VINCENNES UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
MINUTES OF REGULAR SESSION
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
10:30 a.m. (EST)
Updike Hall Room 142
Vincennes University 
1251 N. Chestnut Street
Vincennes, Indiana 47591

Members Present:
John Stachura, Chair
Darrel Bobe
Scott Brand 
J.R. Gaylor (by audio)
Tim Grove
Reggie Henderson )
Chuck Johnson, President
Emma Marsh, Student Trustee
Millie Marshall
Susan Olesik (by audio)
Greg Parsley
George Ridgway
Rick Schach
Mike Sievers

	Others Present:
Brent Stuckey, Attorney for the Board
Pat Konkle, Record Clerk for the Board
Laurel Smith, Interim Provost
Phil Rath, Vice President for Financial Services/
     Government Relations
Dave Tucker, Vice President for Workforce Development/
     Community Services

CALL TO ORDER
Chair John Stachura called the meeting to order at 10:45 a.m. (EST) in Room 142 of Updike Hall on the Vincennes Campus.

SWEARING IN OF NEW TRUSTEES
University Attorney Brent Stuckey swore in new Trustees, Emma Marsh and Millie Marshall.   Emma is the new Student Trustee from Bruceville, Indiana, majoring in Social Work.  Millie is the new Trustee from Evansville, who serves as the President of the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana in Princeton.  

ROLL CALL/ACCEPTANCE OF AGENDA
Pat Konkle called the roll.  A quorum was declared with 14 Trustees present.  The agenda was approved by consensus of the Board.

REPORT FROM PERSONNEL AND NOMINATING COMMITTEE
Trustee Rick Schach, Chair of the Personnel and Nominating Committee, reported that the committee had met and is recommending the following slate of officers for the 2017-18 year:
	First Vice Chair – Mike Sievers
	Second Vice Chair – Reggie Henderson
	Secretary – J.R. Gaylor

MOTION #17-41
Trustee Greg Parsley made a motion to approve the above slate of officers for the 2017-18 year.  Trustee Darrel Bobe seconded that motion.  A roll call vote was taken, and there were 11 yeas, 3 abstentions by Mike Sievers, Reggie Henderson, and J.R. Gaylor, and 0 nays, and the motion passed.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Minutes of the October 2, 2017, and November 7, 2017, meetings had been distributed.  Trustee Tim Grove made a motion to accept the minutes as distributed, and Trustee rick Schach seconded the motion.  A roll call vote was taken, and there were 14 yeas and 0 nays, with the motion passing unanimously.

CHAIRMAN’S REMARKS
Board Chair Stachura welcomed both Emma and Millie to the Board of Trustees. In addition, Chair Stachura remarked how beautiful Updike Hall is and that the Board is honored to be holding its meetings in this wonderful building.  

REPORTS FROM TRUSTEE SUBCOMMITTEES

Finance/Revenue Committee
Real Estate Transaction Policy – Committee Chair Mike Sievers reported that the Finance/Revenue Committee met earlier today and approved the revised Real Estate Transaction Policy, as is listed below.

REAL ESTATE TRANSACTION POLICY

I.	ACQUISITION OF REAL ESTATE
	A.	Identification and Appraisal. The Finance Committee of the University Board of Trustees will identify real estate which is to be acquired as part of the University’s Master Plan. The Vice President for Finance is delegated authority to communicate with landowners the University’s desire to acquire the identified real estate and to cause the real estate to be appraised.
	B.	Real Estate Acquisitions Less Than $500,000. The Vice President for Finance is delegated authority to negotiate and to acquire real estate valued at $500,000 or less. The Vice President for Finance shall report all such acquisitions to the Finance Committee within thirty days of executing the purchase agreement. Though real estate purchases shall have an appraisal, it is recognized that the appraisals are just estimates and do not reflect other factors that bring value or synergy to the University.  The Vice President for Finance shall consider the appraised value of the real estate, the cost of acquisition, the time required for acquisition, and other factors important to the University in determining the price to be offered.
	C.	Real Estate Acquisitions Exceeding $500,000 But Less Than $1,000,000.   The Finance Committee shall approve, prior to execution of a purchase agreement, the acquisition of any real estate for which the purchase price exceeds $500,000 but is less than $1,000,000.  The Finance Committee shall provide the Board of Trustees a summary of all transactions within thirty days of execution of the purchase agreement.
	D.	Real Estate Transactions Exceeding $1,000,000. The Board of Trustees shall approve, prior to execution of the purchase agreement, the acquisition of any real estate for which the purchase price exceeds $1,000,000.

II.	ACQUISITION AND SALE OF REAL ESTATE FOR BUILDING TRADES PROGRAM
The Vice President for Finance is delegated authority to acquire and sell real estate used in the University’s Building Trade program. Prior to acquiring real estate, the Vice President for Finance shall cause the real estate to be appraised and is delegated authority to acquire the real estate for up to the appraised value. Prior to selling the real estate, the Vice President for Finance is to have the real estate appraised, and is delegated authority to sell the real estate for its appraised value. The Vice President for Finance shall report all such acquisitions and sales to the Finance Committee within thirty days after acquisition or sale. The Vice President for Finance shall obtain prior approval from the Finance Committee if the acquisition price is more than the appraised value of the real estate or if the selling price is less than the appraised value of the real estate.

III. DISPOSITION OF REAL ESTATE NOT INVOLVED IN BUILDING TRADES PROGRAM
 A.	Transfer of Bequests to Vincennes University Foundation. It is unclear, from time to time, whether donors desire the gift of real estate to be made to the University or to the Foundation. Where appropriate, the Finance Committee is empowered to make decisions on a case by case basis to facilitate real estate or other gifts to be transferred directly to the Foundation, if it is consistent with the donor’s wishes and in the best interest of the University.
	B.	Disposition of Real Estate Not Needed for Educational Programs. Indiana Code 23-13-18-21 authorizes the University to sell real estate not needed for its educational programs. The Board of Trustees shall formally identify any real estate which the University intends to sell and shall determine the procedure by which the real estate is to be sold.

IV.	COMPLIANCE WITH POLICY AND EXECUTION OF DOCUMENTS
A.	State Approval.  The Vice President for Finance is responsible for the University obtaining approvals required by the Commission for Higher Education, the State Budget Committee, and the General Assembly.
	B.	Authorization to Execute Documents. The Board of Trustees hereby authorizes and directs the Vice President for Finance to execute all purchase agreements, sale agreements, deeds, and any other documents necessary to effectuate real estate transactions on behalf of the University in accordance with this real estate transaction policy.

Chair Sievers stated that changes were made in this policy to reflect today’s prices.

MOTION #17-42
Trustee Mike Sievers made a motion to approve the above Real Estate Transaction Policy, and Trustee Reggie Henderson seconded that motion.  A roll call vote was taken with 14 yeas and 0 nays, and the motion passed unanimously.

Refunding on Bonds – Committee Chair Sievers asked Vice President Phil Rath to discuss refunding on bonds.  VP Rath reported that if the proposed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passes Congress, Section 3602 of that legislation will eliminate the ability of state and local governments to execute tax-exempt advance refunding after January 1.  VU will then no longer be able to execute advance refunding on bonds.  Committee Chair Sievers reported that the Finance/Revenue Committee approved at its meeting earlier in the day that authority be given to administration to approve advance refunding prior to December 31, 2017, on eligible outstanding bonds of the University, and is recommending that the full Board approve this as well.

MOTION #17-43
Trustee Mike Sievers made a motion to give authority to administration to approve advance refunding prior to December 31, 2017, on eligible outstanding bonds of the University, and Trustee Tim Grove seconded that motion.  A roll call vote was taken with 14 yeas and 0 nays, and the motion passed unanimously.

University Affairs Committee
Curriculum Items and Revisions to Faculty Email Policy – Committee Chair Reggie Henderson reported that the Finance/Revenue Committee approved two different items at its meeting earlier today:
 •	Curriculum Items – Committee Chair Reggie Henderson reported that the attached curriculum items have been approved by the Finance/Revenue Committee.  In addition, they have been approved by the Curriculum and Academic Affairs Committee, the Faculty Senate, the Provost, and the President.  These items include the addition of four certificates, suspension of one program site expansion, suspension of two programs, suspension of one certificate, suspension of five concentrations, and restructure of one program.  The program site suspension would suspend the Nursing RN to BSN Completion program only at the Vincennes and Jasper Campuses and would be offered only online.  The program suspensions would include the Assistive Technology and Pre-Art Therapy programs, both due to low enrollment.  The certificate suspension would suspend the Surgical Technology Certificate because after the year 2021, the Surgical Technology accreditation body will require all to have an A.S. degree as a minimum.  
 •	Revisions to Faculty Email Policy – Committee Chair Henderson reported that the only change to the proposed Faculty Email Policy below is the removal of full-time faculty and make it all faculty:

Faculty Office Hours
The purpose of office hours is to encourage students to seek counsel. To make the counseling of students more effective, the following guidelines have been set forth:
All full-time faculty members will hold at least five office hours a week on campus (one office hour per day for five days per week), meeting for at least fifty-minutes each time with some periods in the mornings and some in the afternoons as teaching schedule permits.

Faculty members are required to inform students within each syllabus of regular office hours, including when and where faculty are available. 
 
Those full-time faculty members whose schedules do not permit one office hour per day, per week, must submit a schedule showing the times and days of the week when they can best hold office hours, subject to approval of the College Dean.

The faculty office hour schedule is submitted to the College Dean no later than the end of the second week of classes and forwarded to the Assistant Provost for Curriculum and Instruction and to the Provost and Vice President for Instructional Services.

Faculty Email Policy
The purpose of email is to communicate with students in order to help them stay on track.  To make the communications more effective, the following guidelines have been set forth:
Anyone who teaches one or more hours at any Vincennes University campus location, on or off campus, including distance education should respond to student emails within 2 business days of receipt.

The 48-hour response time excludes days the University is not in session and/or days that faculty are not on contract (weekends, holidays, spring break, summer break, etc.)

For example, if a student contacts a faculty member on Friday at 3:00 pm, the faculty member has until Tuesday at 3:00 pm to respond.

If a faculty member is unable to immediately address concerns within an email, an acceptable response is, “I have received your email and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.”

If the faculty member will not have email access for more than 48 hours when the University is in session and the faculty member is on contract, the faculty member must inform students, in advance if possible, that he or she will not be accessible.

Faculty Office Hours Policy
The Faculty Office Hours Policy has been established by action of the Vincennes University Board of Trustees. For a complete text of the policy, see Section C-V FACULTY of this University Manual.
Adopted by the Board of Trustees: December 22, 1993
Amendment approved by the Board of Trustees: July 23, 2003
Amendment #2 approved by the Board of Trustees: June 28, 2017
Amendment #3 approved by the Board of Trustees: December 6, 2017

Faculty Office Hours
See Page H14 Faculty of this University Manual
Faculty members will hold at least five office hours per week, and the schedule must be on file each semester in the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Instructional Services, the Office of the Assistant Provost of Academic Affairs, and the office of the appropriate Dean of the Faculty.

MOTION #17-44
Trustee Reggie Henderson made a motion to approve both the Curriculum Items attached to these minutes along with the revised Faculty Email Policy which is above.  Trustee Darrel Bobe seconded that motion.   A roll call vote was taken with 14 yeas and 0 nays, and the motion passed unanimously.

REPORTS FROM THE ADMINISTRATIVE LEADERSHIP
Recruitment/Enrollment Report
Heidi Whitehead, Director of Admissions, distributed the University Recruitment and Enrollment Report.  The report began with an update on the Vincennes Campus fall enrollment.  As of the filing of the report, 3,829 students had enrolled.  New student registration totaled 1,968 a decline of 143 students. The continuing student count was down by 445 while other student categories increased by 28. One caveat to the decline was that students enrolled in the RN to BSN program are no longer counted under the Vincennes Campus as in previous years. This program now adds to the headcount of Distance Education, which included 160 students.
Jasper enrolled 484 students with a 19 member decline in the incoming class and a difference of 41 in the continuing class.  American Sign Language reported 62 enrolled students, a decline of 10 while the Aviation Technology Center registered 281 students which was a difference of 15 students when compared to fall 2016.  Extended registration programs totaled 14,254 students with additional registrations continuing up to the October 15 census date. System wide, including all students, 18,914 students had enrolled for the fall, which was just 6 students less than the same date in 2016.  
Whitehead concluded with a look at fall 2018 applications.  The Vincennes Campus had 1,951 accepted applications compared to 2,257 for fall 2017 and 2,031 for fall 16.  Jasper was up by 25 compared to last year with 104 accepted students.  Applications were also up for ASL totaling 24 and ATC with 58.
New Police Officers
Police Chief Bob Dunham introduced four new police officers – Maverick Wells, Shawna Foster, Gerrison Sims, and Jason Marceaux.  In addition, Chief Dunham also introduced Assistant Professor of Conservation Law and Department Chair of Law Enforcement and Conservation Law.   Professor Clark is assigned to Campus Police as its Law Enforcement Instructor.   These individuals need to be approved by the Board of Trustees as part of our police department.

MOTION #17-45
Trustee Darrel Bobe made a motion to approve the five individuals mentioned above as part of the Vincennes University Police Department, and Trustee George Ridgway seconded that motion.   A roll call vote was taken with 14 yeas and 0 nays, and the motion carried unanimously.

Resolution of Appreciation
President Chuck Johnson presented and read a Resolution of Appreciation for former Student Trustee Drew Brown.  Once it has been approved and signed, it will be given to Drew.

MOTION #17-46
Trustee Scott Brown made a motion to approve the following Resolution of Appreciate for Drew Brown, and Trustee Mike Sievers seconded that motion.   A roll call vote was taken with 14 yeas and 0 nays, and the motion carried unanimously.  Once the Resolution has been signed and framed, it will be given to Drew.

RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION 
FOR
DREW A. BROWN

	WHEREAS, Drew A. Brown, a resident of Muncie, Indiana, and a student at Vincennes University, was appointed the Student Trustee of the Board of Trustees for the Vincennes University by the Honorable Governor Mike Pence in October 2016; and
	WHEREAS, Mr. Brown has served with distinction as the Student Trustee for the Vincennes University Board of Trustees and served on the Trustee External Affairs Committee; and 
	WHEREAS, Mr. Brown has been a full-time student at Vincennes University majoring in Homeland Security and Public Safety, served on the Student Government Association, and served as President of the Homeland Security Club; and

	WHEREAS, Mr. Brown has ably represented the students during his term as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Vincennes University, presenting their viewpoint and expressing their concerns for the consideration of the Board.
	NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that Vincennes University, through its Board of Trustees, expresses appreciation to Drew A. Brown for his dedicated service as a member of the Board and expresses its gratitude for his devoted work to the school and the cause of education.
	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary cause to be spread of record on the official minute book of the Board of Trustees for Vincennes University a copy of this Resolution and that an appropriate signed copy be delivered to Mr. Drew A. Brown.
	DATED at Vincennes, Indiana this 6th day of December, 2017.

					_____________________________
					John A. Stachura, Chair

					_____________________________
					J.R. Gaylor, Secretary

RESIDENT’S COMMENTS
President Johnson gave the following remarks:  (1) He congratulated Mike Sievers, Reggie Henderson, and J.R. Gaylor on their selections as First Vice Chair, Second Vice Chair, and Secretary of the Board of Trustees, respectively; (2) He welcomed Emma Marsh and Millie Marshall to the Board of Trustees; (3) He thanked College Interim Dean Curt Coffman for hosting the Board in the new Updike Hall; (4) Enrollment numbers for the career and technology early colleges is at 6,700 and continues to grow; (5) The Ebner Residential Center will be full with Women in STEM students during the next semester; (6) Artwork and artifacts have been donated by VU alumnus Johnson Wong, and the pavilion holding these artifacts has been named after Dr. Chu, who brought many students to VU from Hong Kong.  Dr. Chu’s son David Chu was given an honorary doctorate citation during the recent celebration of the new pavilion; (7) The interim provost Dr. Laurel Smith will be retiring at the end of the 2017-18 school year, and a Provost Search Committee has been formed; (8) Foundation President Bumper Hostetler will be retiring in February 2018; (9) VU is engaged in the Next Level Jobs initiative created by Governor Holcomb; (10) Yesterday, VU hosted two groups – one was a group from the Center for Leadership Development in Indianapolis and the second was a group of visitors from Xuyi County China, who signed agreements with VU; (11) VU’s athletic teams are doing very well; and (12) VU Surgical Technology Department Chair Chris Keegan has passed away and will be greatly missed.

Adjournment
With no further business to come before the Trustees, the Regular Session adjourned at 11:30 a.m. (EST). 

__________________________________			_________________________________
J.R. Gaylor, Secretary					John Stachura, Chair