The University of West Alabama
Board of Trustees
March 6, 2000, 10:30 a.m.
Student Union Building
Approved Minutes

1. CALL TO ORDER
Mr. Terry Bunn, Chairman pro tem , called the meeting to order and requested Mr. Pierce Boyd to give the invocation.
2. ROLL CALL
Mr. Bunn asked Mr. Noland to call the roll. Members present were as follows:
Mr. Pierce Boyd, Mr. Terry Bunn, Mr. Robert Keahey, Mr. Herbie Malone, Mr. Preston Minus, Mrs. Louise Nolen, Dr. Doris Oliveira, Mr. John Smith, Mr. Thed Spree
Trustees absent: Mr. Dwight Duke, Mr. Frank McGough, and Rev. Samuel Pettagrue, Jr.
3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
There were no changes to the minutes from the last meeting that had previously been sent to the Trustees. Mr. Keahey moved to approve the minutes, with Mr. Smith seconding, and the motion passed.
4. BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE
Mr. Malone reported that he had sent a year-to-date budget summary to the trustees for their review. After discussion, Mr. Noland said that the information provided was as of a certain date and that bond issue payments from these amounts would be due in the near future.
5. LAND USE AND FACILITIES COMMITTEE
Mr. Bunn reported that this Committee had met this morning and they agreed that more information would be needed on the proposed Bell Conference Center. The Committee requested a cost estimate on the electronics and furnishings. They also requested that an appraisal be obtained on the McConnell house. Mr. Bunn said that this would be discussed more in depth at the retreat, which he hopes to schedule soon, and again at the Board meeting in June.
Mr. Bunn reported that he had named Dwight Duke as Chair of the Executive Committee and had added Thed Spree as a member. Mr. Bunn will Chair the Land Use and Facilities Committee at this time. This action was taken due to the resignation of Drayton Pruitt from the Board.
6. ATHLETIC COMMITTEE
Mr. Spree distributed a report on the Athletic programs. He said that the Pressbox Dedication at Tartt Baseball Field went well and that it was named in honor of Lambert and Helen Tucker. Mr. Spree said that Mr. Tucker's company had given some of the building supplies and Mr. Robin LaCoste had donated some labor to build the facility. He also reported on the records for the different sports this school year.
7. ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
A. Update on Program Viability
Dr. Taylor reported on the status of the programs being reviewed at UWA that had not met viability when the Alabama Commission on Higher Education started this process a few years ago. He said we are nearing the end of a cycle and approaching the time when the University will be measured to determine if ACHE standards are being met. ACHE set the standards for associate and baccalaureate programs at 7.5 and master's programs at 3.75. If the University can show an average number of graduates in a program that meets ACHE's standards, it can become viable. Dr. Taylor provided copies of this report to the Board.
Dr. Taylor said that UWA previously had eight programs on the non-viable list and of these eight, five should be viable. One of the non-viable programs was Elementary Education which has been moved to the Early Childhood program, and one is the Library Media graduate program which is at 3.3% out of 3.75%. He said he is prepared to go before ACHE with a sound argument to keep the Library Media program due to the critical need in Alabama for trained personnel in this area. Also, he said that Chemistry is another program on the borderline in meeting the ACHE criteria. It is at 7% out of 7.5%. He feels the University will fare all right with this program because all of the courses required in the major except two are required in other, viable degree programs and, being an "exempt core liberal arts program" Chemistry will be automatically given another three-year period in which to demonstrate viability.
B. Developmental Programs
Dr. Taylor said there had been a lot of discussion in the budget hearings about the remedial programs in the Alabama colleges. He said that UWA had spent only 1.36% of its entire instructional budget in 1998-1999 on remedial courses, which was not out of line with other schools. He said he hopes to move to a computer-based teaching method with the mathematics remedial courses soon, and this would lower the cost further.
C. E-campus
Dr. Taylor reported that Dr. Wood and his staff had developed a brochure to be used in recruiting for this Fall Semester, and that it gave an overview of
the e-campus concept. He said that all freshmen entering in Fall 2000 will be expected to have access to a computer. Mr. Matt Ford, SGA President, said that the student body is very excited about this concept and that they had recently purchased eight new state-of-the-art computers for the lab in the Student Union Building. Mr. Ford said all students should have access to a computer in the Fall, either through leasing or in the student labs.
Dr. Taylor said that almost all faculty computers are hard-wired and no longer have modems. He reported there are currently fifteen computer labs on campus.
Dr. Taylor reported that the Learning Resources Center had completed its automation process, with more than thirty databases being made available for the students.
He also said that Dr. R. T. Floyd and Mr. Paul Stewart had returned from a recent conference with knowledge and enthusiasm about using wireless technology to network the campus and that the estimated cost is less than that for a wired system. The University has also recently added Campus Pipeline software through a grant, allowing for a savings of over $80,000. This system allows for enormous information exchange among the various segments on campus.
Dr. Taylor said that the Technology 2000 Campaign is underway.
He said that an e-campus task force had been formed, consisting of several faculty members, staff and students to make sure this goes forward in the Fall as smoothly as possible.
8. PRESIDENT'S REPORT
Dr. Roach reported that the capital campaign is going well. He said that he, Clemit and John Crawford have been doing a lot of work recently on the campaign, and had already met with several different prospective donors and
have gotten some commitments.
Mr. Boyd commended President Roach on the Strategic Planning Report.
9. OTHER
Legislative Report
Mr. Spruiell reported the Governor's budget recommendation allows a 5% increase over last year's appropriation for UWA. He stated a big issue in the budget process is that K-12 schools try to obtain a very large portion of the money from the Educational Trust Fund, which decreases the amount available for higher education.
Technology 2000 Campaign
Mr. Spruiell reviewed the organization of the Campaign and the work that has already been done, with the help of the Jerry Smith Group. He said there had been several planning meetings and orientation meetings for the staff who will work on this effort. He also said that a brochure had been developed, along with proposals and prospects. Mr. Spruiell said that there are currently over $700,000 in proposals that have been presented. He also informed the Board that they would also be solicited, as well as the faculty and staff.
Mr. Smith commended Mr. Spruiell and Dr. Roach for all of their work and encouraged the support from all of the trustees in this campaign.
Mr. Bunn said that several terms of Trustees have expired and he wanted to thank them for their service and dedication to the University, especially during the time he has served as Chair.
10. ADJOURNMENT
There was no other business, and Mr. Bunn adjourned the meeting at 12:05 p.m.