September 19, 2003

The Board of Regents of Washington State University met pursuant to call in Open Meeting at 9:00 a.m., on Friday, September 19, 2003, in Lighty Student Services Room 405, Pullman, Washington.

Present: Regent William D. Marler, President; Regents, Kenneth Alhadeff, Elizabeth Cowles, Angela Cox, Joe King, Connie Niva and V. Rafael Stone; President V. Lane Rawlins, Provost Robert C. Bates, Vice President for Business Affairs Gregory P. Royer, Vice President for University Relations Sally P. Savage, Vice President for Student Affairs Charlene Jaeger, Vice President for Information Technology Mary Doyle, Vice President for Development Richard Frisch, Senior Assistant Attorney General Antoinette Ursich, Faculty Senate Chair Ron Brosemer, GPSA President Lisa Williams, ASWSU President Jesse Aspuria, Alumni Association President Lori Dankers, and Foundation Executive Committee Vice Chair Mikal Thomsen.

1. Opening Remarks. Regent Marler welcomed Angela Cox as the newest Board Member appointed to the Board of Regents for Washington State University. He also asked Provost Bates to introduce Professor Travis McGuire, Assistant Professor Bob Mealey, with graduate students Chungwon Chung, and Julie Rivera. Professor McGuire and his research team provided comments on their research involving equine infectious anemia virus.

2. President of the University. President Rawlins welcomed everyone to Pullman and took a moment to introduce two recent appointments: Dr. James Cook, Interim Dean for the College of Agriculture and Home Economics and Tim Pavish, Director of the Alumni Association.

3. Minutes. It was moved and seconded that the Board of Regents approves the minutes of the June 13, 2003 meeting. Carried.

4. Reports from University Groups.

Alumni Association President Lorie Dankers reviewed her report as submitted to the Board. She reported the excitement of the Alumni Association Board of Directors in the hiring of Tim Pavish. She also said that there are 80 volunteers on campus this weekend from across the state and the all over the nation for Alumni Association fall meeting. She also highlighted some of the programs that the Alumni Association has been working on.

GPSA President Lisa Williams reviewed her report as submitted to the Board. She reported that GPSA has recently assisted in the Graduate School’s Fall Orientation along with updating their website by creating two listservs available to students who wish to subscribe. The last item she reported on is the issue of health care benefits to GPSA students, which has been her main focus since she took office. She added that she’s been working with Benefit Services along with the Dean of Graduate School to determine specific goals for improving and/or restoring health care benefits for the graduate students.

Faculty Senate Chair Ron Brosemer reviewed his report as submitted to the Board. He said that Faculty Senate has not yet met, but they expect to be working on an academic integrity policy for students as well as governance at the urban campuses as those campuses communities continue to evolve into their own identity.

ASWSU President Jesse Aspuria reviewed his report as submitted to the Board. He highlighted the many projects ASWSU is currently involved in and also spoke briefly on the projects they accomplished over the summer. Specifically the New Greek Ambassador Program and the Alive! Program. He added that the upcoming projects would focus on diversity awareness which main goal is to work within the community and be inclusive of the planning and implementation process. He ended his report by introducing the ASWSU Executive Staff members present.

WSU Foundation Board of Trustees Vice Chair Mikal Thomsen reviewed the report submitted by Chair Mark Suywn. He started off by echoing his praise to have Tim Pavish on board as the new Executive Director of Alumni Relations. He reported on the August 30 Board of Trustees Meeting held in Seattle which focused on the governing structure of the WSU Foundation that is a result of the Principles of Operation adopted by the Board of Regents at the June 2003 meeting. He added that the results of that meeting would be shared at the October Board of Trustees Meeting. He briefly went over the success of the events surrounding the WSU Week in Seattle, which resulted in significant gifts to support scholarships and other initiatives. Lastly he mentioned the Fall Board of Trustees meeting of the WSU Foundation will take place in Pullman October 2-4 and added that they are planning a productive and engaging experience for their members as the WSU Foundation moves forward with restructuring and reaching their goals.

5. Executive Planning, Budget and Athletics Committee. Regent Marler reported that the committee discussed the individual committee work plans for the year with the hope that the plans will keep everyone engaged and on track with the Strategic Plan Implementation process. He reported on the updates they heard on the President’s Cabinet Retreat, Athletics, a preliminary analysis of the biennial budget and on the Technology Alliance Institute. Regent Marler reported that they would be taking future action on some revisions to the Board of Regents Bylaws but also that a committee be formed to closely review the Bylaws. He added that additional action for the October were discussed for the 2004 Supplemental Budget Request as well as a request that came in to name the Livestock Pavilion. Finally, the committee discussed the actions being brought forward to the Board.

The Board took action on the following:

2004 Board of Regents Meeting Schedule. It was moved and seconded that the Board of Regents adopt the meeting dates for the 2004 calendar year. Carried.

Indemnify Defendants in Litigation. It was moved and seconded that the Board of Regents approve the request for defense by University current and former officials and employees in the case brought against them by Sheliah M. Johnson. Carried.

6. Report from the Director of Athletics. Athletic Director Jim Sterk provided an overall recap for FY03 and goals for FY04 for athletics and presented statistics in the areas of Academic Performance, Clean Programs, Balanced Budget and Success in Athletic performance. He also provided an update on the programs of football, volleyball, soccer and cross-country who are currently competing, and all of which are performing well.

President Rawlins described the Supplemental Request process then provided a presentation of the Supplemental Budget Request.

7. Academic, Faculty, and Student Affairs Committee. Regent Alhadeff reported on the committee discussion regarding revisions to the faculty manual relative to disciplinary procedures. He also reported that the committee discussed the issue of diversity on campus. He said it is disturbing to know that we’ve had areas where diversity has decreased and that we are nowhere near where we want to be in this area. He said that this will no way stop us from continuing a collective real effort to address this issue and that as long as we continue to aggressively look at everything we can do individually and collectively to bring diversity to this university which is in the best interest of all of us. With programs such as Future Teachers of Color, the Washington Achiever’s Conference and other programs that are currently in place to help bring diversity on this campus. He also reported on the Housing and Dining Master Plan and Prototype Suites Housing. He said the committee also began a discussion on the 2003-04 Work Plan for the AFSA Committee. The work plan focused on the collaboration between Academic and Student Affairs and also included a discussion on how the Regents might assist the committee.

The Board took action on the following:

Revisions to the Faculty Manual. It was moved and seconded that the Board of Regents approve the revisions to Section II.F of the Faculty Manual Personnel Policies related to disciplinary procedures effective Fall 2003 (See Exhibit A of approved revisions). Carried.

8. Report from the Provost and academic Vice President. Provost Bates provided an update on the strategic plan implementation. He added that now that the Board has heard the presentation on the budget, that they will be able to understand how the changes in the budget process effect the implementation and goals of the strategic plan. He added that as we have been working on the implementation, we realize that we need to further define our academic priorities. He said that they have had a variety of discussions to help shape that academic plan which includes attention to undergraduate and graduate programs; leading edge research, creative activities and outreach to the state. To continue the process, they have been engaging the Deans in conversation that is more collaborative and interactive than in past history of the institution. Additionally, they are looking into ways that can efficiently and effectively deliver curriculum and efficiently and effectively organize the way we coordinate and administer programs.

9. Report from the Vice President for Student Affairs. Vice President Jaeger provided the Board with a report on improving enrollment and high achieving student body as we work toward the goal of becoming a university of choice. She said that this year’s class is considered to be the best-qualified student body that WSU has ever enrolled. She provided many demographics on the current student body. Some of which included that the average high school GPA entering freshman is 3.44; the average SAT went up 10 points; the average admissions index is 60 (weighted 75% on GPA and 25% SAT), we set the average index goal to 60 three-years ago and have now met that goal. The high performing freshman (GPA of 3.6 or higher) comprised 31% of the total freshman class. 85% of those freshmen are residents of Washington. She said that the Regents Scholars Program has attributed to the huge increase in high performing students. This fall we are enrolling 186 of the top seniors in the state. Of those 186 students, 23 are on full scholarship. Their average from high school is 3.93 with SAT composite of 1151 and their average index is 85.9. We are recruiting heavily for the 2004 cohort of Regents scholars. Of 468 nominated by the principals last year, 155 will be visiting campus with their parents for Future Cougar Day. Vice President Jaeger provided many more statistics on the student body. She added that in Pullman this year there are students representing 39 counties, all 50 states, 6 US territories, and 100 countries. She ended her report by indicating at the next meeting, they will have further discussion on enrollment and admissions and look into ways to attract more diversity.

Regent Marler echoed Regent Alhadeff’s concerns regarding the drop in the number of African American students. He looks forward to further analysis and work with the administration to bring diversity to the student body.

10. Business Affairs and Information Technology Committee. Regent Cowles reported that there were many positive remarks regarding the Business Affairs team. She reported on the future action item for Clark Hall to provide safety enhancements. She also reported on a skateboarding policy; collective bargaining/civil service reform, she added that the committee asked for a report in the near future on the status of collective bargaining and civil service reform which is going through tremendous changes impacting every state agency and not just WSU. She also are reported that the committee has asked for a report from Information Technology area in the near future on disaster management and system disaster recovery. She also mentioned that as a new member of the BAIT Committee that it would be helpful to have an update on the campus master plan and priorities for the next ten years. Regent Cowles then asked for Board Approval for the following items:

Bailey Brayton Baseball Field. It was moved and seconded that the Board of Regents approve the total project cost of $1,550,000, to facilitate the replacement of the turf on Bailey Brayton Baseball Field and remodel the dugouts, and delegate authority to the President or his designee, the Vice President for Business Affairs, to award and sign a contract for this construction project within the funds listed in the proposal. Carried.

2003 Consultant Selection. It was moved and seconded that the Board of Regents delegate authority to the President or his designee, the Vice President for Business Affairs, to approve the selection of the consulting firm that will provide planning and design services, and grant permission to proceed with predesign and/or schematic design, as designated, within funds available on the following six projects:

1. Biomedical Sciences Facility
2. Housing and Dining Master Plan
3. International Studies/Sciences Joint Center
4. Library System Master Plan
5. Murrow Hall East Renovation
6. Prototype Suites Housing

Carried.

Regents Dining Center, Consultant Selection. It was moved and seconded that the Board of Regents delegate authority to the President or his designee, the Vice President for Business Affairs, to approve the selection of the consulting firm that will provide planning and design services, and grant permission to proceed with Predesign and/or schematic design, as designated, within the funds available. Carried.

WSU Mount Vernon, Research & Administration Facility, Consultant Selection. It was moved and seconded that the Board of Regents delegate authority to the President or his designee, the Vice President for Business Affairs, to approve the selection of the consulting firm that will provide planning and design services, and grant permission to proceed with predesign and/or schematic design, as designated, within funds available. Carried.

WSU Prosser, Multi-purpose Building, Consultant Selection. It was moved and seconded that the Board of Regents delegate authority to the President or his designee, the Vice President for Business Affairs, to approve the selection of the consulting firm that will provide planning and design services, grant permission to proceed with predesign and/or schematic design, as designated, within funds available. Carried.

WSU Spokane, College of Nursing, Riverpoint Higher Education Campus, Consultant Selection. It was moved and seconded that the Board of Regents delegate authority to the President or his designee, the Vice President for Business Affairs, to approve the selection of the consulting firm that will provide planning and design services, and grant permission to proceed with predesign and/or schematic design, as designated, within funds available. Carried.

Vancouver, Campus Infrastructure, Consultant Selection. It was moved and seconded that the Board of Regents delegate authority to the President or his designee, the Vice President for Business Affairs, to approve the selection of the consulting firm that will provide planning and design services, and grant permission to proceed with predesign and/or schematic design, as designated, within funds available. Carried.

Vice President Royer asked Jerry Schlatter, Executive Director of Capital Planning to provide some comments on the importance of the Biotechnology/Life Sciences Building. Jerry noted that the Biotech/Life Science Building is the beginning of the whole complex that will bring various academic disciplines all into an integrated facility of the campus for the integrated biotechnology project.

Biotechnology/Life Sciences Building, General Contractor/Construction Manager Selection. It was moved and seconded that the Board of Regents delegate authority to the President or his designee, the Vice President for Business Affairs, to issue Final Determination to utilize the General Contractor/Construction Manager (GC/CM) process pursuant to RCW 39.10.030; and subject to issuance of the Final Determination and legislative appropriation, select a GC/CM and award contract(s), provided a maximum allowable construction cost can be established with the funds available. Carried.

Permissible Uses of WSU Leased Lands Policy. It was moved and seconded that the Board of Regents adopts the policy (Exhibit B) to regulate the use of WSU leased lands. Carried.

11. Report from the Vice President for Business Affairs. Vice President Royer had gone over all the action items that the Board approved above as part of his report. He also commented on the recent fire in the Information Technology Building and indicated that a new fire suppression system will be installed and upgraded by the end of the week. Vice President Royer also expressed his appreciation for all kind words that have been made about the campus facilities and grounds, and he commended his staff for all their hard work.

12. Report from the Vice President for Information Systems. Vice President Doyle provided the Board a report on the University Advisory Committee for Computing and Telecommunications. She indicated that this committee focuses on technology planning, policy, and operations across the university. She said the committee is broadly represented from all areas including faculty, staff, and students.

13. Report from the Vice President for Development. Vice President Frisch reported provided an update on gift report and how it fits into their goals. He added that the WSU Foundation Board of Trustees approved their goal of $56 million for fundraising this year. He added that there are many reasons for setting this top dollar amount in WSU history. There is significant activity in the College of Business and the College of Engineering and an innovation entrepreneur imitative. The innovation initiative provides many opportunities for solicitations for very significant gifts. Vice President Frisch also commented that volunteers have discussed the Trustee Planning Committee proposal to restructure the WSU Foundation Governance. He also talked about the Regional Major Gift Council. He ended by reporting that WSU is among the top 10 in the country in terms of Alumni participation and the highest level of alumni participation in the PAC 10.

14. President’s Report. President Rawlins’ reported that we unveiled a potential way of measuring our progress as a major university at the retreat over the summer called the Benchmarking Project. He added that the process has created energy across campus. Some of the areas looked at were enrollment growth, planned enrollment, undergraduate programs, quality measures, diversity, and athletics. He added that the purpose of the benchmarking is to see where there’s room for improvement. The data helps identify areas where there are gaps from peers and begin to develop strategies to close the gaps. He added that there are standards in faculty and staff compensation, financial stability and support on a per student basis to make WSU competitive and to provide a quality education. Areas included graduate education, graduate student recruitment, excellence in recruitment and retention. They are continuing the conversation on health care and compensation, research funding and performance, and private giving. President Rawlins also mentioned that as the year progresses, these areas will be more firmly imbedded in our strategic plan implementation process which is already going on and that we intend to institutionalize the benchmarks that will be standards against which we can measure our own performance in which the region and the nation can look at WSU for excellence. He also reported on the interesting issues we will be working through this year as we move into the new civil service system and new models of collective bargaining. He added that it gives us the opportunity to bring all our employees together and that is the nature of the strategic plan objectives. He thanked the staff and the Regents for all their efforts to make this a better institution.

At 12:05 p.m., the Regents meeting adjourned.

Approved by the Board of Regents at its meeting held at Washington
State University, Lighty Students Services Room 405, Pullman,
Washington, October 24, 2003.

ORIGINAL SIGNED COPY AVAILABLE IN THE PRESIDENT’S OFFICE