Nota Bene: Fall Board of Trustees Meeting

October 26, 2015

The Virginia Wesleyan Board of Trustees held their Fall Meeting on Wednesday, October 21, in the Shafer Room of Boyd Dining Center.

In addition to reviewing progress and reports on a wide variety of campus programs and projects, the Board recognized two Vice Presidents who will be retiring this fall.  Mita Vail, Vice President for Advancement, was presented a resolution, recognizing her 5 years of leadership in alumni and development.  David Buckingham, Vice President for Student Affairs, was recognized with the distinction "Dean Emeritus" for his 33 years as the Chief Student Affairs Officer.

The Board also heard a presentation about the QEP from Dr. Sara Sewell, Executive Director of the Center for Experiential Learning (recently dedicated as The Lighthouse). 
Members of the Board heard reports from Board Committees. The Board of Trustees Audit Committee:

• Presented an overview of the audit process by Russell Coleman and Trish Blue from Cherry Bekaert.
• Reviewed the audit report for the twelve months which ended June 30, 2015
• Reviewed the audit management letter comments for the twelve months which ended June 30, 2015
• Reviewed the Student Financial Aid Programs audit report for the twelve months which ended June 30, 2015.

The Board formally accepted the report. It was noted that the auditors apologized to the Committee for a clerical error that led to the College inadvertently being listed on a Department of Education monitoring list.
Reports from the Executive Committee/President's Roundtable included the following:

• Review and discussion of The Institutional Review conducted by James V. Koch and his associates
• An update on a pending litigation
• Discussion of plans for a new academic building for the Arts including fund raising assessment and planning.

The report from the Enrollment Committee included the following highlights:

• A final Fall Semester enrollment report -- 1,442 headcount (1,306 traditional full-time, 29 full-time in the American Culture and Tourism Management Internship Program, 27 full-time in the Adult Studies Program)
• An overview of the Enrollment Assessment conducted by The Dysart Group of Charlotte
• The Action Plan resulting from the Enrollment Assessment
• A discussion of new initiatives to grow traditional, residential, non-traditional, and high school dual credit/advanced scholars over the next three to five years
• An overview of the implementation of the Enrollment Growth Plan for 2015-16, including new staffing trends, enrollment management strategy, mix matrix marketing, "front loading" financial aid, the Enrollment Matrix (financial aid leveraging), funnel management, public versus independent considerations, technology, and the new enrollment call center.

A joint meeting of the Finance Committee & Buildings and Grounds Committee reported on:

• The June 30, 2015 Financial Report (a preview to the final audit report)
• A final financial report on the $2.966 million Birdsong Field project.  A dedication is scheduled for Oct. 24.
• Budget projections for the current fiscal year (FY 2016); Heard a report on budget adjustments as a result of actual revenues.
• Approved due diligence report for the VWC/YMCA partnership facility with the authorization to proceed within the revenue parameters from the YMCA
• Approval of a five year exclusive beverage contract (with specific conditions and enhancements) with PepsiCo.
• Formally accepted the terms of the donation for the Greer Environmental Sciences Center and authorized the administration to negotiate (with legal counsel input) an AIA agreement.
• A report on early discussions regarding the development of privatized housing on 12 college-owned acres directly across Wesleyan Drive at the front of the campus 
• An update on plans to grow the Annual Fund and auxiliary revenues.

The Board of Trustees Educational Policies Committee report included:

• The Academic Program Report by the Vice President for Academic Affairs.  This included a comprehensive review of publications and research by faculty and students, enhancements of the curriculum and facilities, “equality of access to high impact experiences,” plans for program expansion, and community service/engagement.
• A review of the SACS Reaffirmation of Accreditation team visit and recommendations. The report was “very good with only two minor recommendations. 
• The plan by the Vice President for Academic Affairs to address the recommendations.

The Board of Trustees Student Affairs Committee reported:

• Key activities of the eight offices represented in the department
• The Athletics Report including a discussion of athletic facilities upgrades
• The Report of the Chaplain
• The Report of the Office of Community Service.

The Board of Trustees Development and Public Relations Committee report included:

• Discussion of a new revenue initiatives
• Discussion of procurement of outside funding (approximately $300,000) for Facility Assessment, Space Utilization Study, Parking Study, Corrective Maintenance Plan, and 10-year Campus Master Plan
• Progress reports on the Greer Environmental Sciences Center, Birdsong Field, YMCA partnership center, proposed arts facility, and privatized development of the 12 acres owned by the College directly across from the campus entrance
• Discussion of the retirement of Mita Vail and the search for a new Vice President for Advancement
• Action plan for the Center for Advancement and Center for Enrollment Management, both in Godwin Hall; both are scheduled for completion by November 1. 
• Discussion of the new 14 station enrollment and alumni call center in Pruden Hall
• Advancement Report, including year-to-date giving, alumni participation, and major gifts
• Approval for naming an office in the athletic department suite as "the Coach Richard Drake Track and Field Office"
• Discussion of the dedication of Birdsong Field on October 24 at 11:00 a.m.
• Update on the work of the new Publications Committee, charged with drafting policy recommendations for standardization of graphics and some content for campus publications
• Communications Report including an overview of new and updated publications, completed web projects and social media initiatives

The Investment Committee reported on the following actions:

• Reviewed Management's Report for the twelve months which ended June 30, 2015
  Reviewed Commonfund's Quarterly Report for the quarter ending June 30, 2015
• Reviewed Management's Report to the Investment Committee for the two months ending August 31, 2015
• Reviewed Commonfund's Report for the two month's ending August 31, 2015

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