IHL May meeting minutes: the rest of the story

http://www.ihl.state.ms.us/admin/downloads/BdMay05.pdf

New operating principles going into effect

p. 1

1. Ms. Newton reiterated the operating principles adopted by the Board in its Governance Model. Those principles include the following:
- Focus on policies, goals, and strategic direction, resisting all steps to micromanage and direct involvement at the operational level of the universities.
- Let higher education professionals (the Institutional Executive Officers and the Commissioner) perform their leadership responsibilities and hold them accountable for attaining agreed upon goals.
- Approach all decisions from the perspective of what is best for the State of Mississippi and the students of our universities.
- Ensure that all Board members set aside institutional loyalties and allegiance.
- Maintain trust, respect and open dialog among Board members. • Make changes in the Board’s structure and agenda so that Board meetings are less chaotic and more effective.
- Bring clarity in roles, responsibilities, and relationships among Board members, the Institutional Executive Officers, and the Commissioner.

2. Ms. Newton set out her goals for this year.
a. Implementation of the new Governance Model.
b. Final resolution of the allocation model and the funding formula. Stabilized funding is a goal but it is dependent on others.
c. Achieve a better understanding of the academic area. At the planning retreat, the Board agreed to hold at least one educational session a year to discuss the issues of faculty tenure and academics. Ms. Newton asked Dr. Crofts and his staff to develop an educational session regarding faculty, how one seeks and achieves tenure, the role of department chairs and deans, and the philosophy of shared governance.
With the establishment of new committees, the following assumptions were made. 1) All Ayers implementation issues will be considered by the appropriate standing committee. There will not be a separate committee for Ayers. 2) The Black History Month is a task force to be appointed at the appropriate time. 3) The Legislative Committee is a staff function with Board support. Board members will be utilized as necessary for their various contacts. 4) Additional ad hoc committees and task forces will be appointed on an as needed basis.
...
4. Ms. Newton remarked that in the past the universities have graciously hosted the Board dinners on the Wednesday nights before the Board meetings. At the planning retreat, the Board agreed that having a dinner every month was not in order. There will not be monthly dinners.

Field trip opportunities

p. 3

Ms. Newton recognized Dr. Andy Mullins, Executive Assistant to the Chancellor at The University of Mississippi. Dr. Mullins introduced Dr. Tim Letzring and his advanced public policy class in education. Every year Dr. Letzring’s class attends one of the Board meetings to observe this Board and other education entities.

More powers to Commissioner (first reading)

pp. 4-5

System Administration - Approved the proposed amendments to the Board Policies and Bylaws - 401.0102 Delegation of Authority - for first reading, as follows:

401.0102 DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY

Acting under appropriate statutory authority, the Board of Trustees hereby empowers the Commissioner and the Institutional Executive Officers of the several institutions to make all appointments and promotions of faculty and staff except as otherwise noted below:

a. Board approval shall be required for creation, appointment, elimination, or significant modification of the position of Vice Chancellor, Provost, Vice President, Dean, or Associate/Assistant Provost, Vice President or Vice Chancellor who supervises Deans. Board approval shall also be required for the appointment of any employee making a salary of $50,000 or more.
b. Board approval shall be required for the award of tenure, the final, involuntary separation of an employee to be effective during the term of an employment contract, and where applicable creation, elimination, or modification of categories of appointments as approved by the Board.
c. Acceptance of the resignation of an employee with a written contract on behalf of the Board may be made by the Commissioner for the System Office and the Institutional Executive Officers of the several institutions. ...

System-level funding priorities

4. System Administration - Approved the following funding priorities for the Fiscal Year 2007 appropriation request:
a. Ayers Settlement Funding;
b. Stable funding for the base budget (i.e., replacing one time monies with general fund monies);
c. Full funding using the funding formula;
d. Multi-year salary increases;
e. Funding to cover the increased cost of doing business (as measured by increases in the Higher Education Price Index and by costs to operate new and renovated buildings);
f. Funding for unfunded built-ins;
g. Full funding for State Financial Aid; and h. Capital Renewal Funding (deferred maintenance).

Salary increases?

p. 5

6. System Administration - Approved the FY 2006 salary increase guidelines, as follows: State funds will not be appropriated for salary increases for FY 2006. If the financial condition of the institution or agency permits, other funds may be used to award salary increases for meritorious performance, market adjustments, or equity adjustments at the discretion of the Institutional Executive Officer.

Proposed new policy for evaluation of presidents

p. 12

301.0802 INSTITUTIONAL EXECUTIVE OFFICER ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION

The objective of the Institutional Executive Officer Assessment/Evaluation is to promote good communication and build strong working relationships between the Institutional Executive Officer (IEO), the Commissioner, the Board of Trustees, and the campus constituencies. The assessment is designed to provide each Institutional Executive Officer with feedback on performance and the opportunity for professional reflection and development. The performance reviews of the IEOs will be conducted every year.
A. The Commissioner of Higher Education has primary responsibility for the annual evaluation of the IEO. The Commissioner’s annual evaluation shall include at a minimum:
1. An assessment of institutional performance at the system level,
2. An assessment of individual performance goals and specific performance indicators reflective of long-term strategic institutional goals, and
3. A written evaluation by the Commissioner.
B. The Commissioner will seek input on IEO performance from on-campus constituent groups and external constituencies.
C. The Commissioner will share the written evaluation of the IEO with the person being assessed and will provide the IEO with a copy and the opportunity to add a statement responding to the assessment and adding any additional information as appropriate. The written evaluation and any IEO response will then be shared with the Board of Trustees.
D. Based on the results of the evaluation, a written, personal development plan for the following year shall be developed by the IEO and approved by the Commissioner.
E. The Commissioner shall report to the Board of Trustees the process being used for IEO assessment at the beginning of each annual cycle.

New duties for Commissioner

pp. 13-14

Revised duties for presidents, making Commissioner the line for reporting

pp. 14-15

Monthly termination report

p. 18

University of Southern Mississippi
Mader, Lisa S.

Commissioner's report

pp. 24-25

...One of the things that Dr. Crofts was most interested in and concerned about at the recent meeting with ACT was that they are going to become more aggressive and detailed about the rigor of the high school curriculum....

Commissioner Search Committee report

p. 25

Ms. Newton reported that Dr. Jan Greenwood, the consultant from Greenwood and Associates, Inc., placed the ad about the available position for Commissioner of Higher Education in The Clarion-Ledger and in the Chronicle of Higher Education, The Hispanic Outlook, and Black Issues. Dr. Greenwood is actively recruiting in the market and has fifty-three nominations thus far.

Presidents' Council Report

pp. 26-27

FY 2006 Salary Increase Guidelines: There was a discussion on making salary increases a priority for the Board to push with legislators for FY 2007.
- Dr. Crofts recommended that the IEOs be prepared to talk about how salary increases will be impacted by tuition increases.
- Dr. Khayat suggested that the Board conduct a visible campaign for funding IHL institutions.
- Dr. Lee suggested that IHL look at getting out from under the state health system plan.
- Dr. Bristow made a recommendation to conduct a study on the impact of insurance costs on hourly employees.

....- The funding allocation for FY 2006 was also discussed. There was disagreement over the implementation of the proposed allocation for FY 2006 since it might involve the impact of a sudden change on others at a difficult time. ...

Make friends with your new neighbor

p. 27

ANNOUNCEMENT
1. Ms. Newton pointed out the new seating arrangements for the Board members. Each member is seated beside someone they have not been seated by in the past.

Details of presidential evaluations (draft)

pp. 45-47

[Main bullets only -- worth reading in full]

The following criteria will be used in the evaluation process:
a. General Administrative Effectiveness Including Management of Human, Fiscal and Physical Resources
b. Working Relations with the System and the Campus
c. Academic Leadership and Effectiveness
d. Community Relations
e. Major Achievements of the Campus and the Institutional Executive Officer
f. Personal Characteristics

Robinson's proposed amendments on board meeting procedure, with revised sections on "Decorum and Speaking" and "Questions of Personal Privilege"

p. 58

Exhibit 6 Ms. Robinson’s proposed amendments to the Board Policies and Bylaws – 301.0512 Meeting Rules of Order–for first reading.