BOR Minutes - July 9-10, 1998

THE BOARD OF REGENTS OF HIGHER EDUCATION

Montana University System

July 9-10, 1998

M I N U T E S

Conference Room 102

Montana Higher Education Complex

2500 Broadway

Helena, Montana

ACADEMIC/STUDENT AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

ADMINISTRATIVE/BUDGET COMMITTEE

REGENTS PRESENT: Pat Davison (acting Chair), Kim Cunningham, Colleen Conroy, Ed Jasmin, Richard Roehm, and Margie Thompson; Commissioner of Higher Education Richard Crofts

REGENTS ABSENT:    None

THURSDAY, JULY 9, 1998

WORK SESSION

The Board of Regents convened at 9:25 a.m. Thursday, July 9, 1998, for a work session in Conference Room 102 of the Montana Higher Education Complex at 2500 Broadway in Helena. All Regents were present (a replacement for former Regent Jim Kaze had not been appointed as of the July meeting). Discussion focused on the following topics:

• Scheduling Board work sessions. Recommendation: (a) Try a different format for September 1998 meeting. Thursday morning: Executive session (if needed), work session, and committee meetings. Thursday noon: Lunch with student representatives. Thursday afternoon: Student reports, committee reports, beginning of other Board business, and meeting with faculty representatives. Friday a.m. Breakfast with business and community leaders, continuation of Board business from Thursday afternoon. Friday p.m. Continuation of Board business or continuation of Thursday's work session. Adjournment: Tentatively 3:00 p.m.   (b) Place under "New Business" an opportunity for public input on university system issues.
  

• Board of Regents' letterhead. Recommendation: Include names of Regents on Commissioner's Office letterhead.
  

• Management Tracking System. Regent Jasmin asked about a tracking system for things such as retention. Recommendation: Regents are to let Commissioner Crofts know what should be put on the list and what level of reporting would be appropriate. Deferred maintenance and placement information were already scheduled for inclusion on the list.

• Report from Regent Jasmin on QAC III conference in Missoula. Handouts: "A Poll of Governors on Higher Education" from the Chronicle of Higher Education, and a booklet from Coopers & Lybrand titled "Insights: A Journal for Colleges, Universities, and other Not-for-Profit Organizations." Recommendations for restructuring of administrative operations on a systemwide level: (a) Commissioner's Office will make sure Regents are put on mailing lists for consulting organizations similar to Coopers and Lybrand. (b) Commissioner's Office will also work on developing a plan to begin a study following Banner implementation in July 1999.

• Calendar of activities for Board meetings. Recommendation: (a) Approve calendar presented by Commissioner Crofts. (b) Place calendar on the Board's web site.

• Board's Friday breakfast meetings with community leaders. Recommendation:   (a) Continue to provide a list of attendees to the Regents prior to the breakfasts.   (b) Develop a one-page flyer with information on the Regents to be sent with the breakfast invitation letter. (c) Use the Policy Committee to discuss the lists of invitees to the breakfasts and decide whether those should be revised.

The Board recessed at 10:10 a.m. for committee meetings and reconvened at 1:45 p.m. Roll call showed a quorum present.

• Regent Ed Jasmin moved that the Board approve the minutes from the May 21-22, 1998 regular meeting and the June 5, 1998 conference call meeting as mailed to Board members. The motion passed unanimously.

CONSENT AGENDA

Staff Items

a. ITEM 100-100-R0798—Staff; Office of Commissioner of Higher Education

b. ITEM 100-1000-R0798—Staff; The University of Montana-Missoula

c. ITEM 100-1001-R0798—Resolution Concerning the Retirement of Veronica Steward, College of Arts and Sciences; The University of Montana-Missoula

d. ITEM 100-1500-R0798—Staff; Montana Tech of The University of Montana

e. ITEM 100-1501-R0798—Professor Emeritus Status for Professor Samuel A. Worcester; Montana Tech of The University of Montana

f. ITEM 100-1600-R0798—Staff; Western Montana College of The University of Montana

g. ITEM 100-1900-R0798—Staff; Helena College of Technology of The University of Montana

h. ITEM 100-2000-R0798—Staff; Montana State University-Bozeman

i. ITEM 100-2002-R0798—Retirement of Norman Eggert, Department of Mathematical Sciences; Montana State University-Bozeman

j. ITEM 100-2003-R0798—Retirement of Karen L. Vinton, College of Business; Montana State University-Bozeman

k. ITEM 100-2004-R0798—Retirement of Rudolf Dietrich, Department of Media and Theatre Arts; Montana State University-Bozeman

l. ITEM 100-2005-R0798—Retirement of Robert A. Fellenz, Department of Education; Montana State University-Bozeman

m. ITEM 100-2700-R0798—Staff; Montana State University-Billings

n. ITEM 100-2701-R0798—Post-Retirement Contract for Dr. Harry F. Lee, Professor of Curriculum and Instruction; Montana State University-Billings

o. ITEM 100-2800-R0798—Staff; Montana State University-Northern

p. ITEM 100-2801-R0798—Retirement of Dr. Gerald C. Bekker, Professor of Education and Director of Education and Graduate Programs; Montana State University-Northern

Capital Construction Items

ITEM 100-2007-R0798—Authorization to Remodel Room 6, Gaines Hall; Montana State University-Bozeman

Other Items

a. ITEM 100-001-R0798—Approval of Tentative Agreement with the Western Montana College of The University of Montana Faculty Association; Montana University System

b. ITEM 100-007-R0798—Approval of Nominations to Student Loan Advisory Council; Montana University System

• Regent Thompson moved that the Board approve all items on the Consent Agenda (Staff, Capital Construction, and Other). The motion passed unanimously.

Announcements

Acting Chair Pat Davison said the election of Board officers would be deferred to the following day.

Introductions

Kim Cunningham: new Student Regent
Joyce Scott: new Deputy Commissioner for Academic and Student Affairs
Bob Bennett: new President of Miles Community College
Frank Gilmore: new Chancellor of Montana Tech of The UM
Michael Rao: new Chancellor of Montana State University-Northern
Dan Bradley: Interim Vice Chancellor and Provost at Montana Tech of The UM
Susan Briggs: new Director of Fiscal Affairs at Western Montana College of The UM
Rosi Keller: Interim Vice President for Administration and Finance at UM-Missoula
Glen Leavitt: Interim Director of Benefits in the Commissioner's Office

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COMMITTEE REPORTS

Academic and Student Affairs Committee

The Academic and Student Affairs Committee met at 10:10 a.m. in Conference Room 102A of the Montana Higher Education Complex at 2500 Broadway in Helena, Montana. Members present were Regents Davison (Chair), Cunningham, Roehm, and Thompson. Regent Davison presented the committee's report to the full Board.

Regent Davison said that beginning with the Regents' September 1998 meeting, the Level I changes approved by the Commissioner's Office and presented to the Board under "Announcements" would be provided to the Academic and Student Affairs Committee at least seven days prior to its regular meeting.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

a.    The University of Montana-Missoula

Proposal to change former "emphases" to "options" (list on file in Commissioner's Office).

b.    From addendum (see Joyce Scott's July 9, 1998 memo to Board):

Proposal to effect a contractual arrangement with the University of North Dakota Medical School (UND) to provide a one-year, post-graduate clinical internship including 37 hours of clinical coursework and a rotation of eight months in a hospital in Montana.

c.    Western Montana College of The University of Montana

(1) Proposal to change the following:

(2) Proposal to combine the following A.S. degrees into a single degree, "Associated of Applied Science (A.A.S.) in Business," with 4 options. Each option area would have the same overall course requirements as the current degrees.

CONSENT AGENDA—NOTICES OF INTENT

Regent Davison briefly reviewed the Notices of Intent on the Consent Agenda and said some questions had been raised on several of the items, which was appropriate at the Notice of Intent stage. He said the campuses would respond to those questions at the committee's September 1998 meeting.

a.    From The University of Montana-Missoula:

• Approval of Proposal to Add a Revised Option in Organizational Communication, and New Options in Rhetoric and Public Discourse and Communication and Human Relationships to the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication Studies

• Approval of Proposal to Add an Option in Teaching Ethics to the Master of Arts Degree in Philosophy

• Approval of Proposal to Add a Notification of Completion of Advanced Graduate Studies to the Master of Arts Degree in Philosophy with an Option in Teaching Ethics

b.    From Montana State University-Bozeman:

• Authorization for the Plant Sciences Department to Rename the B.S. in Crop Science to a B.S. in Plant Science with Options in Crop Science, Plant Protection, and Plant Biology

• Authorization for the Plant Sciences Department to Rename the M.S. in Agronomy to an M.S. in Plant Science

• Authorization for the Plant Sciences Department to Rename the Ph.D. in Crop and Soil Science and the Ph.D. in Plant Pathology to a Ph.D. in Plant Science with Options in Plant Genetics and Plant Pathology

• Authorization for Land Resources and Environmental Sciences (LRES) Department to Offer a B.S. Major in Land Rehabilitation

• Authorization for Land Resources and Environmental Sciences (LRES) Department to Offer a B.S. Major in Environmental Science with Options in Soil and Water Science, and Environmental Biology

• Authorization for Land Resources and Environmental Sciences (LRES) Department to Offer a B.S. Major in Land Resource Sciences with Options in Land Resources Analysis and Management, and Agroecology

• Authorization for Land Resources and Environmental Sciences (LRES) Department to Rename the M.S. Program to Land Resources and Environmental Sciences

• Authorization for Land Resources and Environmental Sciences (LRES) Department to Rename the Ph.D. Program to Land Resources and Environmental Sciences

c.    From Montana State University-Billings:

• Authorization to Offer a Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Relations

NOTICES OF INTENT

a.    From The University of Montana-Missoula:

• Approval of Proposal to Offer a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Environmental Studies

• Approval of Proposal to Add an Option in Applied Geoscience to the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Geology

b.    From Montana Tech of The University of Montana:

• Approval of Proposal to Add a Minor in Hydrogeology to the Bachelor of Science Degree in Geological Engineering

c.    From Montana State University-Bozeman:

• Authorization for the School of Art to Offer the Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree

• Authorization for the Department of English to Offer a Master of Arts Degree in English

d.    From Montana State University-Billings:

• Authorization to Offer a Master of Science in Sport Management

• Following brief discussion, the Board concurred with the Academic and Student Affairs Committee's recommendation to move all items on the Notices of Intent Agenda to the Submission Agenda at the September 17-18, 1998 meeting.

SUBMISSION AGENDA

ITEM 27-009-R0680—Transfer of Credits; Montana University System and Community Colleges (REVISION of Board Policy 301.5)

Regent Thompson briefly reviewed ITEM 27-009-R0680, which would revise Board of Regents' Policy 301.5.

• Regent Thompson moved that the Board concur with the Academic and Student Affairs Committee's recommendation to move ITEM 27-009-R0680 to the Action Agenda at the September 17-18, 1998 meeting in Butte. The motion passed unanimously.

ACTION AGENDA

a.    ITEM 99-401-R0598—Approval of Proposal to Offer an Associate of Science Degree; Miles Community College

• Regent Thompson moved that the Board concur with the Academic and Student Affairs Committee's recommendation to approve ITEM 99-401-R0598. The motion passed unanimously.

b.    ITEM 98-1002-R0398—Approval of Proposal to Offer a Certificate in Barber-Styling, College of Technology; The University of Montana

Regent Davison said ITEM 98-1002-R0398 had been withdrawn from the agenda, and action was being deferred at that time.

OTHER

a.    Two-Year Education Committee Report

Regent Davison said the Two-Year Education Committee had worked to develop a taxonomy that would be consistent throughout the system. He said the Board wanted to have similarity in degrees so that transferability and understandability would be enhanced. The committee spent a lot of time on the issue and was represented by all the academic officers of the four-year campuses, the colleges of technology, and the community colleges. As a result, a recommendation was made in July 1997 that the Board adopt the committee's proposal to set up a taxonomy to be used throughout the system. Regent Davison said MSU-Northern had expressed some concern at the time because of what they viewed as an approach significantly different than that adopted in the committee's report. In July 1997, the Regents agreed to accept the report and let MSU-Northern proceed the way it had been doing but to provide a report back to the Board, which had been done at the May 1998 meeting. Regent Davison said the issue was referred back to the committee, which was now presenting its recommendation (July 9, 1998 memorandum from Jane Karas to Academic and Student Affairs Committee and Board of Regents on file).

    The committee recommended that the two-year campuses proceed with the taxonomy adopted originally and work diligently to get it implemented, even on the MSU-Northern campus while recognizing it may be more difficult for that campus than others. The committee listened to comments from former Chancellor William Daehling and Chief Academic Officer Karen LaRoe. Dr. Daehling believed it was important to give the faculty up to five years to make the transition to this policy on the Northern campus. Doing so would ensure good working and continuing relationships. Recognizing that and following further discussion, the committee recommended to the Board that it accept the Two-Year Education Committee's proposal as presented.

    Regent Davison added that the committee also asked the Commissioner's Office, especially the Deputy Commissioner, to work closely with MSU-Northern during the implementation, recognizing the campus's special circumstances.

• Regent Thompson moved that the Board concur with the Academic and Student Affairs Committee's recommendation to accept the Two-Year Education Committee's proposal as presented and proceed with its implementation. The motion passed unanimously.

b.    Optional One-Year Post-Baccalaureate Experience for Medical Technology Graduates from UM

Regent Davison said this item was moved from the agenda to the Level I approval stage.

STUDENT REPORTS

Tim Sulser, Montana Tech student body president and MAS president, announced that the MAS newsletter would be mailed to the Board of Regents along with all the campuses and the legislators on the November ballot. The newsletter was an attempt to get the word out about MAS and its function in the university system. The newsletter would probably be published on a monthly basis, and all campuses were asked to contribute information.

    Mr. Sulser said MAS had met the previous evening to discuss legislative priorities and strategies. They would be meeting with Commissioner Crofts the following day to discuss those.

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COMMITTEE REPORTS

Administrative/Budget Committee

The Administrative/Budget Committee met at 10:10 a.m. in Conference Room 102B of the Montana Higher Education Complex at 2500 Broadway in Helena, Montana. Members present were Regents Jasmin (Chair) and Conroy. Regent Jasmin presented the committee's report to the full Board.

SUBMISSION AGENDA

a. ITEM 100-002-R0798—Mission Statements; Montana University System (NEW Board of Regents' Policy)

Regent Jasmin said ITEM 100-002-R0798 was a new Board policy stating that the Commissioner's Office would maintain accurate, current copies of all campus mission statements approved by the Board; any revised copies of the mission statements would be distributed to the Regents; and mission statements would be reviewed by the Regents every three years.

b. ITEM 100-003-R0798—Campus-Affiliated Foundations; Montana University System (NEW Board of Regents' Policy)

Regent Jasmin said the Administrative/Budget Committee had spent the bulk of its discussion on ITEM 100-003-R0798, a proposed new policy. He said the university system did not have any type of policy on the operation of the individual foundations on the various campuses. The proposed policy resulted from the work of the Task Force on Foundations, which was chaired by Regent Davison. The task force had met over a two-year period and held discussions with representatives from the Regents, campuses, foundations, and legislature. During those meetings, they listened to both pros and cons—those who thought the foundations ought to be more public, and those who saw them as private entities. From all the input and discussions, the proposed policy was now before the Board as a submission item.

    Commissioner Crofts said the proposed policy respected the private, independent character of the various foundations and the public knowledge of the information that should be available to the public. It required an annual audited financial statement that would be available to the legislature, the Governor's office, and members of the public who requested it. There would be some public accountability of the operations of the foundations. Commissioner Crofts noted several amendments to the policy agreed to by the Administrative/Budget Committee:

• In Section 2., Paragraph 2, the existing sentence should be deleted and replaced with: "Therefore, each campus chief executive officer should ensure that the campus's foundation ascribes to the following requirements in order to enhance public confidence in the foundation:"

• In Section 2.b., Sentence 2, "or biannually" should be added after the word "annually". Also in that same sentence, "their affiliated campuses" should be changed to "the affiliated campus."

• In Section 2.c., Sentence 1, "or biannual" should be added after "Annual."

• In Section 3.c., the word "held" should be deleted.

Regent Jasmin noted that the proposed policy was on submission and as time went on they could revise it if they felt that was needed. The idea was to make the integrity of the foundations above board and that there be no questions about impropriety or anything else. He said they should be well-run, well-managed, and accountable.

    Regent Roehm said he was comfortable with the policy as written. However, he felt some consideration should be given as to how funds were handled once they crossed the line into the university. He suggested the Commissioner's Office explore ways to provide public accountability of discretionary funds from any university-affiliated organizations to any university employees.

    Regent Jasmin said that was not part of the committee's recommendation or motion, but it was something they should be aware of. He said the proposed policy also required each foundation to prepare an operating statement that would be reviewed by the Regents.

c. ITEM 100-004-R0798—Repeal of Certain Board of Regents' Policies from the Montana University System Policy and Procedures Manual; Montana University System

Regent Jasmin said ITEM 100-004-R0798 would repeal Board of Regents' Policies 250 through 263, which were no longer applicable since the role and scope statements included in those policies had been replaced by mission statements.

• The Board concurred with the Administrative/Budget Committee's recommendation to move Submission Agenda ITEMS 100-002-R0798, 100-003-R0798 (as amended), and 100-004-R0798 to the Action Agenda at the September 17-18, 1998 meeting.

CONSENT AGENDA—ACTION

a. ITEM 100-005-R0798—Authorization to Enter into a Master Trust Agreement with the College Savings Trust to Act as a Trustee for the Family Education Savings Program (FESP); Montana University System

b. ITEM 100-1002-R0798—Student Computer Fee Allocation for FY 1999; The University of Montana-Missoula

c. ITEM 100-1003-R0798—Renaming of the Harry Adams Field House; The University of Montana-Missoula

d. ITEM 100-1004-R0798—Renaming of the Botany Building; The University of Montana-Missoula

e. ITEM 100-1006-R0798—Certificate of Completion, Parking Structure Phase II, Series C 1995 Facilities Improvement and Refunding Revenue Bonds; The University of Montana-Missoula

f. ITEM 100-1007-R0798—Certificate of Completion, Prescott House Renovations, Series B and C 1995 Facilities Improvement and Refunding Revenue Bonds; The University of Montana-Missoula

g. ITEM 100-1009-R0798—Naming the New Continuing Education/Printing Services Building; The University of Montana-Missoula

h. ITEM 100-2702-R0798—Student Computer Fee Allocation; Montana State University-Billings

• Following brief discussion, Regent Jasmin moved that the Board concur with the Administrative/Budget Committee's recommendation to approve Action ITEMS 100-005-R0798, 100-1002-R0798, 100-1003-R0798, 100-1004-R0798, 100-1006-R0798, 100-1007-R0798, 100-1009-R0798, and 100-2702-R0798 on the Consent Agenda. The motion passed unanimously.

ACTION AGENDA

a. ITEM 100-006-R0798—Approval of Project Priority List, Long Range Building Program; Montana University System

Commissioner Crofts said that in each biennium the university system submitted to the Governor and the legislature its identification of long-range building projects, which included maintenance and renovation projects along with new facilities. He said Associate Commissioner for Fiscal Affairs Rod Sundsted had been largely responsible for working with the two universities to come up with a list of priorities, and ITEM 100-006-R0798 presented those priorities.

    Mr. Sundsted said the long-range building program was the state building program that included both the university system and other state agencies. The Regents' recommendations would be submitted to the Architecture and Engineering Division of the Department of Administration. Then a recommendation would be made in conjunction with the Governor's Budget Office that would go to the legislature in terms of which projects should be funded statewide. He said the long-range building funds came from two sources. First was a cash program funded primarily from cigarette taxes that would be between $7 million and $8 million for the biennium. The Department of Administration would recommend which projects would be funded from that cash program. Mr. Sundsted said the university system could perhaps receive between $2 million to $4 million of cash projects, depending on how they ranked in the statewide priorities. Anything beyond that would be funded through bond proceeds. Those were bonds issued by the state of Montana (general obligation bonds) that were used to fund major projects that probably exceeded $1 million or $1.5 million.

    Mr. Sundsted said the universities continued to update and work on their lists of priorities. Every two years, the Regents had to decide which projects from those lists were to be submitted to the Department of Administration as the university system's priorities. Mr. Sundsted reviewed the list of 19 projects submitted as the system's priorities. He also noted that the student representatives from Dillon, Butte, and Missoula were requesting that the Regents reverse the position of priorities #6: Renne Library Maintenance/Renovation, MSU-Bozeman; and #7: Repair/Replacement-Interior-Labs and Classrooms, UM campuses (memo to Regents from Associated Students of Montana Tech, Western, and UM-Missoula on file).

    Lengthy discussion followed on which projects should be considered critical, what figure should be considered realistic in regard to how much funding the university system could expect to receive, what other entities the university system had to compete with, whether the university system or the state should be responsible for maintaining campus facilities, the use of student fees for maintenance of academic buildings, compliance with ADA requirements, and extending the list beyond 19 projects even though it was doubtful any of those would be funded.

    In response to a question about ranking projects #6 and #7 equally, Commissioner Crofts said the projects would be viewed separately at any rate and would give the appearance of an unwillingness to prioritize if they were ranked equally. He suggested they not rank projects equally.

• Following further discussion, Regent Jasmin moved that the Board concur with the Administrative/Budget Committee's recommendation to approve ITEM 100-006-R0798. The motion passed unanimously.

b. ITEM 100-101-R0798—Budget Amendment, School-to-Work Implementation Grant, Fiscal year 1999; Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education

Dr. Jane Karas, Director for Workforce Development in the Commissioner's Office, said Montana had recently received a $9.2 million implementation grant for School-to-Work. The first year's allocation would be $1.8 million, and that money would flow through the Commissioner's Office as the lead or fiscal agent for the grant. Dr. Karas said ITEM 100-101-R0798 broke out the amount the Commissioner's Office would receive for each of the different budget categories. Since the STW program was designed to build partnerships, seven state agencies were working together to administer the grant in Montana: the Governor's office, the Office of Public Instruction, the Commissioner's Office, the Department of Labor and Industry, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Public Health and Human Services, and the Montana Job Training Partnership, Inc. Dr. Karas said each agency would play a key role in facilitating the development of the STW implementation system in the state. Referring to the agenda item, she said those agencies would each receive an amount of transfer authority to spend the dollars to work with their constituents or stakeholder groups they represented.

    In response to a question from Regent Jasmin, Dr. Karas said the federal law was structured so that 70% of the total funds in the first year would go directly to local communities to build local STW systems.

    In response to a question from Regent Davison, Dr. Karas said the Commissioner's Office was the oversight agency for all the funds but was also responsible for the postsecondary partnership piece of the STW development. She added that the Regents would receive ongoing feedback and input and updates on the status of the program.

c. ITEM 100-1005-R0798—Barber-Styling Program Special Fee, College of Technology; The University of Montana-Missoula

Regent Jasmin said ITEM 100-1005-R0798 had been withdrawn from the agenda, and action on the item was being deferred at that time.

d. ITEM 100-1008-R0798—Increase Student Supplemental Medical Insurance Fee; The University of Montana

Regent Jasmin said ITEM 100-1008-R0798 would authorize The University of Montana-Missoula, Western Montana College-UM, and Montana Tech-UM to assess a per-semester insurance fee as outlined on the matrix (on file) for the Student Medical Insurance program. He noted that those campuses listed participated in a joint insurance program that provided the same levels of medical insurance coverage to participating students. The insurance premium increase was $30.00 per semester. In addition, UM-Missoula was assessing an administrative fee to provide direct service by a campus-based student insurance representative to students enrolled in the Student Medical Insurance program.

    In response to a question from Regent Roehm, UM President George Dennison said a competitive bid process had been used about a year ago, and they got the best bid. He said United of Omaha had been the carrier before Blue Cross, so there were other competitive vendors in the field.

    In response to a question from Regent Thompson, President Dennison said the fees were not the same on all the UM campuses because only on the Missoula campus was there a student health service, and the students paid a fee for that service located on the campus. Since much preliminary work was taken care of through the health service, the interaction with private providers occurred after that service.

e. ITEM 100-1010-R0798—Revised Project Budget, Parking Improvements; Western Montana College of The University of Montana

Regent Jasmin said the Board had approved $145,000 for the parking improvements project at Western. Since that time, however, some problems were detected with drainage and sub soil conditions that needed to be corrected. For those reasons, ITEM 100-1010-R0798 would authorize an increase from $145,000 to $250,000 for the project.

    President Dennison said the funds were available either in unexpended balances or in unallocated interest that had accrued since then. They would be used in conjunction with the Western project with the approval of bond counsel.

f. ITEM 100-1601-R0798—Approval to Purchase Property in the Acquisition Zone; Western Montana College of The University of Montana

Regent Jasmin said ITEM 100-1601-R0798 would authorize Western Montana College to purchase property adjacent to the campus known as the Crosswinds Motel for the purpose of student housing. He noted the property was in the acquisition zone approved for Western by the Board in July 1995. The property consisted of a 3,910 square-foot building on a 21,900 square-foot lot. The purchase price was $185,000.

    President Dennison said the availability of the funds to acquire this property would come through the bond. Since the cost exceeded the totals within the commissioner's authority to approve, the Board needed to act on it.

    In regard to the appraisals, Western Montana College Chancellor Sheila Stearns said one appraisal had been received for $235,000, and the second appraisal was expected the following week. Se said a preliminary appraisal indicated it would be no lower than $200,000, so the $185,000 price was reasonable and would be confirmed by the second appraisal within a week.

    Regent Jasmin moved that ITEM 100-1601-R0798 be approved subject to receipt of the second appraisal, which was expected to be more than the purchase price. The Administrative/Budget Committee recommended the Board give the Commissioner authority to proceed once the second appraisal was received.

• Regent Jasmin moved that the Board concur with the Administrative/Budget Committee's recommendation to approve ITEM 100-1601-R0798 subject to receipt of a second appraisal, which was expected to be more than the purchase price. Also, authority would be delegated to Commissioner Crofts to proceed once the second appraisal was received. The motion passed unanimously.

g. ITEM 100-2006-R0798—Increase Student Supplemental Medical Insurance Fee; Montana State University

Regent Jasmin said ITEM 100-2006-R0798 would authorize MSU-Bozeman to assess a per-semester health insurance fee of $353. He noted the fee was only assessed to students who lacked other health insurance coverage. The $42.00 increase over the previous year's fee was due to rising costs in the health care industry that lead to rising insurance claims. $30.00 of the $42.00 was for an increase in a joint insurance program that five of the MUS campuses participated in. The remaining $12.00 of the increase was for a prescription drug program specific to MSU-Bozeman.

• Following further discussion, Regent Jasmin moved that the Board concur with the Administrative/Budget Committee's recommendation to approve Action Agenda ITEMS 100-101-R0798, 100-1008-R0798, 100-1010-R0798, and 100-2006-R0798. The motion passed unanimously.

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OLD BUSINESS

a. Report of the Montana University System Task Force on the Future of Nursing Education in Montana

Commissioner Crofts reviewed the task force's report, which discussed the future preparation of nurses for Montana in the 21^st century. He said the task force had met over the past several months, and its work was exemplary. Of particular importance was reaching agreement on the ways the various programs could be articulated so there could be easier movement from one program to another. Also, careful attention was given to the whole consumer approach, which involved not only students but representatives from nursing associations and hospitals to try to develop a vision for nursing education in the 21^st century. Commissioner Crofts said the Board would be asked to endorse the report, and Deputy Commissioner for Academic and Student Affairs Joyce Scott would continue to work with the task force on implementation. He said the Board would probably receive another report and perhaps more recommendations within the next 12 to 18 months.

    Commissioner Crofts introduced task force members Lea Acord, Dean of Nursing at MSU-Bozeman; Mary Peterson, who was the prime author of the report; and Karen VanDeveer from the Montana Tech College of Technology in Butte.

• Following discussion on the report, Regent Roehm moved that the Board endorse the report from the Montana University System Task Force on the Future of Nursing Education in Montana. The Regents also asked that the recommendations in the report be implemented and that the Board receive a status report within 18 months. The motion passed unanimously.

The Board reconvened after a 15-minute break.

OLD BUSINESS (continued)

b. Regents' Information Technology Committee Status Report

Commissioner Crofts said the Regents' Information Technology Committee had met between the May and July Regents' meetings and asked some fairly blunt and direct questions of the campuses to make sure they were all reasonably well convinced this project was on track, which was the conclusion he believed they reached. By the September or November Regents' meeting, Commissioner Crofts said he hoped they could present to the Regents a demonstration of some of the capabilities of the SCT system, particularly as it related to the web-based environment they would be using.

    Commissioner Crofts said the university system had roundly objected to the rumor of a year's delay in implementation because of problems encountered by several large state agencies that had their own internal information systems and only recently discovered who would be responsible for linkages among those agencies' free-standing computer systems. In discussions with the university system's information technology people, Commissioner Crofts said they were satisfied the project was on track, but a huge amount of hard work was still ahead of them.

    In response to a question from Regent Jasmin, Commissioner Crofts said people from Banner were on site. Lead consultants were present virtually full-time at both universities, and others came in from time to time to help with the implementation of specific modules.

    In response to a question from Regent Roehm, Commissioner Crofts said the Year 2000 problem was solved for the systems involved with Banner. Throughout the university campuses, however, there were a fair number of free-standing information systems, and the information technology offices were working with faculty and others on those systems to make sure they were doing what was needed to make them operable after the year 2000.

    Following further discussion, the Board recessed at 3:50 p.m. for its meeting with faculty representatives.

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FRIDAY, JULY 10, 1998

The Board reconvened at 9:30 a.m. with a quorum present.

NEW BUSINESS

a. Election of officers

Regent Davison announced that former Regent and Board Chair Jim Kaze had resigned from the Board early so a new Regent could be chosen prior to the 1999 legislative session. Regent Davison said the floor was open for nominations for Board Chair.

    Regent Jasmin nominated Regent Davison. Regent Thompson moved that nominations be closed.

    Regent Roehm said he could not think of a better person to be chair, especially because being the Board Chair was more time-consuming than just being a member. He said Regent Davison's dedication to higher education and to the Board was commendable.

• With no further discussion, the Board voted unanimously on Regent Jasmin's motion that Regent Pat Davison be elected Board Chair.

Chairman Davison said the floor was open for nominations for Board Vice Chair.

Regent Thompson nominated Regent Jasmin. Regent Conroy moved that the nominations be closed.

• The Board voted unanimously on Regent Thompson's motion that Regent Ed Jasmin be elected Board Vice Chair.

In regard to committee assignments, Chairman Davison asked Regent Thompson to assume the position of Chair of the Academic and Student Affairs Committee, to which she agreed.

    Chairman Davison said they would work on the other committee assignments. He had given Regent Cunningham the opportunity to choose the committee on which she would sit. Then they would proceed from there.

NEW BUSINESS

a. Appeal

Commissioner Crofts referred to the materials the Board had received on an appeal from Donald Cairns that involved the turn-down of tenure at MSU-Bozeman. The commissioner's decision was to deny the appeal. Also included with the commissioner's written decision were additional materials from the appellant and a brief one-page information item that outlined the Regents' options.

    Chief Legal Counsel LeRoy Schramm reminded the Regents that no substantive oral arguments would be heard from either side at that time. If the Board chose to hold the matter for hearing, it would be scheduled for the September meeting, at which time both sides would present oral arguments.

• Regent Jasmin moved that the Board accept the decision made by the Commissioner, thereby denying the appeal. The motion passed unanimously.

b. Role of the Montana University System in School-to-Work

Dr. Jane Karas, Director for Workforce Development in the Commissioner's Office, said they recently received a four-year School-to-Work (STW) implementation grant for $9.2 million. The first year of the award would be for $1.8 million. Dr. Karas said the Commissioner's Office was the lead agency and worked with six other state-level agencies. She said the university system also played a vital role in the development of the STW system.

    Dr. Karas provided an update of the current status of STW and summarized the areas in which the university system would be involved. She said the School-to-Work Act was passed in May 1994 and created a system for all students to broaden their education career and economic opportunities. The money was to be used as venture capital to help make changes in the current system. The focus of STW was on building partnerships among educators, business, organized labor, parents, students, and community-based organizations. Dr. Karas said the three basic components of STW were: (1) a school-based learning component that included career counseling and exploration, the integration of academic and occupational or vocational skills, and the articulation between secondary and postsecondary programs; (2) work-based learning, which focused on workplace mentoring, providing job training opportunities for all students, and providing work experience and instruction in workplace competencies and other experiences such as job shadowing and internships; and (3) connecting activities that helped provide liaisons between the workplace and education, technical assistance both to schools and employers, assistance with job placement, and collection and analysis of program outcomes. Dr. Karas said Montana had received STW development funds since April 1994.

    Dr. Karas summarized several of the key activities in which the university system would play a major role, including teacher education; proficiency-based admission standards; work-based learning; the opportunity for faculty to work outside the academic area in business and industry to better learn how to prepare students for the future; career counseling and exploration; employer connections; and economic development.

    Dr. Karas also distributed the following handouts: (a) "School-to-Work for the College Bound" by the Teachers College at Columbia University; and (b) an owner's manual and fact sheets on School-to-Work in Montana.

    Following a brief question-and-answer session, Chairman Davison thanked Dr. Karas for the report.

CAMPUS REPORTS

a. The University of Montana

President Dennison distributed a brochure titled "1997 Graduate Survey," which showed that 90 percent of those UM-Missoula graduates were either working or continuing their education. In response to a comment made at the Friday breakfast about students leaving the state after they graduate, President Dennison said that while some students did leave, they also gained valuable experience and many brought that experience back to Montana.

    President Dennison referred to a July 6, 1998 memo (on file) from William Marcus, Director of the UM Broadcast Media Center and KUFM-TV. President Dennison said the Regents should be aware that KUFM-TV, Montana Public Television, was preparing a filing to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to modify its licensed facility on Dean Stone Mountain. The filing would request authorization to increase transmitter power and change the orientation of the directional antenna. KUFM-TV planned to shift the attenuated portion of the signal toward the east and increase the size of the coverage area in the Bitterroot Valley. President Dennison said the FCC filing was part of the station's preparation for conversion to digital television, or DTV broadcasting. Public TV stations had until the year 2003 to comply with the FCC mandate. President Dennison said Bitterroot Valley was aware of KUFM-TV's plan and thus far had raised no objections. The low-power stations would have a difficult time because of the expense of going digital. President Dennison said they may expect some concern to be expressed this fall, but they would try to deal with it locally. However, the Regents needed to be aware of it.

    President Dennison distributed a document titled "Efficiencies/Economies/Enhancements from Restructuring: The University of Montana" (on file). He said the report focused on the benefits of initiatives that had been implemented with The University of Montana as the result of the restructuring. He reviewed each section of the report: (a) sharing of administrative expertise; (b) enhancing instructional services to students; (c) augmenting student services; and (d) financial benefits, cost savings and/or cost avoidance. President Dennison referred to the totals shown below and said they were real numbers that illustrated the importance and significance of the restructuring process. He said they could be proud of the $11.3 million total.

b. Montana State University-Bozeman

Montana State University President Michael Malone said initial indicators at the close of FY98 indicated that MSU-Bozeman had reached a level of about $50 million a year in federal-funded research, which was close to $20 million in research over the past year and a regional record. At the September or November Board meeting, the Regents would be updated on where they stood with the so-called "green building project." Also, Montana State University would be presenting a report in September similar to that presented by The University of Montana. It was being developed as part of their strategic planning document they would be presenting in November.

d. Montana State University-Northern

MSU-Northern Chancellor Michael Rao said he wanted to extend his thanks to former Chancellor William Daehling for making the chancellor transition at Northern an easy one. Chancellor Rao also announced that Dr. Carl Ellis and Dr. Ben Johnson were leaving MSU-Northern for other positions, and he thanked them for their service.

    Chairman Davison expressed the university system's appreciation of former Regent and Board Chair Jim Kaze's 12 years of service to higher education and the state of Montana. Chairman Davison asked that the following resolution be entered as part of the formal record:

RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION

Whereas, Jim Kaze was appointed to the Board of Regents of Higher Education by Governor Ted Schwinden in 1986; and

Whereas, Jim Kaze served on the Board of Regents of Higher Education for almost twelve years, the last several as chairperson of the Board; and

Whereas, Jim Kaze devoted extraordinary amounts of time to fulfilling his duties as Board member and Board Chairperson; and

Whereas, Jim Kaze' single most compelling principle while serving as a Regent was a dedication to the welfare of students; and

Whereas, Jim Kaze promoted the welfare of higher education, even beyond the State of Montana, through his service as an officer of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, commonly referred to as the AGB; and

Whereas, Jim Kaze, as Chairperson of the Board of Regents, displayed restraint, patience and courtesy to those dealing with the Board, while at the same time always speaking his mind in a frank and thoughtful manner; and

Whereas, Jim Kaze over the years assumed the role as ambassador for higher education and senior statesman for the Montana University System, both roles which he fulfilled with dignity and ability; and

Whereas, Jim Kaze is widely admired and respected for his integrity and competence; and

Whereas, Jim Kaze has chosen to take leave from the Board of Regents to pursue other activities;

Now, Therefore be it Resolved, the Board of Regents of Higher Education does express its deep and sincere appreciation to Jim for service to the Board of Regents, to the Montana University System and to the cause of higher education in general; and

Be it further Resolved, that the Board of Regents extends its heartfelt thanks to Jim for the many hours he spent in such service, with additional thanks to Jim's gracious partner, wife and helpmate, Linda, for all the sacrifices she made to accommodate Jim's service with the Board of Regents.

ADOPTED this tenth day of July, 1998 by the BOARD OF REGENTS OF HIGHER EDUCATION at a duly called regular meeting in HELENA, MONTANA.

• Regent Jasmin moved that the Board approve the resolution and make sure it was presented or sent to Jim Kaze. The motion passed unanimously.

  ---

The Board recessed at 10:15 a.m. and began the continuation of its work session at 11:15 a.m. Among the topics discussed were the following:

• University system mission statement, vision, and goals. Once those were agreed to, action plans could be prepared. Recommendation: Solicit comments from the Regents and conclude by the November 1998 meeting a list of established goals for the university system to present to the legislature.

• Regents' budget. Recommendation: Chairman Davison and Regents Roehm and Thompson would pull some information together before the September Board meeting.

• Regents' Orientation. Recommendation: Solicit comments on the document prepared by Regents Roehm and Conroy.

• Replacement for Jim Kaze. Recommendation: Regents could still submit names of Regent candidates to the Governor's Office.

• Board of Education Budget Committee. Information: Chairman Davison and Regent Thompson were appointed to serve on this committee with Storrs Bishop and Kirk Miller from the Board of Public Education. Committee's first meeting held June 24^th. Next meeting scheduled for July 22^nd.

• Executive Boards. Recommendation: Gather information on these boards (minutes, agendas, schedule of meetings, etc.) from the campuses and send to the Regents.

With no further business to come before the Board, the meeting adjourned at 12:20 p.m.

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