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Minutes of the BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF NORTHERN CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
The meeting was called to order by Chair Gary Skoien at approximately
VERIFICATION OF APPROPRIATE NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING
Confirmation of Open Meetings Act public notice compliance was provided by Board Parliamentarian Ken Davidson.
MEETING AGENDA APPROVAL
After discussion with President Peters and review of the printed agenda before us, Chair Skoien said, I propose creation of a Consent Agenda that would immediately precede the beginning of the President’s Report for today’s meeting, and move President's Report Number 41, Action Items 9.a.(2), (3) and (7); Actions Items 9.c.(1), (2), (3) and (6); and our receipt of Information Items 9.b.(2) and (3), and 9.c.(5) to that Consent Agenda. Also, we need to add our election of officers to the circulated agenda as Item 5.a. The Chair asked for a motion to approve the revised meeting agenda. Trustee Moser made a motion to approve the meeting agenda as amended. Trustee Siegel seconded the motion. The motion was approved.
REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF MINUTES
It was moved by Trustee Boey and seconded by Student Trustee Miller to approve the minutes of the March 18, 2004 regular Board of Trustees Meeting and the April 30, 2004 Special Board Meeting. The motion was approved.
CHAIR'S COMMENTS/ANNOUNCEMENTS
Chair Skoien welcomed everyone to the June meeting. We traditionally take care of a lot of business at our June Board Meetings, he said, and today is no exception. This is our last regularly scheduled meeting before the end of the fiscal year and, as such, we have a number of loose items to tie up, new plans to get underway and ongoing responsibilities for which the beginning of the new fiscal year requires new updates and new mandates. Dr. Peters and his team are here to report on the budget, which we will be talking about a lot today. The final outcome in
Economists tell us that better days are just around the corner. I know from talking to some of my fellow Trustees and know from my own business that the economy in our worlds has turned around. So it seems like this long cycle is ending. But the business of educating tomorrow’s leaders continues, and so we come here today to make decisions on the details that govern the day to day life of
With that very brief introduction, I would like to move directly into the first item at hand, the election of Board of Trustees officers for Fiscal Year 2005. The Chair recognizes Trustee Vella to nominate the Board’s elected Officers for FY05. Chair Skoien, Trustee Vella stated, I place into nomination the following slate of officers to be elected for FY05:
Chair Gary Skoien Vice Chair Barbara Giorgi Vella Secretary George Moser Fourth Member of the Trustee Civil Service Merit
Chair Skoien asked for a motion to approve the slate of new elected officers as presented by Trustee Vella. Trustee Siegel so moved, seconded by Trustee Moser. The motion was approved.
Chair Skoien made the following comments.
Congratulations to all of us. I want to personally thank you, fellow Trustees, for your vote of confidence. Having just finished a full year as your chair, I have had a very compressed 12 months of on‑the‑job training, and I appreciate being able to bring all that I have learned into a second year of leadership. It is a tremendous honor to serve the citizens of
I have been very proud over the last three years to watch this university maintain its commitment to our region and its students in spite of the devastating budget cuts. That is a real testament to the leadership of President Peters and his team and to the dedication of our very loyal and talented faculty and staff.
When I moved into the Chair’s seat a year ago, I emphasized our need to operate with maximum efficiency and accountability. Little did I know at that time just how efficient we would be forced to become. Nonetheless, I know I speak for the entire Board when I say that we are impressed with the manner in which our faculty and staff have maintained the quality of our academic programs during this very difficult period. This is not to say that I or any members of this Board fail to understand the sacrifices or compromises that have been made. We know that larger class sizes, fewer teachers and aging facilities are having an affect. But we have not laid off existing employees or shut down departments. We have been able to proceed with summer school, and we continue to send about 5,000 well‑prepared graduates out into the world each year. By any measure, these accomplishments exemplify efficiency, accountability and productivity.
When I took over as chair last summer, I said we needed to focus our limited resources on enhanced educational experiences, critical public service and stepped‑up economic development activities. In spite of all the limitations placed on this university over the past year, I am proud to say we have found a way to succeed in each of these areas. We have seen a steady increase in student internship and cooperative education opportunities. Technology updates have brought state‑of‑the‑art computers to more students in more locations around campus then ever before. The number of employers attending NIU job fairs continues to increase, giving our graduates a tremendous leg up in the competitive entry level job market, and I could go on.
The point is that NIU faculty and staff continue to find ways to enhance the educational experience of our students. And in spite of unprecedented cutbacks in state funding, we have slacked off in neither public service nor economic development. In fact, this past year has seen a huge surge in those activities at NIU. At a previous meeting, we were treated to an excellent presentation on NIU’s P‑20 (Preschool through
Last year at this time, I called on NIU to step up its efforts in private fundraising and public advocacy. Both of these initiatives have likewise succeeded in very difficult times. Foundation President Mallory Simpson will give us a report on these efforts in a few moments. But at the risk of upstaging her, I would point out that our fundraising efforts have also continued to progress over the past 12 months in spite of the lingering recession. Likewise, our efforts at public advocacy have firmly established NIU as a leader in this state and nationally on key higher education issues.
President Peter’s vision of NIU as the nation’s premiere regional public university has provided the framework for a host of new initiatives all aimed at raising NIU’s profile around the state and across the country. All that said, the sense I have about NIU right now is that we are not in the same place we were three years ago before these devastating budget cuts dashed so many dreams. But in the end, we are doing better than expected. In the face of tremendous challenge, NIU is refining its focus and finding new ways to excel. We are well‑positioned for
I want to thank you, fellow Trustees, for all your advice and counsel during this past year and for your pledges of support in the year ahead.
I would like to welcome University Advisory Committee representatives who may be present this morning: Dr. Suzanne Willis, Dr. Paul Loubere, Dr. William Tolhurst, Dr. Xueshu Song, Ms. Beverly Espe and Ms. Sara Clayton. I understand, Dr. Willis, that Dr. Loubere, Ms. Espe and Ms. Clayton will be changing their roles after this meeting. For these UAC representatives who are going to be completing their service this month, I want to state our very special appreciation for your many efforts and successes.
It has been a pleasure working with everyone on these things. I really have nothing to say about the budget situation, which it seems I have been saying something about pretty much every time I have been here. It just gets more and more unbelievable, and we will just have to see what happens. But given the experience we have had through these past couple of years, I have every faith that we will handle it with grace, with openness and in the best possible way as we have done up to this point. This is also my last meeting. I am moving on within the university, but I will no longer be Executive Secretary. I want to say what a pleasure it has been working with all of you and observing this aspect of how the university runs, which is something I had essentially no knowledge of as a faculty member. It has been an excellent learning experience, and I have enjoyed it very much.
Thank you very much, Sue, Chair Skoien said. The level of grace with which we handle the budget cuts will probably depend on the percentage that the budget cuts actually end up being. But thank you very much for your comments. Your insights have been more than welcome to this Board. We really appreciate your support and that of all of your fellow colleagues for the actions that we have had to take, more importantly, that John and his team have had to take.
Let me just take a minute, Trustee Boey said. We have already thanked Dr. Willis for all of her years of cooperation and effort at our Academic Affairs Committee meeting two weeks ago. So, all we want to say now is, thank you again Sue, and best wishes in your new duties.
I want to thank you also, Sue, Trustee Siegel said. The one thing I want to say from my perspective is, and I am sure the rest of the Board feels this way, we are very grateful for what I would term a special relationship that this Board has with all of the faculty and staff at this university. I have had the opportunity to see some of the things that go on at the other schools in this state, and they are not fortunate enough to have the relationship that this Board has with the faculty and staff here at NIU. I am very grateful that we have the kind of relationship that has given us this great level of trust between this Board of Trustees and you, your colleagues and all of the NIU faculty and staff that allows this university to do things that others have not been able to do. Yes, there have been some difficult times. But because of this relationship, we have been able to get through it better than anyone else. And if we can continue to keep that strong bond between our faculty and staff and this Board, we can continue, now and in the future, to survive this period of time and recover faster and better than anyone else. So thank you for continuing that tradition.
We need to bid adieu to Greg Paveza, President Peters said, an American Council on Education Fellow, a very prestigious fellowship, who has been with us for a year. He has been a lot of fun to have around. You have learned a lot from us, Greg, and we have learned from you. Now, I am pleased to say that Greg is going to be taking the position of Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Officer on the Lakeland Campus of the
PUBLIC COMMENT
The Chair asked Board Parliamentarian Kenneth Davidson if any members of the public had registered a written request to address the Board in accordance with state law and Board of Trustees Bylaws. Mr. Davidson noted that he had received no timely requests to address this meeting.
REPORTS OF BOARD COMMITTEES AND BOARD LIAISONS
Executive Committee There was no report from the Executive Committee.
Academic Affairs, Student Affairs and Personnel Committee Committee Chair Robert Boey reported that the Academic Affairs, Student Affairs and Personnel Committee met on Wednesday, June 2. At that meeting, the Committee considered and endorsed the following action items: Faculty Promotions, Tenure, and Promotions with Tenure for the 2004 and 2005 Academic Year; a Request for a new Specialization in Advanced Special Education Practices within the M.S. Education in Special Education. The committee also heard reports on the following information items: a summary of program reviews completed for 2003 and 2004.
Finance, Facilities and Operations Committee Committee Chair Barbara Giorgi Vella reported that the Finance, Facilities and Operations Committee met on
Legislation, Audit and External Affairs Committee Committee Chair Siegel reported that the Legislation, Audit and External Affairs Committee had not met since the last Board of Trustees meeting. However, he said, I attended both the House and Senate appropriations hearings and took the opportunity to criticize the IBHE and how it handles capital project rankings. I also pointed out that we at NIU have received only about 35 percent of the capital dollars our
The last meeting of the Illinois Board of Higher Education was held on June 8 at
Universities Civil Service Merit Board The Civil Service Merit Commission met on
Northern Trustee Boey, Foundation liaison, deferred to Mallory Simpson, President of the Foundation, for this report. As usual, Ms. Simpson said, your Board of Trustees meeting immediately precedes our Foundation Board meeting. You will be interested in knowing that tomorrow, in addition to our regular business meeting, the Foundation Board has been asked to participate in a half‑day workshop facilitated by an Association of Governing Boards leader, on the topic of “Enhancing Foundation Success.” What that really means is increasing the board’s active involvement in prospect identification, cultivation and solicitation – just another sign that the Foundation Board is very enthusiastically committed to advancing the university.
During the year at prior meetings, I have reported that our giving totals were running about 30 percent ahead of last year’s pace and cautioned you that we might not sustain it through the rest of the year. However, we have more than sustained it. Our giving this year is up about 42 percent. Some very large gift commitments are responsible for that, and I will tell you a bit more about those later. The incredible value of private support becomes more obvious against the backdrop of reductions in state funding that have hit our program hard as well and have somewhat constrained the pace of growth we had hoped for, though the news is good. Total gifts received to date total $12.3 million, 42 percent more than our total last year and far exceeding our goal of $10.5 million. We always work hard until the bitter end of our fiscal year, and we are still expecting several major commitments to come in during the next couple of weeks.
We track giving categories every which way to make sure that we are hitting all of our underlying goals, and we have experienced increases in almost all of our gift categories. Cash gifts from all sources are up 63 percent this year. Cash gifts from individuals, which is the primary focus of our development program efforts, have more than doubled this year. Cash gifts from alumni are up 75 percent. Last year, we had one cash gift of $100,000 or more. This year, the number of cash gifts of $100,000 or more, major commitments, is eight. At the high end of our base annual fund program, the number of $2,500 gifts is up 43 percent, and the number of $1,000 gifts is up 38 percent.
Leadership commitments to the Alumni and
As always, I will close with major gift announcements. The first gift I would like to announce is one we call a megagift, Ms. Simpson said. Dean Promod Vohra successfully pursued a gift of engineering software, which has a market value of more than $14.2 million and a gift credit value of $5.7 million, for the
Clearly, it has been a great year for private gifts to NIU. Our donor numbers are increasing, the number of high‑end annual fund donors has increased, and the number of major gift commitments coming in each year is higher than ever before. The work of many people is reflected in this success – from the President to the deans to the Trustees who support Foundation activities, to the Foundation Board and the development team. We have been engaging the help of the entire university in development. So, on behalf of the Foundation Board of Directors, I thank you for your support.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Chair Skoien asked for a motion to close the public meeting to conduct an executive session to discuss the following subjects authorized by the Illinois Open Meetings Act: personnel matters as generally described under §2(c)(1) and (3) of the Open Meetings Act, litigation and risk management matters as generally described under §2(c)(11) and (12) of the Open Meetings Act, property matters as generally described under §2(c)(5) and (6) of the Open Meetings Act, and Executive Session Minutes matters are generally described under §2(c)(21) of the Open Meetings Act. Trustee Moser so moved, seconded by Trustee Siegel. A roll call vote of the Trustees to recess to Executive Session was unanimous.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING RECONVENED
Chair Skoien reconvened the public meeting of the Board of Trustees at approximately CONSENT AGENDA APPROVAL
Chair Skoien asked for a motion to approve the items placed on the consent agenda earlier in the meeting. They include President’s Report No. 41 Action Items 9.a.(2), (3) and (7), 9.c.(1), (2), (3) and (6), and Information Items 9.b.(2) and (3) and 9.c.(5). Trustee Boey so moved, seconded by Trustee Vella. The motion was approved.
PRESIDENT'S REPORT NO. 41
President Peters congratulated everyone on their newly elected Board positions. As we have all heard, there is uncertainty surrounding our FY04 Budget, the President said. As you are well aware, we are doing what we can to promote the IBHE’s flat budget proposal for next fiscal year. That has been our position, and that will continue to be our position. To that end, last week my staff and I coordinated a joint letter from all of
Following is an excerpt from that letter, which was sent to the
“Recognizing our state’s difficult budget situation, we emphasize the role of our universities in new job creation, technology transfer and workforce training necessary to sustain economic growth. Current budget proposals which call for increased K‑12 funding fail to include our universities in the public education continuum. This is a serious oversight with potentially devastating results. With nearly 80 percent of new jobs requiring college degrees,
Following dozens of meetings and conversations with my counterparts around the state, the President said, I can report without hesitation that the leadership of
Today, Dr. Steve Cunningham and Mr. Ken Zehnder are in
As the budget stalemate continues, Dr. Peters said, some politicians are threatening a state government shutdown if agreement is not reached by July 1. We were asked to address that possibility in our testimony today as well. Dr. Cunningham is telling members of the House Appropriations Committee that in order to fulfill our obligation to more than 5,000 summer school students, in order to meet payroll and pay our bills after July 1, in order to keep from shutting down the university in less than two weeks, we will be required to borrow from limited internal and possibly even external sources to keep operating. Even that will not tide us over for very long. I want everyone to know what is at stake for us in the budget stalemate.
In the meantime, the work of this university goes on, and that is what you see reflected in this agenda. We continue to educate students, to plan for future programs, to make new discoveries, provide services and share our expertise. In other words, we are fulfilling our mission to the state and the region regardless of the politics that swirl around us.
Before I move to the rest of the agenda, President Peters said, I would like to offer my thanks one more time to the faculty and staff who have made it possible for us to have anything called “business as usual.” For their patience, perseverance and goodwill, we are all continually and sincerely grateful. We want to thank the Board for your support on behalf of the staff, the students and the faculty, because without your support, this would have been a very difficult time. I am comforted because of our shared governance, and the fact that we are so together as an institution. We will weather all of this. I do not know if we will come out stronger, but we will come out intact.
University Recommendations Forwarded by the Board committees Agenda Item 9.a.(1) – We have a wonderful new parking road area by Gilbert, the President said. That was a project the Board approved at $750,000. After we actually began the project, we found electrical ductwork and other things six inches down that were not on the schematics. We had to rebury those at an additional cost of $60,000. I am now recommending that the Board approve updating that budget from $750,000 to $810,000. Chair Skoien asked for a motion to approve the Gilbert Drive Parking Lot Reconstruction budget increase to $810,000. Trustee Vella so moved, seconded by Trustee Boey. The motion was approved.
Agenda Item 9.a.(2) – Grant Complex – Fire Marshal Code Remediation – Capital Project Approval Agenda Item 9.a.(3) – Fiscal Year 2005 Copy Paper – ITS Document Services and Materials Management Consent Agenda Items.
Agenda Item 9.a.(4) – Fiscal Year 2006 Budget Guidelines Last year, the President said, we moved the budget for FY05 that was proposed for FY04. On page 27, you can see what we received in recommendations from the IBHE and the Governor, which was nothing. So, we are moving the same budget and the same priorities, which put faculty and staff salaries on top, utility and general price increases, fire protection and the rest of the list are all high priorities. I move that budget with great hope that something may happen. Chair Skoien asked for a motion to approve the FY06 Budget Guidelines. Trustee Boey so moved, seconded by Trustee Vella. The motion was approved.
Agenda Item 9.a.(5) – PeopleSoft Student System Report As you know, Dr. Williams said, we have gone through a series of steps in the implementation of the Student PeopleSoft System for our campus. The major reason for our staging the implementation has been the ongoing suit between Oracle and PeopleSoft regarding Oracle’s attempted hostile takeover of PeopleSoft. Therefore, given the fact that so many dollars are involved in this transaction for the student system, we have tried to minimize the financial risks. At this juncture, we have four options, and they have been summarized in the handout that is being circulated.
The first option is that we can wait and not do anything further with the implementation of the student system until the litigation concerning Oracle and PeopleSoft is totally resolved. Under this option, we would put the software we have purchased on a shelf, which means we would not be making any progress at all towards the implementation.
The second option is to purchase minimal software and prepaid maintenance. In our original contract, we were able to negotiate some very attractive price savings that would expire June 30. By exercising Option 2, we would take advantage of those purchase option savings, but then we would be in a position, again, where we would not be able to take any further steps toward implementation. Everything, essentially, would be put on hold.
Option 3 includes what is proposed in Option 2 for the purchase of software and maintenance to take advantage of the discounts we have negotiated, but it also begins to mobilize the implementation. Some installation services would be included along with some staff training on the new student system. We would also engage an outside consultant to prepare an implementation plan for us. This would be very useful, because it would save time and resources by organizing the implementation, developing the appropriate steps to be taken, and it would also give us a game plan so that we can move quickly when we are ready to move forward with the project. We also would take advantage of further discounts to lock in prices for maintenance. Those of you in the business world know that the price of software is very minimal compared with the ongoing maintenance costs. Through this plan, we would lock in future maintenance costs for a period of five to ten years.
Option 4 would be the full implementation of the student system. At this point, that would be a commitment of about $6 million. Option 2 would be an expenditure of approximately $1 million; and Option 3, which includes the implementation of the planning services, would be about $2.2 million.
We are in constant discussion with PeopleSoft, and they are looking deeper for possible discounts for us. At this juncture, in order to keep the project moving, the university is recommending to the Board that we pursue Option 3, which would take advantage of all the existing discounts and purchase price. It will allow us to move forward with the project, with training for staff, and also, give us the opportunity to get the implementation plan underway.
One of the things that we are concerned about is the risk factor, Dr. Williams said. Because of the discount and the insurance plan that PeopleSoft is offering to users and purchasers of their system, we would receive a discount covering the total $2.2 million that we would have to expend in order to move forward with Option 3. In other words, the PeopleSoft insurance plan would cover our outlay of resources in order to pursue Option 3. That insurance plan says that if Oracle is successful in the courts and does take over PeopleSoft, and if the PeopleSoft systems are not maintained and continued, we would then be given three times the amount that we paid for software and maintenance as a guarantee. That, again, would cover the outlay for Option 3. Also, the PeopleSoft guarantee extends that coverage from two years to four years. These options were discussed in great detail with the Finance Committee. Therefore, the university requests Board approval to move forward with Option 3.
In reply to a question from one of the Trustees, Dr. Williams said that the Board put a surcharge in place last year that would support the total implementation of the Student System. The purpose of this item is to explain the issues of risk management and appropriate staging of the project.
Chair Skoien asked for a motion to approve the PeopleSoft Student System Report recommendation of pursuing Option 3 as stated above. Student Trustee Miller so moved, seconded by Trustee Siegel. The motion was approved.
Agenda Item 9.a.(6) – Recommendations for Faculty Promotions, Tenure, and Promotions with Tenure for the 2004‑2005 Academic Year We had a very extensive presentation on this item at the Academic Affairs, Student Affairs and Personnel Committee Meeting, President Peters said. Obviously tenure and promotion are important activities, and we have a very good process. I am proud to recommend the individuals indicated on pages 29 and 30 for promotion, tenure, and promotion with tenure. Chair Skoien asked for a motion to approve the Recommendations for Faculty Promotions, Tenure, and Promotions with Tenure for the 2004‑2005 Academic Year. Trustee Siegel so moved, seconded by Trustee Boey. The motion was approved.
Every year I get a refresher course on tenure, Trustee Boey said. The term tenure has been misunderstood many times by people outside of the academic community. I like the way Provost Legg defines it very much. Tenure is not a goal; tenure is an accomplishment. A goal implies when you reach it, you can forget it. Whereas tenure as an accomplishment defines a continuing sense of achievement.
Due to Board Regulations, the Student Trustee stated that he would be abstaining on this vote. I do want to congratulate everyone and wish them the best of luck with their tenure and promotions, he said.
Trustee Boey Yes Trustee Vella Yes Trustee Moser -- Student Trustee Miller Abstain Trustee Siegel Yes Chair Skoien Yes
The motion was approved.
Agenda Item 9.a.(7) – Request for New Specialization Consent Agenda item.
Agenda Item 9.c.(4) – Fiscal Year 2005 Internal Operating Budget Interim Approval The last action item is Fiscal Year 2005 Internal Operating Budget Interim Approval. Your spreadsheet shows the preliminary approval, which is required by the Board, for both appropriated and nonappropriated funds so the university can operate this fiscal year. Among the nonappropriated funds are the income, revenue bond and auxiliary funds. We are asking for preliminary authority, and will bring the final budget back to the Board in September. Chair Skoien asked for a motion to give interim approval for the FY05 Internal Operating Budget. Trustee Vella so moved, seconded by Trustee Boey. The motion was approved.
University Reports Forwarded from the Board committees Agenda Item 9.b.(1) – Fiscal Year 2004‑05 Appropriated Budget Update Agenda Item 9.b.(2) – Fiscal Year 2005 Tuition Rates Agenda Item 9.b.(3) – 2003‑2004 Program Review Summary Consent Agenda items.
Items Directly from the President Agenda Item 9.c.(1) – NIU/FermiLab Neutron Cancer Therapy Agreement Agenda Item 9.c.(2) – Fiscal Year 2005 NIU Foundation Professional Services Contract Agenda Item 9.c.(3) – Agenda Item 9.c.(5) – Summary of Grant and Contract Awards Agenda Item 9.c.(6) - Authorization to Enter into Intergovernmental Agreement for Federal Participation on Consent Agenda items.
CHAIR'S REPORT NO. 29
Agenda Item 10.a. – Second The first item in the Chair’s Report involves the second reading of a set of proposed clarifying and conforming amendments to the Board’s Bylaws. The Board’s Parliamentarian periodically recommends adjustments and clarifications to the Board of Trustees Bylaws to assist the Board in its several functions. Proposals for revisions to Articles II and V were presented to the Board for First Reading at its
Chair Skoien asked for a motion to approve the proposal as presented. Trustee Vella so moved, seconded by Trustee Boey. The motion was approved.
Agenda Item 10.b. – Executive Session Minutes Release The Illinois Open Meetings Act requires public bodies to review the minutes of their executive sessions on a semiannual basis and determine what parts of the minutes they should make available to the public because they no longer require confidential treatment, Chair Skoien said. I recommend that the Board approve release from confidentiality the specified sections of the executive session minutes on Action Item 10.b. Those sections that are still subject to confidentiality, together with sections from subsequent meetings, will be considered again in six months. The Chair asked for a motion to approve the release of Executive Session Minutes as stated. Trustee Vella so moved, seconded by Trustee Boey. The motion was approved.
Agenda Item 10.c. – Resolution – Student Trustee Kevin Miller I want to personally thank you, Kevin, for your leadership and outstanding service to the Board of Trustees, Chair Skoien said. You have been a valued member of this Board and an excellent representative to the students. Your viewpoints have been heard here because of your insight and perspective. You did an outstanding job, and I would like to congratulate you. Chair Skoien presented the following resolution to Student Trustee Miller.
RESOLUTION – STUDENT TRUSTEE KEVIN MILLER
WHEREAS Public Act 89-4 created a body politic and corporate known as the Board of Trustees of Northern Illinois University to operate, manage, control and maintain Northern Illinois University in accordance with the rights, powers and duties vested by law in such Board; and |
