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# KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY Regular Meeting of the Board of Regents 1:15 p.m., July 26, 2013 Board Room, Julian M. Carroll Academic Services Building Frankfort, Kentucky
# MINUTES
### 1. Call to Order:
Chairperson Karen Bearden called the meeting of the Kentucky State University Board of Regents to order at 1:22 p.m. on July 26, 2013.
### II. Roll Call:
Chairperson Bearden asked Lori Davis, Acting Secretary to the Board to conduct the Roll Call:
Regent Mindy Barfield, Present
Regent Karen Bearden, Present
Regent David Guarnieri, Present
Regent LaVaughn Henry, Present
Regent Julian Jeter-Davis, Present, after Oath of Office
Regent Ekumene Lysonge, Absent
Regent Elgie McFayden, Jr., Present, after Oath of Office
Regent Syamala Reddy, Present
Regent Leslie Thomas, Present, after Oath of Office
Regent Charles Whitehead, Present
Regent Phyllis Williams, Present
Ten Regents were in attendance. A quorum was declared.
### III. Opening Remarks:
Chairperson Bearden welcomed the attendees to the meeting. Chair Bearden asked Lori Davis, Acting Board Secretary, to administer the new regent Oath of Office to Dr. Elgie McFayden, Jr., Mr. Julian Jeter-Davis and Ms. Leslie Thomas. The oath of office was administered as directed and these individuals officially joined the KSU Board of Regents. Dr. McFayden will serve as Faculty Regent, Mr. Jeter-Davis will serve as the Student Regent and Ms. Thomas will serve as the Staff Regent.
Chairperson Bearden discussed her decision to recommend the creation of a bylaws committee of the board.
Action: Motion was made by Regent Reddy and seconded by Regent Henry to approve the creation of a Bylaws Subcommittee and to include Regents Barfield, Guarnieri, and Lysonge. The motion passed 10-0.
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### IV. Approval of Minutes:
Action: Motion to approve the minutes from the Board of Regents meeting held on April 26, 2013 was made by Regent Whitehead and seconded by Regent Henry. The motion passed, 10-0.
Action: Motion to approve the minutes from the Board of Regents meeting held on June 6, 2013 was made by Regent Whitehead and seconded by Regent Henry. The motion passed, 10-0.
### V. President's Report:
President Sias welcomed attendees to the meeting. The following items were discussed:
## Student Success:
President Sias asked Dr. Lorenzo Esters, Vice President of Student Success and Enrollment Management, to present information regarding student academic performance. Dr. Esters provided an overview of how KSU students have progressed based upon a series of performance indicators. Dr. Esters also included a review of KSU's Admissions Index and recommendations to modify the admissions criteria to include categories for Regular Admissions, Conditional Admissions and students with developmental course remediation needs.
## Director of Safety and Security:
Dr. Esters introduced Mr. James Berry, KSU's newly appointed Director of Safety and Security. Mr. Berry will also oversee the KSU Police Department and other security related matters. Mr. Berry will begin his duties on August 16, 2013.
## Governmental Affairs:
Stephen Mason, Sr., Chief of Staff/Special Assistant to the President, presented the Legislative report. Mr. Mason distributed a report and discussed the recently passed federal student loan rate legislation. A discussion about Parent Plus loan credit requirements ensued and Mr. Mason stated that the federal government is reviewing its requirements for borrower creditworthiness, based upon the stringent credit requirements that precluded many students across the U.S. from attending college. President Sias and other university presidents plan to send a letter to President Barack Obama to share their views of the unintended consequences of changes in the Parent Plus loan program.
Mr. Mason mentioned the status of the federal Farm bill and its potential impact for land grant university funding. Universities with land grant programs are concerned about the impact upon their funding should the farm bill not be passed before the new federal fiscal year begins in October 2013.
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Mr. Mason mentioned that the federal Higher Education Act will soon be up for reauthorization in 2013. Updates will be provided as they are received.
President Sias reported to the board that the university plans to apply for authorization from the Federal Communications Commission to operate a low power FM station on campus.
## Information Technology:
Mr. Eric Bergquist, Director of Information Technology, provided an overview of ongoing projects in Information Technology. Mr. Bergquist highlighted the following IT projects: upgrades to the telephone System, near completion of the transition to Microsoft 365, backup of data information, implementation of self-serve password resets and continued work to upgrade campus servers.
## KSU 2020 Plan:
President Sias has appointed Mr. Eric Bergquist to spearhead the planning for the 2013-2020 KSU Strategic Plan. Mr. Bergquist outlined his plan to begin reviewing the mission, values and vision of the university as well as conducting a campus environmental scan. Mr. Bergquist also plans to benchmark the “best in class” universities, identify strategic issues for KSU, and conduct a gap analysis in an effort to develop the strategic plan.
## Federal Crime Statistics:
President Sias reported that she met with the publisher to the Frankfort State Journal regarding the data that was published in the newspaper relating to KSU's crime statistics. The published information had erroneously indicated that KSU had higher crime rates than it actually had. President Sias stated that the types of crimes that mostly occur on campus relate to the theft of student belongings. To date, President Sias reported that the State Journal has not issued a retraction relating to the incorrect reporting of the crime statistics. However, President Sias stated that she felt that the conversation she had with the publisher was a good start for additional dialogue.
## KSU Research Vessel:
KSU's boat has been completed and is docked on the Kentucky River at Frankfort. The research vessel will be used to educate the community and students about environmental issues and particularly, about water pollution. The research vessel is docked near the KSU Downtown Annex (formerly the Old Federal Courthouse) and will be a part of the KSU Interpretive Center. An October dedication of the vessel is planned.
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## President's Annual Report:
President Sias presented a report of the university's achievements during the fiscal year. President Sias highlighted many accomplishments, particularly in the areas of Student Success and Enrollment information and Athletics.
## Tobacco Free Policy:
President Sias asked Lori Davis, General Counsel and Corlia Logsdon, Assistant Director of Human Resources, Disability Services, to discuss the university's proposal that would prohibit tobacco use anywhere on campus grounds effective August 1, 2013. Ms. Davis and Ms. Logsdon presented the rationale for the university's determination that tobacco use was detrimental to the campus community and requested that the Board approve the proposal presented.
Action: Motion to approve the Tobacco Free Policy effective October 1, 2013 was made by Regent Reddy and seconded by Regent Henry. The motion passed, 8-2. Regents Jeter-Davis and McFayden opposed the motion.
### VI. Committee Reports
Academic Affairs:
Regent Bearden presented the Academic Affairs Committee report. Provost Thierstein highlighted the successes in the areas of teaching, research and service. Regent Bearden commented upon the ongoing work of the dedicated faculty at KSU. A written report was also provided to the board.
Action: Motion was made by the Academic Affairs Committee to grant Faculty Emeriti status to Dr. Louis Bourgois. A second was not necessary. The motion passed 10-0.
Action: Motion was made by the Academic Affairs Committee to approve a title revision for Dr. Teferi Tsegaye, Dean of the College of Agriculture, Food Science and Sustainable Systems. The title revision recommendation is as Associate Vice President for Land Grant Programs and Dean of the College of Agriculture, Food Science and Sustainable Systems. The motion passed 10-0.
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Finance and Administration:
Finance and Administration:
Regent Henry presented the Finance and Administration report. The following actions occurred:
Action: Motion was made by the Finance and Administration Committee to approve the FY 2014 Tuition Rates as outlined in the Board materials. The motion passed 10-0.
Action: Motion was made by the Finance and Administration Committee to approve the FY 2014 Tuition Rates for the Rosenwald Child Care Center. The motion passed 8-2. Regents Jeter-Davis and Thomas opposed the motion.
There were questions about the cost of tuition for parents who utilized child care assistance subsidies. President Sias stated that the cost of the tuition had been benchmarked against other child care facilities with the goal of the center to attain the highest level of accreditation.
The Finance and Administration Committee considered a revision to Staff Personnel Policy 6.0, Grievance Procedure. This matter was tabled for further consideration at a future meeting.
Student Success and Enrollment Management:
Regent Williams presented the Student Success and Enrollment Management Committee report. She provided an update on Student Life Activities, Health Services utilization, Career Placement, Enrollment Management, and Admissions.
Regent Williams stated that the Student Success and Enrollment Management Division (SSEM) had hired a new Mental Health Counselor, Ms. Joy Harris and new Safety and Security Director, Mr. James Berry. Regent Williams also reported that Mr. John Martin, longtime Registrar, recently retired.
The SSEM Strategic Enrollment Management Review has been completed and recommendations will be implemented. New Ellucian software has been purchased and SSEM will use this software to assist with increased student management tracking, particularly for early academic warnings.
The Frankfort/Franklin County partnership with KSU is ongoing and the expectation is that this relationship will develop additional students from the area attending KSU as well as a stronger bond with the community.
No action items were reported.
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## External Relations and Development:
Regent Whitehead presented the External Relations and Development report. A written report was also provided to the board. Regent Whitehead discussed the university's progress towards the Capital Campaign, which is approximately $5 million to date. This fiscal year, the university received contributions of $1.6 million. Scholarship accounts received the largest portion of the contributions.
The Office of Alumni Affairs continues its outreach to more alumni. The national alumni association has 24 alumni chapters. No action items were reported.
## Audit Committee:
Regent Barfield presented the Audit Committee report. Regent Barfield advised the board that Mark Firm from the Internal Audit firm had completed his first year as the university's internal auditor. Mr. Firm presented his report and advised that there were no issues reported in his most recent review of Student Financial Aid. No action items were reported.
### VII. Closed Session:
Action: Motion was made to convene a closed session to discuss personnel matters and pending litigation pursuant to the Kentucky Open Meetings Act. The motion was made by Regent Barfield and seconded by Regent Williams. The motion passed 10-0.
The Board discussed pending litigation and personnel matters. The Board took no action in Closed Session.
The Board reconvened in Open Session. No action was taken.
### VIII. Adjournment:
Action: Motion was made to adjourn the Board meeting by Regent Barfield and seconded by Regent Henry. The motion passed 10-0.
The meeting adjourned at 4:13 p.m.
Submitted by:
Lori A. Davis, Secretary
General Counsel
Kentucky State University
Approved with no corrections
Karen W. Bearden, Chair
Board of Regents
Kentucky State University
Approved with corrections
