recommended by the University Advancement Committee and outlined in the memorandum from President Clark dated June 1, FY2017 Donor Dashboard Committee Chair Caulfield noted the University Advancement division has moved into the Bethany House. There has been great feedback on BSU s social media presence. Alumni Update Committee Chair Caulfield spoke about the Alumni update. Three new board members have joined. There will be many events over the summer. An 80 s reunion was held this past weekend. The Alumni Association desires to be a major player in the fundraising campaign. Foundation Update The Leadership Celebration was held last week. It was a record breaking evening especially due to the Moakley Endowment.

8 BOARD OF TRUSTEES JUNE 12, 2017 CCS Update Committee Chair Caulfield recapped the role of CCS. A goal is to attract new leads, engage campus leaders and address the culture of the University as we move forward. President Clark noted CCS presented an analysis of our alums which focused on 300 people who have the capacity to assist us. He feels confident we can meet the goal. A structural change needs to happen within University Advancement. The administration is positioned to make a major investment on the staffing side. A plan will come, and they are in the process of identifying the pieces. Vice President Molife commented there will be a culture change here on campus which is happening already. The Day of Giving was a success. The Leadership Celebration focused on our students to show the workforce the types of students we have. There are two positions in the pipeline and will soon be posted. Another major gifts officer will be hired as well. Trustee Caulfield requested a copy of Mr. Wright s presentation from the last Foundation meeting. Trustee Denterlein commented the alumni need to be segmented and asked how they will move forward with the list to segment it to get the highest possible fruit from the tree. Vice President Molife said it is a cooperative effort. There is a search engine to filter out individuals. Then it is our responsibility to look at the top of the list and arrange meetings with them. Major gift officers are needed for this. President Clark will meet with high potential donors as well; candidates have been identified. President Clark is aware of folks who would be interested in coming to BSU and CCS has helped in identifying potential individuals. Trustee MacCormack noted our alumni are important but BSU does play a significant role to businesses in the region which provides a potential pool who you shouldn t lose sight of. President Clark responded they will work on identifying these corporate opportunities. Committee Chair Caulfield encouraged all Trustees to meet with Chris Wright. Chairman Durgin noted the Leadership Celebration will now include the president of the Alumni Association. PRESIDENTIAL REVIEW AND COMPENSATION Presidential Review for AY Chairman Durgin remarked the president s review is an important duty of the Board of Trustees. An annual evaluation has to be given to the BHE at the end of June. They have determined the components which need to be submitted: letter of evaluation from the Board, president s

9 BOARD OF TRUSTEES JUNE 12, 2017 self-evaluation, goals and objectives of senior staff, and a system-wide assessment comparing us to our fellow institutions. The Board is very pleased with the performance of our president. His leadership has created a different atmosphere on the campus; one of progress and enhancement. The Committee gave the highest evaluation of our president. On motion duly made and seconded (Longo, Bueno) it was that the Board of Trustees accepts President Clark s Self-Assessment and Chairman Durgin s cover letter as recommended by the Presidential Review and Compensation Committee for the academic year. President Clark s Salary Recommendation Chairman Durgin noted the Board is given the authority to grant part of the merit increase and the BHE grants the remaining half. We currently do not know their recommendation. On motion duly made and seconded (Longo, Alexander) it was that the Board of Trustees approves an increase to President Clark s salary for the maximum amount allowed by the Board of Higher Education as recommended by the Presidential Review and Compensation Committee effective July 1, Chairman Durgin thanked President Clark for his leadership and enthusiasm. President Clark acknowledged his leadership team in his vice presidents and the staff across the campus. NOMINATING Committee Chair Longo noted the Trustees take great comfort with the leadership of the Board and the recommendation is to elect the following offices of the Board: Chairman Eugene J. Durgin, Jr.; Vice Chairman Jean MacCormack; Secretary Davede Alexander. On motion duly made and seconded (Longo, Caulfield) it was that the Board of Trustees approves the Slate of Board Officers for AY as recommended by the Nominating Committee in the attached letter from Secretary Szachowicz.

10 BOARD OF TRUSTEES JUNE 12, 2017 OTHER BUSINESS Chairman Durgin noted Trustee Bueno has been reelected as Student Trustee and looks forward to working with him next year. On motion duly made and seconded (Caulfield, Alexander) it was that the meeting be adjourned (8:40pm). Respectfully submitted, Davede Alexander Secretary Minutes prepared by: Tracey Keif