January 26, 1996

The Board of Regents of Washington State University met pursuant to call, in Open Meeting via conference phone at 9:04 a.m. on Friday, January 26, 1996, in the Lewis Alumni Centre, Pullman Washington.

Present via conference phone: Phyllis J. Campbell, President; Regents: Richard R. Albrecht, R. M. “Mac” Crow, John W. Ellis, Richard A. Davis, Scott B. Lukins, Carmen Otero, Louis H. Pepper and William R. Wiley.

Present at the Lewis Alumni Centre: President Samuel H. Smith, Provost Thomas F. George, Vice President for Business Affairs Sallie A. Giffen, Vice President for Extended University Affairs Thomas L. Purce, University Counsel Sally P. Savage, Senior Assistant Attorney General Richard L. Hutchinson, Faculty Senate Chair Greg Hooks, Staff Senate President Richard Rupp, GPSA President Oliver Bangera, and ASWSU President Jessie Harris.

Also present were: Vice Provost for Academic Affairs Geoffrey Gamble, Vice Provost for Student Affairs K. J. “Gus” Kravas, Executive Director of Budget and Planning Gregory Royer, Budget Director Karl Boehmke, Registrar Monty Nielsen, Associate Vice President for University Advancement Connie Kravas, Assistant Vice President for Business Affairs Ernest Renfro, Executive Assistant to Vice President for Business Affairs Sandra Vibber, Assistant Vice President for University Relations Barbara Petura, News and Information Assistant Director Al Ruddy, and Director of Facilities Development Dave Smith.

1. Welcome. President Smith opened the meeting by taking a roll of the Regents present by phone. He welcomed everyone to the meeting and thanked them for their flexibility for the change in meeting plans due to poor weather conditions in Pullman. Regent Phyllis Campbell also provided welcoming remarks and called the meeting to order.

2. Minutes. It was moved and seconded that the WSU Board of Regents approve the minutes of the meeting of November 17, 1995. Carried.

3. Granting of Degrees. It was moved and seconded that the WSU Board of Regents approve the recommendation of the faculty that the candidates appearing in Exhibit A be advanced to the degrees set above their names as members of the Class of October 28, 1995. Carried.

4. Reports from University Groups. Faculty Senate Chair Greg Hooks remarked on Provost George’s presentation of the Strategic Plan to the Faculty Senate on Thursday, January 25, 1996, and said reception of the plan was positive and one which resulted in a lively discussion among the faculty present. Dr. Hooks said the faculty also discussed at the January 25, 1996, meeting the state of the library and the rising cost of journal prices.

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Dr. Hooks mentioned the Senate’s Academic Affairs Committee will soon be considering the Four-Year Degree plan.

Staff Senate President Richard Rupp commented that he had been prepared to distribute various new publications of the Staff Senate, but due to the circumstances he will present them at the March meeting.

GPSA President Oliver Bangera reported on the formal opening of the Graduate Student Study Center and thanked everyone who helped make it a reality. Mr. Bangera also commented on the employee excellence awards and how impressed he was by the many stories he has heard about employees who have gone out of their way to help graduate students with various issues and concerns.

ASWSU President Jessie Harris reported on his attendance at the ?conference where they discussed deals for passage of various house bills in the areas of the proposed technology fee and concerning the tuition variance. He said this resulted in a successful dialogue, which involved students from a wide variety of areas.

Second Vice President of the Alumni Association Denny Jones, was unable to attend due to the weather.

5. Report on the 1996 Supplemental Budget Request. Provost Thomas George reviewed facts and figures from the 1996 Supplemental Budget request, including details from the 1995-97 balance sheet for the State of Washington and a summary review of WSU’s 1996 supplemental operating request totaling $14,534,000. Included in the supplemental request are the following: pesticide and wine grape research; increased access through technology and partnerships, faculty retention increases; salary equity for librarians, counselors and professionals; the Cooperative Library Project; WHEN operating; and the transfer of energy programs.

Regent Otero asked if funding for pesticide and wine grape research is still unresolved. Executive Director of Budget and Planning said the 1995-97 budget bill inadvertently failed to provide funding to match the mandate for this research and commented we are still working for final approval of this. He noted we have insurance from house leadership that it would be in their budget, we are currently working on the Senate, and it is not in the Governor’s budget.

Provost George commented WSU feels very strongly on the salary equity for librarians, counselors, and professionals, which accounts for $1,236,500 of the supplemental request, and that this is not in the Governor’s budget.

Also discussed in detail was the cooperation experienced by WSU and the state’s four-year public institutions in the request for an upgrade of the WHETS system. The

January 26, 1996

state’s four-year institutions decided to put their resources and talents into one supplemental request, thereby expanding the goal of increased access and education to the state’s citizens. Provost George reported that WSU requested $7-8 million for the WHETS upgrade, and the total request for technology upgrades for the four institutions was $34,522,500. He noted most of this is in the governor’s budget.

President Smith provided comments on the Washington Higher Education Network (WHEN, which is an expanded version of the WHETS system). He said the cooperation experienced by the institutions has provided us a focal point for working together and has resulted in positive testimony in Olympia. Regent Campbell commented that this has been a good cooperative project which sets a positive direction for the future. She said she fully supports continuing to push for funding of the total amount despite some initial reactions from the legislature. Regent Campbell asked for a consensus from the Regents with regard to funding.

Regent Wiley if there may be reasons for funding a project like this incrementally, and Provost George responded that the costs for this upgrade a authentic costs which are critical to the success of this project. He emphasized this project is well thought out and if we do not get funded totally, we will lose much of the cooperation between the institutions we now have. Regent Wiley commented there is a historical basis for not doing this in a partial way and said in the perspective of a super computing way, it is important to act now as costs in this area will rise and it may become prohibitive to upgrade later. He said members of the legislature should recognize this historical precedence.

Regent Campbell commended Provost George for his leadership and said if WSU can use any of the Regents to testify in Olympia, to please let them know. She said they are willing to help all they can in this area.

President Smith asked Provost George to provide comments on the Ethics legislation which was introduced by Senator Kathleen Drew. Provost George said the federal government is trying to get rules and procedures adopted concerning how faculty operate within terms of conflict of interest, as there is concern that faculty are dong too much outside of their normal duties and questions about what role faculty are playing with private industry. He said this has led to an ethics bill. He said the concern with this bill is that it can stifle entrepreneurship among faculty and stated WSU encourages faculty to work with provide industry as their are many benefits to be drawn from this. He reported the University of Washington has put together a very good package on this and explained why it is good for WSU to have its own internal bill on this. Provost George said WSU testified this week in front of the House Government Relations Committee and said it went very well.

6. Four-Year Degree Agreement Presentation. Provost Thomas George introduced Registrar Monty Nielsen who has overseen the planning of the four-year degree

January 26, 1996

agreement. Provost George and Mr. Nielsen provided a historical basis for the concept of a four-year degree agreement. He said the average time-to-degree for WSU students is 4.79 years, which is about average among WSU’s peer institutions. In 1993, the legislature directed state colleges to improve their graduation rates and remove barriers that tend to lengthen the time required. WSU has set a goal of average time-to-degree of 4.5 years by the year 2010.

Discussed in the four-year degree presentation were reasons for delays in achieving a degree; WSU’s response to this problem so far, including several initiatives such as the DARS (Degree Audit Reporting System), among other things; and the new strategy of the four-year graduation guarantee. Dr. George and Mr. Nielsen presented some advantages of implementation of such a guarantee, as well as some criticisms of doing so. Also covered were the conditions and obligations of the agreement.

The Regents provided many comments concerning this proposal. Regent Otero asked for clarification on the lack of preparation listed under student factors which prevent a student from getting a degree in four years. Mr. Nielsen cited lack of math skills as the most common element lacking in a well-prepared student. There was a general discussion concerning lack of academic preparation and how this is assessed at the University. Regent Otero offered the suggestion that under item 3 of the Agreement, which concerns having the necessary academic preparation to begin coursework, that an item in parentheses be added explaining that if a student does not pass a placement exam, for example, they must take a course to prepare them.

Regent Davis noted that he receives comments from parents who went to college at a different time that they were able to complete in four years and asked why is this no longer the norm. Mr. Nielsen explained that students now are encouraged to do certain things, like take advantage of internships, study over seas, and things like this, and we do not discourage these types of activities. President Smith said also that accreditation of certain departmen6ts requires more for particular majors than it did in the past and that this may be one explanation for this phenomenon.

ASWSU President Jessie Harris said there has been a societal change brought on by technological changes which is a factor in time-to-degree. Mr. Harris said generally sentiment about this proposal from the students is good, however he sees that there could be difficulties if a student enters this agreement prematurely. He suggested that there be seminars for students and parents at the departmental level to discuss requirements of the agreement so the student fully understands.

Faculty Senate Chair Greg Hooks was pleased to hear Mr. Harris’ comments and said on the faculty side, faculty must be held accountable for advising, organizing their classes, etc. He said it would be wonderful to have students and parents more informed. His view is that it does not necessarily take students more time to graduate than it did in

January 26, 1996

the past and feels departments and programs must have the opportunity to decline participation in this if they wish. He asked if there had been any specific litigation surrounding the offering and inability for some programs to meet their commitment to the agreement.

Senior Assistant Attorney General Rich Hutchinson said we have been in touch with several schools who have instituted these types of programs but that they are not at the point where this issue has arisen. He said, however, he has difficulty finding fault since this is a self-selected and voluntary program. He said there is some difficulty with his commenting on this, since there is yet no historical background for this.

Regent Campbell commended Mr. Nielsen for the work done on this so far. She suggested that the benefits of the program be articulated more clearly. She explained that while it is intuitive why we are doing this, it will be beneficial for others, such as legislators, to understand the benefits.

Regent Ellis commented that the ultimate objective is to create a very positive attitude for this program so it will be important to make this seem like a normal process, rather than one in which you have a number of hurdles to cross. Regent Albrecht commented that it will be important not to make this a big bureaucratic thing and to fully consider what the administrative burden will be of administering 5,000 to 6,000 agreements.

The Regents were in agreement that WSU move forward with the concept of the four-year degree agreement.

7. 1995 Faculty Manual Revision. Provost Thomas George explained that the Faculty Affairs Committee reviewed the language related to promotional adjustments and agreed that the wording was internally inconsistent in that raises based on a percentage could not be uniform across the University. The first sentence establishes a minimum for promotional adjustments above the minimum to based on a percentage of the salary that is non-uniform across the University. This revision is essentially an editorial revision. The promotional adjustment is to pay for a promotion. If more that the minimum for promotions were allowed, it would be possible for individuals going from associate to full professor to get different percentages of their salaries under this policy.

It was moved and seconded that, effective immediately, the WSU Board of Regents approve the following revision to the Faculty Manual, Section IV, Faculty Personnel Policies, Employment, Salary, Promotional Adjustment, page 42 (deletions are struck through).

Promotional Adjustment

January 26, 1996

When a faculty member is ~~are~~ promoted, ~~their salaries~~ his/her salary will be increased by no less than four percent of his/her annual salary, or two percent of the average WSU faculty salary, whichever is greater, starting with the effective date of the promotion. ~~All promotional increases are to be uniform across the University.~~ This adjustment will be made regardless of the level of funding for salary increases and will be in addition to any other adjustments made to the faculty members’ salary (merit, equity, marketplace, cost-of-living, etc.).

Carried.

8. Collective Bargaining Agreement Between Washington State University and the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF). Vice President for Business Affairs Sallie Giffen reviewed the collective bargain agreement. The IAFF was the first exclusive representative of the small unit (6 employee Fire Officers) which was first formed on April 14, 1994. Collective bargaining negotiations between IAFF and Washington State University resulted in a final agreement, now ready for approval and execution.

It was moved and seconded that, effective immediately, the WSU Board of Regents adopt the resolution appearing as Exhibit B approving the terms of the Agreement by and between Washington State University and the International Association of Fire Fighters, AFL-CIO, delegating authority to the President to execute the Agreement and delegating authority to the President or the President’s designee to administer the Agreement. Carried.

9. Contracts under Previous Delegation of Authority (under $500,000). Vice President for Business Affairs Sallie Giffen reported that on the authority delegated to the President of the University or his designee at the meeting of January 24, 1986, she has approved entering into the following contracts:

Mike Coman Construction, Spokane, for the Safety Building remodel for PSAP for a total project cost of $270,802, including sales tax, and contingency, to be paid from the 1993-95 Minor Capital Renewal funds, 1995-97 Minor Capital Improvement funds, and a 1995-97 Whitman County grant.

Mike Coman Construction, Spokane, for the remodel of Holland Library rooms 120, 150, and 160 for a total project cost of $143,904, including sales tax and contingency, to be paid from the 1995-97 Minor Capital Improvement funds.

Collier Construction, Coeur d’Alene, ID, for a manure storage pad and corral facilities for a total project cost of $61,088, including sales tax and contingency, to be paid from 1993-95 Minor Capital Improvement funds and an NIH grant.

January 26, 1996

Advance Filter Service, Puyallup, for the Kimbrough Hall duct cleaning of the air handling system for a total project cost of $17,265, including sales tax and contingency, to be paid from 1995-97 Minor Capital Reserve funds.

10. Contracts under Previous Delegation of Authority (over $500,000). Vice President for Business Affairs Sallie Giffen reported that on the authority delegated to the President of the University or his designee at the meeting of June 23, 1995, she has approved entering into the following contract:

Bouten Construction Company, Spokane, for the following chemical waste collection sites Engineering Complex, Eastlick and Wegner sites, and Silver Recovery units for a total project cost of $1,545,160, including sales tax and contingency, to be paid from 1993-95 WSU Building Account and 1995-97 State Building Construction Account.

11. Completion of Contracts over $2,500. Vice President for Business Affairs Sallie Giffen reported that on the authority delegated to her at the meeting of June 24, 1994, she had approved satisfactory completion of the following contracts:

Walsh Construction Company, for the University Housing apartment project in the final amount of $9,158,518.

Inland Construction, Co., for the CIR: Phase III: construction of equipment rooms in the final amount of $2,225,296.

Mark Construction, Inc., for the Records Maintenance Materials Storage and Recycling facility, Phase I in the final amount of $1,477,605.

Shea Construction, Inc., for the CIR: Phase II: construction of five main communications facilities in the final amount of $1,458,579 (amended from the June 23, 1995, report of $1,446,775).

R.R.A.CO., Inc., for the Johnson Hall lab remodels in the final amount of $534,375.

Crimson Enterprises, for White Hall elevator and power doors in the final amount of $474,454.

Patriot Fire Protection, for the Barnard, Stearns and McGregor Residence Halls life safety improvements in the final amount of $409,941.

R.R.A.CO., Inc., for the Steffen Center Greenhouse in the final amount of $373,225.

January 26, 1996

Patriot Fire Protection, for the Scott and Coman Residence Halls life safety improvements in the final amount of $282,927.

R.R.A.CO., Inc., for WHETS alterations for ICNE Spokane in the final amount of $231,114.

Williams Bros. Construction, for the Water Fluoridation Facilities in the final amount of $188,993.

Columbia Asphalt & Gravel, Inc., to repair and pave roadways and parking lots at IAREC Prosser in the final amount of $93,962.

Poe Asphalt Paving, Inc., to resurface roadway and parking lots in the final amount of $52,051.

Mike Wood Excavating, Inc., for the connection to sewer of annex building TFREC Wenatchee in the final amount of $9,615.

12. Housing and Dining Fees for 1996-97. Vice President for Business Affairs Sallie Giffen reported that the rate proposal has been reviewed and approved by the Executive Budget Committee, the Financial Advisory Group and the Housing and Dining Rate Setting Committee. Ms. Giffen discussed the housing and dining rates and material as appears in Exhibit C.

13. Kimbrough Hall Addition. Vice President for Business Affairs Sallie Giffen reported that the architectural firm of Thompson Vaivoda and Associates in association with Heylman Martin and Associates have completed the schematic design drawings and outline specifications for the Kimbrough Hall Addition. The design has been reviewed and approved by the Project Planning Committee and is being reviewed for approval by the Departments of Facilities Development and Physical Plant.

The new construction to Kimbrough Hall will add a new 200 seat university classroom and a new writing laboratory facility for general education. Additionally, music education will be enhanced with new faculty offices, practice studios, support space and a new music library. The schedule for this project anticipates that bids will be received in September 1997, with completion of construction by June 1998.

January 26, 1996

14. Early Childhood/Education Facility, Vancouver. Vice President for Business Affairs Sallie Giffen reported that the architectural firm of Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership, Portland, OR, has completed the schematic design drawings and outline specifications for the Early Childhood/Education Facility as part of the WSU Vancouver phase II Development. The design has been reviewed for approval by the Departments of Facilities Development and Physical Plant.

The Early Childhood/Education Facility as part of the WSU Vancouver Phase II Development consists of 23,928 gross square feet and includes the building and associated site work. The building will include a childcare unit and academic space for Education, Human Development, and related disciplines. Site work includes grading, walkways, utility connections, landscaping, and related site improvements. The design elements conform with the Campus Master Plan and the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) that were approved by the Board on March 5, 1993.

It was moved and seconded that the WSU Board of Regents approve schematic design documents, grant permission to proceed with design development, and delegate authority to the President or his designee, the Vice President for Business Affairs, to approve construction documents advertise for bids and award a construction contract for the Early Childhood/Education Facility as part of the WSU Vancouver Phase II Development, if a budget can be est. Carried.

15. Delegation of Authority to Approve a Contract with TRG, Inc. for the Student Information System. Vice President for Business Affairs Sallie Giffen introduced the Director of Information Technology Dave Johnson. Mr. Johnson reported that the executive leadership of WSU has decided to move its administrative computing systems into a client/server environment to provide students, faculty, and staff better access to information beginning with a new Student Information System.

The project will improve the entire process of student records management from admission to graduation and will make class registration, financial aid and student advising more responsive to student needs. Central to the new system will be the capability of all clients-faculty, staff and students-to access the student data base from their desktop computers instead of terminals liked to the mainframe computer.

WSU will be entering into a partnership involving TRG, Inc. And 15 other universities, including Syracuse University and the University of Chicago, for the development and implementation of the system. TRG, Inc. will help WSU re-examine the ways we process and maintain records and will help re-engineer these procedures.

Regent Phyllis Campbell inquired about the stability of the equipment to be acquired for use with this new system. Mr. Johnson responded that the underlying technology is very stable; the products have been under use for many years. He said the

January 26, 1996

applications they will be using are new and that they are cautious about these; however, he feels quite comfortable the system will work very well.

Regent Campbell asked if this request would cover the entire project, and Vice President Giffen clarified that this will pay for the software, that there are several parts to this project, that they must still acquire the hardware, and that the total cost of the project will be around $2 million. It was noted that this was reviewed by the Business Affairs Subcommittee, whose members agree with this purchase.

It was moved and seconded that the WSU Board of Regents delegate authority to the President or his designee, the Vice President for Business Affairs, to approve a contract not to exceed one million dollars to TRG, Inc. to acquire a new Student Information System. Carried.

16. Tuition and Services and Activities Fees for Summer Session 1996. Vice Provost for Academic Affairs Geoff Gamble reported that at the November meeting of the Regents, an analysis of potential impacts if non-resident tuition rates for summer session were increased to those charged during the regular semesters. He said the data indicate that summer session students are more sensitive to cost factors than they are in regular terms s, and tuition is often the primary factor in deciding to attend summer school or not. He said while it is likely that there could be a slightly better revenue stream, other factors indicate that programmatically the costs could outweigh the benefits. He said this could be particularly true if the potential impact on diversity, athletics, graduate students, regent and time-to-degree are considered. Vice Provost Gamble said, therefore, the best course of action would be to keep the current structure in place for now but to have further discussions with the Regents, the Summer Session Advisory Committee, and other constituents to consider increasing the non-resident tuition rates for summer session.

Vice Provost Gamble further reported that the proposed undergraduate fee ($151/SCH is the same as the part-time undergraduate resident fee for the academic year 1995-96. The proposed graduate fee ($194/SCH) is larger than the undergraduate fee by half the difference between part-time for undergraduate and graduate students during the academic year 1995-96 ($151 + [$237 – $151 / 2] = $194).

In conjunction with the recommended tuition increase, the Summer 1996 Services and Activities Fees would be raised from $12.51/SCH to $13/SCH, and increase of 3.94 percent which represents the average percentage increase of undergraduate/graduate tuition. This follows the principle adopted by the Summer Session Advisory Committee that Services and Activities Fees increase proportionately to summer tuition increases.

It was moved and seconded that the WSU Board of Regents approve approved the recommendation to increase summer 1996 tuition (resident and nonresident) from $145/SCH undergraduate and $187/SCH graduate to:

January 26, 1996

Undergraduate $151/SCH (41.4 percent increase)

Graduate $194/SCH (3.74 percent increase)

The WSU Board of Regents also approved the recommendation to increase summer 1996 Services and Activities Fees from $12.51/SCH to:

$13/SCH (3.94% increase)

Carried.

17. Right-of-Way Delegation of Authority to Approve Airport Road and Terre View Drive. Vice President for Business Affairs Sallie Giffen reported that Whitman County, the City of Pullman and WSU share an interest in expanding Airport Road and Terre View Drive. The airport Road must be widened to meet federal and state highway width requirements for traffic to an airport, the road must be resurfaced and safety modifications for traffic turning onto Grimes Way and Airport Road must be made. The Airport Road is a county road which crosses City, WSU and County property. The County has already received some grant funding for the resurfacing of Airport Road.

The three entities would like to extend Terre View Drive, which currently stops at a WSU northeast property line, to loop across the eastern portion of the WSU property to Airport Road. There is already a graveled road on the WSU property which the paved road would follow. This additional road would provide access for may WSU, City and County motorists from the northeast part of the city, the Industrial Park and the Research and Technology Park to the Airport and Moscow, Idaho. The road extension would remove heavy traffic on Stadium Way, which would also benefit WSU.

It was moved and seconded that the WSU Board of Regents delegate authority to the President or his designee, the Vice President for Business Affairs, to approve right-of-way for expansion of Airport Road and Terre View Drive totaling no more than 17.19 acres. Carried.

18. Report from University Affairs. Vice President for Extended University Affairs Thomas L. Purce highlighted areas related to access and partnership issues. He emphasized that as he has done work around the state, the WHEN initiative has been a powerful symbol to the work we do as partners with other institutions. Vice President Purce reported on news and information activities that have taken place between President Smith and University of Washington President Dick McCormick; editorial board meetings; a news conference on Channel 9 between President Smith, President McCormick, and Council of Presidents Chair Karen Morse; and active participation among the institutions before members of the legislature.

Vice President Purce further reported on the development of processes among campus partnerships related to the access issue and the start-up of the speakers bureau to

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center around access issues facing higher education, involving administration, faculty, and staff with various institutions around the state. Also, Vice President Purce discussed the Alumni Conference held in Olympia recently with great success. The goal of the conference was to educate WSU alums as to what WSU’s goals are with the Learning Centers and to invite legislators to participate. Vice President Purce noted that the announcement of the formulation of the learning centers took place in mid December and that we have gotten off to a good start in that area.

Vice President Purce announced that on the national level, he has been invited to participate in a public television broadcast of a panel discussion related to technology and communications between private enterprise and public institutions. He said WSU is the only institution to be involved in that teleconference, and it will allow him to discuss our history in this area and major developments, among other many other things.

19. WSU Foundation Gift Report for December 1995. Associate Vice President for University Development Connie Kravas reported that the last 6 months have been great, and she reported a year-to-date total of $35.5 million in donations and private grants. She said this puts the total for the Campaign at $260 million. Dr. Kravas noted that we have exceeded 18.5 percent of alumni participation and have the highest volume of gifts in any week since the extension of the Campaign last November.

President Smith commended Dr. Kravas for the hard work done in this area.

20. Request for Defense of University Employee. Senior Assistant Attorney General Richard Hutchinson stated that the matter for which defense is being requested has been explained and that he has investigated the case and believes that the employees have acted within the scope of their employment.

It was moved and seconded that the WSU Board of Regents adopt the Resolution appearing in Exhibit D, finding that the named employees acted within the scope of their authority and in good faith with regard to conduct alleged by the plaintiff to be wrongful, and requesting the attorney general to defend them against the clams brought by Joyce M. Olsen and Sally McDole in the Thurston County Superior Court.

21. Comments by Regent Ellis. Regent Ellis said he is pleased by the cooperation between institutions in the area of technology and emphasized he would be happy to testify in Olympia, if needed. He stated it would be very effective to do this jointly with other schools, that the message that we have something going is very important, and to also include the community college group, if possible.

The meeting adjourned at 11:05 a.m.