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President's Advisory
Council :: Minutes
March 1, 2005
Official Minutes
Present: Alcorn, Blackwell, Brockman,
Fowler, Goodson, Hudson, Kvinta, McCrohan, McGuill, Moya,
Murphy, Rollins, Ross, Russell, Stafford, Jaso, O’Connor,
Rivera, Saxon, Schaefer, Simons, Thomas, Walker,
Also Attending: Irene Barr (invited
guest of Randy Clapp)
Absent: Brockman, Clapp, Davenport,
Hernandez, Meyer (Post), Rivera, Thomas, Ward, Wu
I.
Organizational Business
A.
Approval of Minutes – The minutes from the December 7,
2004 PAC meeting were approved as written.
B.
Review of PAC By-Laws – Dr. Hudson asked that the
members give consideration to a revision of the by-laws. The
proposed revisions would provide more flexibility with regard
to the number of meetings and increase the effectiveness by
reducing the size. Noting that he had already received some
input on the suggested changes, Dr. Hudson asked that the
by-law changes be approved at the June meeting. Copies of the
proposed changes were included in the packets.
C.
Nominations for representation on PAC – Discussion
addressed the need for one or more representatives from Ft.
Bend County to be included on PAC. It was stated that
students at UHSSL represent a large percentage of our current
enrollment. A voluntary nominating committee was requested to
research possible members. Kay Kerr Walker will chair the
nominating committee. William Schaefer, Hernan Jaso and
Willie Rollins will assist.
Due to the
impending expiration of some terms Mr. Saxon addressed the
need for a nominating committee to recommend possible
candidates for these vacancies. Recommendations may be sent to
any of the nominating committee members. Decisions will be
made when PAC meets in June.
As past chair
of the nominating committee, Loleat Ross mentioned that she
had sent a letter of introduction to candidates. When
interviewing possible candidates, she noted the need to
emphasize the necessary time commitment that the position
requires. All agreed.
II. President’s Report
Dr. Hudson updated PAC regarding
testimony given to the Senate House Finance and House
Appropriations committees in Austin. Dr. Hudson gave a
special note of thanks to Regent O’Connor for her assistance
at the recent hearings. During the hearings he talked about
UHV’s unique profile and population we serve; especially
noting financing needs for the new nursing program and our
existing L.E.A.D. program. Also addressed was the need for
Tuition Revenue Bonds, as well as a request that previous
legislative cutbacks be restored and that the state return to
the old formula for funding.
Dr. Hudson then brought the UHSSL
Building Project to the attention of PAC with a request for
input, he asked that all members review and evaluate to see if
any change needed. The proposed building project is a $30
million complex. The state will fund half of the cost UHV
will need to raise the remaining half. A terrific response
has been received from the city of Sugar Land and Wharton
County Junior College.
The UHV School of Business had just
completed a site visit from AACSB accreditation team.
Currently in the US, only 16% of all business programs are
accredited. Globally, the percentage is 22%. The team
commended UHV for the business self-study program. The final
decision will be issued in April.
Dr. Hudson noted that discussions
regarding tuition increases continue. The UHS Board of
Regents has asked for recommendations by early April. An
increase of between 4-7% is expected. UHCL is asking the Board
for the upper limit should the state dollars not come
through. However, Dr. Hudson is not inclined to go this
route. Instead, he is inclined to ask for a specific increase
that will work with our budget. Whatever the increase, the
implementation date is critical because application deadlines
for Pell Grants and other sources of financial aid are
impacted.
International initiatives and study
abroad programs have provided the opportunity to some UHV
students to study in London. These programs are encouraged UH
System-wide. UHS has invited Dr. Hudson to be part of a
brainstorming committee on international initiatives.
Also noted is the UHS Board of Regents
meeting that will be held on campus on May 19.
III. Faculty Presentation
Dr. Smith provided an update on the dean
searches for the schools of Art & Sciences and Education as
both Dr. Jaeckle and Dr. Natividad have decided to return to
teaching fulltime. Other vacancies include one faculty
replacement, one retirement, and one resignation. Ads for
those positions have been posted. A total of eight searches
are currently being conducted. August is the targeted date
for having the new deans in place. This will allow them time
to relocate and prepare prior to the beginning of fall
semester.
Dr. Smith reported that the ad for
director of the nursing program is currently running. They
are looking to have faculty in place by fall 2006.
Dr. Hudson noted that Rep. Morrison is
working with UH to change the language of UHV’s mission
statement to include “graduate” degrees instead of “masters”
degrees. This change will circumvent or eliminate long term
limitations meaning doctoral degree programs could be added in
the future.
IV. Fundraising Update
Richard Phillips provided PAC a
fundraising update for 2005. The Friends of the University
campaign had exceeded its goal of $130,000. A total of
$206,000 had been collected in that total was a very generous
gift of $100,000 from the Johnson Foundation. To date,
overall pledges of $535,000 including 56 new donors have been
received. Last year’s total pledges equaled $377,000. He
noted that the Alumni Telephone Drive is coming up.
In celebration of the University Center’s
5th year, Mr. Phillips encouraged all to consider utilizing
the UHV Brick campaign when gift giving.
V. Enrollment Update
Dr. Margaret Rice provided handouts
detailing scholarship recipient statistics by both year and
student profile, with a comparison of years from 1999-2000 to
2004-05. The data was also broken down by campus, school,
GPA, the top eight counties, ethnicity and enrollment status.
Total scholarships available, disbursed and received all
showed a steady increase. In 2000, over $400,000 in
financial aid was awarded. In 2004, a total of $650,000 was
awarded.
VI. Student Presentation
Robin Cadle,
Student Senate Representative, gave an informative
presentation. Student Senate is a non-profit, elected
governing body to promote students and student issues. Last
year, new senate at large positions were added from Sugar Land
and Cinco Ranch. The bad news is we currently have four
unfilled positions.
Robin Cadle
reported that the Staff Council officers (Cadle, Randy Faulk
and Faye Landry) attended a joint staff council meeting held
on Feb. 17th after the morning session of the BOR meeting at
UHCL. Topics covered included staff development, compensation
and the creation of a System Staff Council under Strategic
Principle 6, Initiative 24.
Her
presentation highlighted the leadership opportunities afforded
students at UHV - representation and membership on Cabinet,
financial aid and scholarship committee, presidential search
committees, UHS strategic planning committee, assisting with
fall and spring commencements, attending UH Day at the Capital
and last week’s open forum with the Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board Commissioner, Raymund Paredes. Upcoming
events in the next two months include a Question & Answer
session with Dr. Hudson, tuition and fees hearing,
collaboration with VC on the Mariachi Conference, and Fiesta
Day.
VII.
Guest Presentation - Dwayne Bennett
Victoria Boy’s & Girl’s Club – 202 Hopkins
Dwayne
Bennett, Executive Director of the Boy’s and Girl’s Club of
Victoria, Inc., gave a summary of his background. He
previously worked with United Way and the Boy’s & Girls Clubs
in Houston. He outlined the many programs the Victoria BGC
offers for teens and younger children to encourage them to
continue their education. Currently they serve about 700 area
children, ages 6-18, averaging 150 kids per day.
He also noted
that because the majority of these kids come from single
parent homes, most lacking a male role model, and the BGC is
looking for an additional male.
He also
addressed the need to improve circumstances at Boys and Girls
Club here in Victoria by offering more youth oriented
programs. “The Power Hour” program allows each child to
receive assistance while at the club. These programs are
tailored for kids and are fun and entertaining. For teens,
the Graduation program shows where and how to look for higher
education funds. In recent meetings they have placed an added
emphasis on re-engaging teenagers. He also outlined the
service programs that give back to the community, such as the
reading-to-seniors program.
Mr. Bennett
also talked about a recent visit they had made to Baylor when
he brought along eight or nine kids to meet the basketball
coach. While there these children also had the opportunity to
visit with other faculty members and college students. They
hope to set up a trip to Texas A & M soon.
He closed
with a challenge to UHV to become more involved with the Boy’s
and Girl’s Club of Victoria, Inc.
VIII. Roundtable Brainstorming
Dr. Hudson
says most universities that offer graduate programs move into
the area of endowed professorships. This enhances the
reputation of the university. Endowed professorships would be
a magnificent way for UHV to move forward into the global
market for attracting and retaining professors. A university
with endowed professorships carries with it a certain amount
of prestige in the community. Addressing the need for UHV to
be competitive nationally would require raising funds of
$250,000. We have some matching money and are hopeful to
acquire more. However, all endowed professorships have to be
funded by private donations, not state monies.
Note:
Next PAC Meeting, June 7, 2005, 3:00PM, UHV-UC Multipurpose
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