Report from BOR Work Session on 20 May

The BOR can take no actions at a work session, but several important topics were discussed on Thursday, 20 May.

Faculty Senate Chair Royal Berglee was present to present an overview of the Faculty Senate Constitution. President Andrews commented that the document was "not ready" for approval, and he suggested to Chair Merchant that a subcommittee of the BOR be formed to discuss the new Constitution and make a report back to the full group. This subcommittee will meet with Chair Berglee and incoming chair McCormick, the Provost, and the University Attorney. I agreed to serve on the subcommittee, which meets next week.

I think that this approach--the BOR and faculty representatives discussing the Constitution--is a good development, even if the administration and the Board cannot approve the Constitution as it was recently approved by the faculty. Any changes the BOR might suggest would have to be approved by the Faculty Senate and by the full faculty. One of the sticking points (as was expected) is the faculty's role in evaluating the President. The President himself has remarked that the faculty has a legitimate role in the process, but precisely how that process should work is still open to debate. He has also asked (and I think this point of view has some merit) if the Faculty Senate Constitution is the best place to stipulate such a process. More later on this topic as it develops.

While the preliminary report on the STAMATES enrollment marketing survey was interesting, the more general discussion on one of the preliminary findings was, I think, very revealing. The analysts at STAMATES were rather taken aback by the difference between responses from "external" groups and "internal" groups over the issue of MSU's reputation and quality. Most faculty probably won't be surprised to learn that "internal" groups (faculty, staff, current students) did not rate the institution as highly as "external" groups, and they were far less optimistic about MSU reaching its stated goals.

The discussion took a lengthy detour as BOR members and administrators considered the cause of this discrepancy. Fiscal Affairs Chair Verdie Craig was present, and she very eloquently described some of the frustrations felt by MSU faculty and the continued low state of faculty morale at the institution. These are themes that many of us have tried to bring before the administration and the BOR. Faculty were lucky to have had the chance to speak to this issue, and we were fortunate indeed to have Senator Craig there to provide an additional faculty perspective.

President Andrews laid out some possible strategies on addressing the budget, although we will have to wait for the special session to move forward. Our tuition increase of 5% was approved by the Council on Friday, and we are also contemplating some minor adjustments on various fees to help offset the budget cuts. President Andrews believes that we can address the cuts for the next year by applying some reserve funds and by adopting some cost-saving measures. Applications for enrollment look good compared to last year, and indeed any enrollment gains will certainly help.

I guess I don't have to tell you to keep following the budget saga closely. President Andrews has promised to keep the campus community informed.

The BOR will meet on Thursday, 10 June and should be able to approve a budget for 2010-11.

Ron