http://www.ihl.state.ms.us/newsstory.asp?ID=360

BOARD OF TRUSTEES HOLDS FIRST MEETING IN NEW BOARD ROOM

11/16/2005 (Jackson, MS ) -

The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) will hold its November committee and Board meetings in its recently renovated Board room, located on the main floor of the Universities Center, adjacent to the IHL Tower Building. The Board room renovation, approved by the Board during its May, 2004 meeting, has been under construction since December, 2004. The new room will give more people access to the process of higher education policy-making through its expanded physical space as well as the use of advanced technology such as teleconferencing and webcasting capabilities.

The original Board room, located on the 9th floor of the IHL Tower Building, was constructed in 1969 to comfortably hold 45 people. At that time, the system only had 44,000 students. Today, with a system boasting 69,000 students, meeting attendance frequently doubles the room’s original capacity, forcing many visitors to stand. In addition to limited seating, the original Board room had neither adequate fire exits as required by code nor handicapped-accessible public restrooms.

The new Board room has the ability to comfortably seat over 120 persons, and has adequate fire exits and access to handicapped-accessible public restrooms. Enhanced, modern features, such as more space, wireless networking, teleconferencing and webcasting capabilities, will enable more citizen access to the process of higher education policy-making.

“All of this is an attempt to make the work of the Board of Trustees even more transparent to the public to whom it is responsible,” said Commissioner of Higher Education Dr. Thomas Meredith.

Many private individuals, including past Board members and corporate sponsors, donated private funds of over $44,000 to help offset the room’s $593,000 construction cost. Past Board member contributors include William Austin, Jr., B.L. Chain, Frank Crosthwait, Jr., Will Hickman, J. Marlin Ivey, William Jones, Jr., Cassie Pennington, Denton Rogers and James Woods. The Leo W. Seal Family Foundation also contributed, along with two corporate sponsors: AmSouth Bank with a $10,000 donation, and the largest sponsor, BellSouth, contributing $25,000. The individual Board members who contributed will be honored during the November Board meeting, and representatives from AmSouth and BellSouth will be recognized during the December meeting.

Under the leadership of the Board of Trustees, IHL provides guidance and management for the public universities in Mississippi, including Alcorn State University; Delta State University; Jackson State University; Mississippi State University including the Mississippi State University Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine; Mississippi University for Women; Mississippi Valley State University; the University of Mississippi including the University of Mississippi Medical Center; and the University of Southern Mississippi.



###