YSU Board of Trustees summary, Dec. 6 and 7
Youngstown State University Board of Trustees
Dec, 6 and 7, 2017
The YSU Board of Trustees approved the new Penguin Tuition Promise, endorsed a resolution in support of shared governance, agreed to recruit a special assistant to the president to lead a new Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Planning, and extended President Jim Tressel’s contract through June 2019 during meetings Dec. 6 and 7 on campus. The board conducted a series of committee meetings, followed by its regular quarterly meeting. The following is a summary of actions taken and reports presented. For more details, see the full texts of resolutions and policies.
President’s Report
President Tressel said there continues to be extraordinary momentum across campus and thanked everyone for their hard work. He specifically mentioned the ongoing work of the HLC Steering Committee and the initiative to raise $100 million in the “We See Tomorrow” campaign. “It’s a lot of fun to see the progress,” he said.
Faculty Presentations
Robert Twomey, assistant professor, Art, talked about his recent work in digital arts and the “new and unexpected ways” in technology and art. He also talked about his recent digital media art installation entitled “A Machine for Living In” at Westminster College and winning the Best Art Paper Award at the 44th SIGGRAPH Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques in Los Angeles.
Ken Learman, professor, Physical Therapy, talked about the proposed PhD in Health Science. The proposal is expected to be ready for campus review by January. He said the program is needed because of the expanding number of faculty positions open in Health Sciences and the limited number of candidates with PhDs to fill those positions. He said the program focuses on producing graduates who are great researchers as well as great faculty members.
Mackenzi Brozovich, graduate student, Counseling, School Psychology and Educational Leadership, talked about her research in opiate addiction and about the opportunities YSU has given her to excel both inside and outside the classroom.
ACADEMIC AND STUDENT AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
Actions
Approved the modification of the Student Travel Policy to remove the age limit of 18 in the policy.
Approved the modification of the policy on Research, Grants and Sponsored Programs to allow the director of Research Services to be an authorized signature authority for grants and sponsored programs applications and agreements.
Approved changing the name of the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering to the Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering.
Approved a resolution in support of shared governance at the university. The board agreed to the “Principles and Practice of Shared Governance” document. The resolution says the board encourages and aspires to a spirit of shared governance at the university; supports the aspirations expressed in the “Principles and Practice of Shared Governance,” as written by the YES Committee of the university and approved by the Academic Senate; and thanks the committee for its vision and diligence. The resolution also says the board will continue to support and utilize exemplary structures of shared governance, including the Academic Senate, Graduate Council, Search Committees and numerous other university, college and department level committees. The resolution also notes the recent addition of the president of the Academic Senate as a member of the board’s Academic and Student Affairs Committee. Trustee Ted Roberts, who serves on the YES Committee, said the focus of shared governance is to “engender a better spirit of mutual respect among all constituents on campus.” Chet Cooper, Academic Senate chair and a member of the Academic and Student Affairs Committee, said the “Principles and Practices” represents a foundation upon which the university can build improved shared governance.
Approved the duplicate program report for YSU. The Governor’s Task Force on Affordability and Efficiency has recommended that universities consider consolidating programs that are duplicated at other colleges and universities in their geographic area. YSU’s report includes information on duplicate programs that have been or will be deleted, programs that will be considered for revision and programs that have been restructured.
Approved the YSU Remediation Report to be submitted to the Ohio Department of Higher Education and the Department of Public Instruction. The report, required by state law, includes information on the remediation of students.
Reports
Gary Swegan, associate vice president for Enrollment Planning and Management, reported on enrollment. He said YSU has had two consecutive semesters where FTE enrollment went up but headcount enrollment went down. He said YSU may have the same situation in spring 2018. Much of it, he said, is due to the changing nature of students who are enrolling at YSU. As for enrollment in fall 2018, Swegan said “everything seems to be progressing very, very nicely.” Freshmen applications are up 23 percent. “We’re doing everything we can to move applicants through,” he said. Freshmen ACT and GPA averages are modestly ahead. He also reported that the CRASH day visitation events for prospective students continue to be successful. Four years ago, the two CRASH day events in November attracted 475 people; this year, more than 1,700 showed up.
INSTITUTIONAL ENGAGEMENT
Actions
Approved a resolution to accept Alumni Engagement and WYSU Memberships. WYSU-FM gained 844 members and $95,287 in the first quarter of fiscal year 2017.
Approved a resolution to approve the development and service agreement with the YSU Foundation through June 30, 2020. The agreement is an extension of a pact initially agreed to in December 2014, which transferred all university development activities and responsibilities to the YSU Foundation.
Reports
Shawn Varso, YSU police chief, updated the board on possible upgrades to the YSU radio system.
YSU Foundation President Paul McFadden reported that the Foundation received 521 new gifts and pledges totaling $1.19 million for July-September 2017. The foundation also received pledge payments totaling $460,324; and six new planned gift commitments totaling $1.13 million. McFadden also reported that the Foundation has already received more than $5 million in the second quarter of the fiscal year. He also said that the Annual Fund mailing went out 44 days ago. On that day last year, the fund had received 514 gifts and $67,000. This year, the fund has received 1,060 gifts and $151,000.
UNIVERSITY AFFAIRS
Actions
Approved a resolution to ratify personnel actions for Intercollegiate Athletics.
Approved a resolution to modify the Family and Medical Leave Act Policy. The organization of the policy has been changed; the information in the policy remains the same.
Approved a resolution to modify the Leave of Absence Without Pay, Extended Childcare, Excluded Professional/Administrative Staff Policy. The policy has been revised to clarify that when possible the employee needs to provide a 30-day notice of the need for leave. The policy also clarifies the need to provide a certification from a physician in advance of returning to work.
Approved a resolution to modify the Leave Without Pay for Extended Serious Health Condition or Disability, Excluded Professional/Administrative Staff Policy. The policy has been revised to clarify the procedure for requesting leave.
Approved a resolution to modify the Records Management Policy. The policy has been updated to include a wider range of what types of documents are considered university records and updated procedures for proper retention and destruction of records.
Approved a resolution to rescind the Professional Leave Without Pay, Excluded Professional/Administrative Staff Policy. The policy is rescinded because it has not been utilized in years and there is no anticipation that it will in the future.
Approved a resolution to reclassify Eddie Howard from associate vice president of Student Experience to vice president of Student Affairs. President Tressel said Howard has assumed additional responsibilities, including the new Barnes & Noble bookstore, the women’s center and mental health counseling.
Approved a resolution to recruit a special assistant to the president to lead a new Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Planning. The new office will include the Division of Student Success and the Office of Institutional Research. The special assistant to the president will provide direction for an array of initiatives related to institutional research, strategic planning implementation and an integrated approach to institutional effectiveness.
Approved a resolution to change the 2017-2020 OEA Collective Bargaining Agreement, specifically language pertaining to promoting applicants to the new rank of Senior Lecturer.
Approved a resolution to increase the salaries for excluded staff. Salaries for fulltime excluded staff hired prior to Sept. 30, 2017, will increase by $500 effective Jan. 1, 2018. The increase will also apply on a pro-rated basis to excluded staff in part-time positions. In addition, this same group of excluded staff will have the opportunity to participate in a vacation buyback program for up to 32 accrued and unused vacation hours.
Ratified personnel actions, including 49 appointments, 32 separations, one classification, 15 promotions and 54 salary adjustments.
Reports
Ron Strollo, executive director of Intercollegiate Athletics, reported that the graduation rate for scholar athletes was 63 percent in 2017, up from 61 percent in 2016. By comparison, the rate for the general student population at YSU was 32 percent for both years. Also by comparison, the graduation rates for Horizon League and for Missouri Valley Conference schools averaged 65 percent in 2017 and for all NCAA Division I schools was 67 percent.
Holly Jacobs, vice president for Human Resources and General Counsel, provided an update on the YSU 2020 Strategic Plan Accountability and Sustainability Cornerstone. Among the items in the report: the number of employee professional development workshops and the number of employees participating in those workshops has continued to grow in the past five years; the student-to-fulltime faculty ratio was 25.84 in 2016; and the number of white employees on campus has increased, while the minority employee population has stayed mostly stable. The update also reported the results of the most recent employee satisfaction survey, the work of the Labor Management Council, and a newly introduced workshop called “Customer Service the Penguin Way” to help improve staff-student relations.
FINANCE AND FACILITIES
Actions
Approved a resolution to increase room and board fees by 2.3 percent for continuing students to $9,312 per academic year. Even with the increase, YSU’s room and board charges remain the lowest among public universities in the state.
Agreed to increase rent at the YSU-owned University Courtyard Apartments by $10 a month. Even with the increase, rent at University Courtyard will be the lowest among other private student apartments around campus.
Voted to reverse its decision earlier this year to increase the student transportation fee by $40. The action was taken at the direction of the Ohio Department of Higher Education to comply with new language in the state budget on fee increases. Neal McNally, vice president for Finance and Operations, said students who have paid the fee will be refunded. The fee increase was part of YSU’s long-term strategic plan to build plant reserves to fund the future replacement of the 1,278-space Fifth Avenue parking deck on campus.
Approved the Penguin Tuition Promise. Under the plan, tuition will be frozen over the four years of a student’s enrollment at YSU. Typically, universities set tuition rates annually that apply to all students at the institution. If tuition goes up, all students pay the increased rates. Under the Penguin Tuition Promise, a guaranteed tuition rate will be set for each incoming class of undergraduate students and will remain the same for four consecutive academic years as students pursue their bachelor’s degrees. The plan begins with the fall 2018 entering class of students. Tuition and mandatory fees for those students will be $8,899 per academic year. Room and board for university housing will be $9,400 per academic year. Both the tuition and room/board charges will remain the same through four years for those students. Both rates also remain the lowest among public comprehensive universities in Ohio. The tuition charge is about $1,500 or nearly 20 percent under the state average. The four-year Penguin Tuition Promise does not include returning students. For those students, tuition and fees will remain the same in 2018-19 as the current academic year. Students who are not residents of Ohio will continue to pay an out-of-state surcharge, and that surcharge is not included in the four-year tuition guarantee. Also not included in the plan are program fees, lab and materials fees and college fees.
Approved the 2017 Affordability and Efficiency Report. The report, required annually by state law, includes a variety of examples of YSU’s actions resulting in direct savings, deferred revenue, cost avoidance, funds raised and savings or funds raised by auxiliary enterprises. McNally specifically mentioned the university’s activities in strategic procurement, private student housing and textbook affordability.
Approved a resolution to transfer $650,000 from the parking services plant reserve to the M-70 parking lot re-pavement.
Reports
Neal McNally, vice president of Finance and Business Operations, updated the board on the fiscal year 2018 operating budget, noting that revenues are tracking on target as planned through the first three months of the fiscal year. He also noted that revenue from tuition and fees is tracking below budget as a result of fall enrollment being slightly below projections. But overall revenue, he said, are on target as a result of above-budget income in other categories, namely investment income and other student fees.
Rich White, director of Planning and Construction, and John Hyden, executive director of Facilities, updated the board on various facilities projects across campus, including the completion of exterior improvements to Jones Hall, a planned new addition to the Lincoln Building, work on the multimedia center at Stambaugh Stadium and progress on the Mahoning Valley Innovation and Commercialization Center.
Jim Yukech, associate vice president and chief information officer, and Chris Wentz, associate director in the Office of Network Security, reported on a variety of projects in Information Technology Services. Wentz discussed cyber security, particularly enhanced filtering and protection of email accounts to detect malicious messages. With new protection in place on student emails, about 7.6 million more email messages were blocked compared to the prior month.
MISCELLANEOUS
Governance
Approved a resolution to change the board’s bylaws to establish national and global trustees. The trustees would be non-voted members of the board, appointed by the Board of Trustees.
Executive
Approved a resolution to extend President Jim Tressel’s contract for another year through June 30, 2019. Tressel was named YSU’s ninth president in 2014 and signed a three-year contract. A year ago, he signed a new agreement to extend the contract through June 2018. That agreement also calls for three separate additional one-year renewal options that could take the contract through June 2021. Tressel and the board agreed to the first renewal option to extend the contract another year, through June 30, 2019. The pact includes no pay increase. His annual salary will remain at $300,000.
Memorials
President Tressel announced the following students, employees, retirees or others with connections to YSU have passed away:
Officer Justin Leo, Girard Police Department
Courtney Ann Turner, student
Ryan John Lanzo, student
Toula Phillips, university supporter
Delores "Dee" Snyder, adjunct faculty
Chair’s remarks
Board Chair Len Schiavone touched on several highlights of the last quarter, including the $100 million “We See Tomorrow” fundraising campaign, several major donations ($500,000 from the Centofanti Charitable Foundation, $1.1 million from Chander and Karen Kohli, and $1 million from Sam and Caryn Covelli), and continued student excellence (a team of three students won the Quiz Bowl at the annual meeting of the Midwest Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine in Grand Rapids, Mich.; a team of senior Dental Hygiene students placed first at the Ohio Dental Hygienists Association’s poster presentation competition; a dozen students attended the Propel Ohio Collegiate Leadership Summit recently in Columbus; another group of 10 student members from Beta Gamma Sigma in the Williamson College of Business Administration attended the international organization’s Global Leadership Summit in Florida; and for the third consecutive year, the Ethics Bowl team is headed to the national finals in Chicago after again placing first in the regional competition in Indianapolis). He said faculty and staff continue to earn impactful state and federal grants, including $1.7 million in federal grants for the YSU Center for Human Services Development to fund after school programs at three area schools, and $2 million from the U.S. Department of Economic Development to help create the Mahoning Valley Innovation and Commercialization Center in downtown Youngstown. He pointed out the reopening of the improved Wick Avenue, the ongoing construction of the Enclave student apartment complex along Wick Avenue, the new full dome projection system at the Ward Beecher Planetarium and the 50th anniversary of the YSU Nursing program.
Meetings
The board set the following meeting dates and times:
- 10 a.m., Thursday, March 15, 2018
- Noon, Thursday, June 7, 2018
- 10 a.m., Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018
Adjournment