The University of West Alabama
Board of Trustees
December 13, 2004, 10:00 a.m.
Bell Conference Center

CALL TO ORDER
Mr. Alex Saad, Chairman pro tem, called the meeting to order and asked Dr. Joe Wilkins to give the invocation.
ROLL CALL
Ms. Earlene Lindsey, Assistant Secretary, called the roll and eight (8) trustees were in attendance. A quorum was present. [Note: Members attending were: Mr. Thomas Ballow, Jr., Mr. Terry Bunn, Mrs. Margaret Lovett, Mr. John Northcutt, Dr. Doris Oliveira, Mr. Alex Saad, Mr. Thed Spree, and Dr. Thomas Umphrey. Trustees not attending were: Mrs. Lena Hardaway, Mr. Robert D. Keahey, Mr. Preston C. Minus, Dr. Louise Nolen and Mr. John Smith.]
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Mr. Saad asked for a motion to approve today's Agenda. Dr. Umphrey made the motion to approve the Agenda, Mr. Tom Ballow seconded the motion, and the motion passed without opposition.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM SEPTEMBER 9, 2004, MEETING
Mr. Saad asked if there were any changes to the minutes from the last meeting. Dr. Tom Umphrey made a motion to approve the minutes from the Board meeting held on September 9, 2004, Mr. John Northcutt seconded the motion and the motion passed.
MR. DANNY PATTERSON, CHAIR, ALABAMA COMMISSION ON HIGHER EDUCATION
Dr. Holland announced that the Alabama Commission on Higher Education plans to have representatives visit each college campus in the State and that UWA was pleased to have two on campus today. He continued by introducing Mr. Thomas Davis from Tuscaloosa, who represents the Seventh District, and Chairman Danny Patterson, who lives in Mobile and has served on the Commission since 1997.
At this time, Mr. Patterson made a few remarks. He thanked President Holland, Mr. Saad, and the Board for the hospitality that was shown to him and Mr. Davis. He said he cares a lot about the State of Alabama, its colleges, and what is going on in this part of the State. He said he is trying to make sure the Boards of Trustees at the colleges understand that ACHE tries to plan, coordinate and advocate for higher education. He added that ACHE expects the Boards of Trustees to be held accountable for what they do and noted that he saw on the Agenda today the Commission's plan that will involve each Board of Trustees. These Boards will be required to provide a report to ACHE and the President of each university will also submit a report. These reports will provide information regarding what each university is doing in its area for the State of Alabama.
REPORT OF THE CHAIR
A. Land Use & Facility Committee (Conference Call) - Mr. Saad reported that this Committee had met a few weeks ago via telephone conference call, but no action was taken.
Mr. Saad announced that he would be appointing a committee right away to work with the Rodeo Booster Club.
B. Schedule for Board Meetings, 2004-2005 - Mr. Saad distributed a copy of a schedule for the meetings of the Board from 2004 through 2005, as well as the meeting dates for the Board committees. He requested that the University send out notices on each meeting in the future as a reminder, and if there are any conflicts, he requested that he or Dr. Holland be notified.
C. Other - Mr. Saad thanked everyone on the Board for the work they have done. He asked Dr. Umphrey to give a report from the Budget and Finance Committee.
REPORT OF BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE
Dr. Umphrey thanked Commissioner David and Chairman Patterson for the work the Commission does and for their attending the meeting today. He also thanked the faculty and staff for the outstanding job they have done to have the University's probation status removed by SACS.
Dr. Umphrey, Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, reported that this Committee met earlier today and reviewed the unified budget recommended by ACHE. The also had discussed the different points mentioned by the President's Council that will be a priority for next year's budget. The IPEDS Report was reviewed, specifically the comparisons of UWA and other institutions on tuition costs. He said an update for the current year spending was provided to the Committee, and they plan to meet probably around the end of February to review the budget for the coming year, discuss the enrollment for the Spring Semester and the projections for the coming year and receive another update on the current year spending.
REPORT OF COMMITTEE TO REVIEW AND REVISE UWA BYLAWS AND CHARTER
A. Proposed Calendar - Mr. Saad said he appointed a committee at a prior Board meeting to review and come up with a draft for the revision of the Board's Bylaws and to look at the current Charter under with the Board operates. He stated that SACS had been concerned that these two documents were not consistent and this resulted in his appointing the committee to resolve the matter. An initial meeting was held on October 4, 2004, and the revision of the Bylaws were discuss, along with a Board's policy manual that would address conflicts of interests and confidentiality statements.
B. Draft of Bylaws - Mr. Saad said everyone was given a copy of the draft of the Revised Bylaws, with the changes noted in RED. He asked all Trustees to review the document and call him if anything should be added or changed. This Committee will meet again in January and, hopefully, the Bylaws can be adopted at the March 2005 meeting. Mr. Saad asked for any comments on the draft, and noted that the Bylaws and Charter are being reviewed at the same time and he hopes to have the documents ready to be considered by the Legislature in the early Spring.
REPORT FROM PROVOST
A. State Plan for Alabama Higher Education 2003-04 to 2008-09 - Dr. David Taylor, Provost, said each Trustee received a copy of the State Plan for Higher Education 2003-04 to 2008-09, and accompanying the Plan was a two-page schematic which summarized the Plan. As noted in the preface, Dr. Taylor said, this is a product of a group of representatives from two-year institutions and post-secondary institutions operating in the State of Alabama. He said the Plan is self-explanatory, the planning assumptions are clear, the defined goals are defined explicitly, and the assessment instructions are very clear. Dr. Taylor mentioned the five major goal areas because these will be the topics that UWA will be addressing in its report. The five goals are: access, cooperation, quality, resources, and workforce development. He said that he and Mrs. Patricia Pratt, Director of Institutional Effectiveness, have been working in the past few weeks to identify the activity in each of these areas within the University. This information will be provided to the Board to assist it in its annual trustee report to the Commission. Thus far, Dr. Taylor said, they were extremely pleased to find out what UWA is doing to comply with each of the five goals. The trustee report is an annual report and will be due May 1st. The institution's report will be an oral report that will be presented by President Holland to the Commission, with an accompanying written report. As he understood, this process would take place over the next five years. Dr. Taylor also pointed out that Dr. Joe Wilkins serves as UWA's representative on the Planning Commission.
B. Reed Odyssey Program - Dr. Taylor said many had the honor and privilege of working many years with Mr. Nat Reed, both as a professor, a dean, and later as a provost at UWA. He said Mr. Reed left an indelible mark not only on the University, but also on so many other facets of the region – the public library, the Methodist Church, the fine arts and many others. A housing facility on the campus was named in his honor. As a scholar, Mr. Reed possessed a broad range of knowledge. He and Mrs. Reed were energetic travelers and she has chosen to commemorate his life with an endowment to establish a travel series for students who could engage in the particular type of travel that enhances and is enhances by the study of literature. It would be named the Nat Reed Literary Odyssey. Dr. Taylor said that the Trustees have in their packets a detailed description of the Odyssey and stated that today the University wishes to remember the many contributions of Mr. Reed and to formally acknowledge Mrs. Violet Reed's generous gift and what it will mean to the students in the years to come. He asked Mrs. Reed to stand.
C. McIlwain Bell Awards - Dr. Taylor said the McIlwain Bell Awards were established in 1996, through an endowment provided by Mr. and Mrs. L. G. Cunningham. He said Mrs. Cunningham is the daughter of Mrs. Bell, who was a native of Choctaw County and a graduate of this institution.
The McIlwain Bell Award includes a plaque and a check for $1,000. Candidates for the awards are nominated by fellow employees of the University and are selected by a committee of their peers. Dr. Taylor indicated to Chairman Saad that he had before him a list of the recommended recipients for the Board's approval.
Dr. Umphrey made a motion to approve the slate of recipients for the McIlwain Bell Awards, Mr. Northcutt seconded the motion, and the motion passed unanimously. Those receiving the awards were as follows:
Professor/Trustee Award Dr. Joe B. Wilkins
Professional Staff Award Mrs. Patricia Pratt
Support Staff Award Mrs. Fannie Tucker
Each of the recipients thanked the University and the Committee for this honor. Mr. Saad congratulated the recipients on their awards.
REPORT FROM FACULTY SENATE
Dr. Richard Schellhammer reported that the Faculty shares with the Board of Trustees the delight of being off SACS probation. He said they believe this demonstrates the positive benefit of faculty, staff and students working with the Board to make this happen. Additionally, Dr. Schellhammer thanked the Board for the 4% salary increase and noted the appreciation of both the faculty and staff.
Dr. Schellhammer said the Faculty Senate is awaiting the report of the Ad Hoc Merit Pay Committee and how this will affect two issues – 1) how the merit pay would affect across-the-board raises and 2) how merit pay would lead to divisiveness among the faculty.
REPORT FROM STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION
Mr. Danny Hyche reported that the Fall Semester has been a phenomenal time. The SGA has given $20,000 to help initiate the Focus First program, and Mr. Hyche said over 200 students have already been screened for participation in this program.
Mr. Hyche announced that UWA students are signing up for Collegiate Legislature, which will be in February. This program is offered to teach students about the government and legislative process.
UWA students are also planning for the Higher Education Day in Montgomery and Mr. Hyche said that two bus loads of students attended last year.
The SGA also has a committee to address any problem that students may have on campus, particularly at the Cafeteria. Mr. Hyche said that most of the problems have already been addressed by the President and the students are seeing improvements. He said more security has been requested, especially in the dorms, improvements in the computer labs, and other problems have been discussed with the President and are being reviewed. Mr. Hyche said the students look forward to a great Spring Semester.
PRESIDENT'S REPORT
A. SACS Report - Dr. Holland said that SACS removed the probation status on the University and there are so many people to thank. He said going through the process of addressing the probation, he believed everyone had learned something and it is not time to step forward and do great things for the institution.
B. December 2004 Commencement - Next Saturday, December 18, is Commencement and Lt. Governor Lucy Baxley will be the guest speaker. There will be 300 students to graduate. Dr. Holland said the weather is supposed to be very cold, but he encouraged the Trustees to attend.
C. Student Affairs - The Wellness Center has been renovated; the Admissions' staff attended more than 120 college day meetings at schools which helps recruiting efforts; and UWA has hosted several regional counselor workshops.
D. Enrollment Report - The projection for next semester, which is very preliminary, indicates about a 10% increase over last year. Dr. Holland said that students are still pre-registering and classes begin on January 10. Enrollment figures for the next Fall Semester indicates there are about 50 more than last year at this time and transfer students have increased by 12 over last year. UWA has awarded about 25 more scholarships than last year at this time. Dr. Holland expressed his appreciation to Mr. Buckalew and his staff for the work they are doing, as well as faculty, in the recruiting efforts.
E. Regional Center for Community and Economic Development - The Center has had a very active year. Its staff worked with Mannington and due to their efforts, the company has expanded and some 85 jobs have been added. Dr. Holland said the staff has also been working with officials in York and Uniontown trying to get more industries, and have been working closely with the Coleman Center in York which resulted in their receiving a $20,000 grant recently. A newsletter from the RCCED was distributed to the Trustees.
F. Institutional Advancement - The Board was provided a detailed report from this office. Dr. Holland reported than an alumni directory had been published this year, the Annual Fund donations this year have gone over $200,000 which resulted in exceeding the goal by 88%.
G. Athletic Report - A summary report from Athletic Director Dee Outlaw was provided to the Board; Football recruiting has begun; Rodeo had a good year; Men's Basketball record is 6 – 4; Women's Basketball record is 5 – 5; and a new Tennis coach has been hired. Adding the tennis program resulted in changes in NCAA requirements.
H. Demopolis Higher Education Center - UWA is currently offering graduate courses at the Demopolis Center, as well as Continuing Education courses. Additionally, the University's Small Business Development Center is working there.
I. Update on Renovation Projects - Bids have been received on three major renovation projects – Cafeteria, tennis courts and parking lots; however, the bids were all over budget, so they will be re-bid later. The tennis courts have to be in place by August and the architect believes the next bids will be within budget so the work can be done on time. Ivan storm damage resulted in contractors being in such demand and this apparently has caused them to bid high on projects.
J. IPEDS Data Feedback Report: 2004 - A copy of this report was placed in the Trustees' packets. It is a summary from the National Postsecondary Education Cooperative and ranks UWA with a number of peer institutions throughout the nation as to core revenues and expenditures per FTE student, percent distribution of scholarship and fellowship expenditures, percent of undergraduate students receiving financial aid, average amount of financial aid received by undergraduate students, total FTE enrollment, percent of students and fulltime faculty by selected categories, instructional staff, and average fulltime instructional faculty salaries for nine-month contracts by selected ranks and gender.
OTHER ITEMS
Lastly, Dr. Holland reminded everyone that there would be a Christmas Open House today at the President's Home from 2:00 to 4:00 for faculty and staff, and encouraged everyone to attend.
Dr. Oliveira inquired if it would be possible to determine how many of the local high school students have enrolled at UWA and indicated this would tell how well the University was doing if a good number of local students attended. Dr. Holland replied that Mr. Buckalew's office could respond to this question, but he remembered from last year's graduates at the local schools, 25 went to college and 17 came to UWA. Also, he said of 18 graduates from York schools who attended college, 11 came to UWA.
Mr. Saad asked if there were any other comments or business. He also commended Mrs. Reed for the endowment to the University and, particularly, her time that she so graciously gives to the University.
ADJOURNMENT
A motion was made by Mr. Northcutt to adjourn, Dr. Umphrey seconded the motion, and the motion passed. The meeting adjourned at 11:10 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Lena Hardaway
Secretary

Earlene Lindsey
Assistant Secretary