October 18, 2007
A meeting of the University Council was held on Thursday, Oct. 18, 2007, at 3 p.m. in the Robert Ball Conference Center in the Virginia BioTechnology Research Park.
The following members and alternates were present:
Officers: Dr. Stephen D. Gottfredson, Vice Chair; Elaine S. Abernethy, Recording Secretary; and Mr. David L. Ross, Parliamentarian.
Administration: Dr. Beverly J. Warren, Dr. F. Douglas Boudinot, , Mr. John M. Bennett, Dr. Francis L. Macrina, Dr. Henry G. Rhone, Mr. Mark D. Willis, Mr. John Ulmschneider, and Mr. Peter L. Wyeth.
Faculty: Dr. Amy J. Armstrong, Dr. Dianne Jewell, Dr. Janice M. Watson, Dr. Robert L. Andrews, Dr. D. Robley Wood, Dr. Fred Certosimo, Dr. Scott E. Ross, Dr. Ashok Iyer, Dr. Linda Corey, Dr. Patricia Cummins, Mr. Daniel L. Ream, Dr. David E. Latane, Dr. Glenda U. Palmer, Dr. Inez Tuck, Dr. Wesley J. Poynor, Dr. Evan M. Sisson, Dr. Melissa Abell, Dr. Anthony Mallon, and Ms. Denise Branch.
Classified Staff: Ms. Tammy L. Berwanger, Ms. Ebony S. Brown, Mr. Stephen Clark, Ms. Delores D. Collier, and Ms. Dawn M. Mooney.
Students: Ms. Jessica Lee, Ms. Maggie Obrien, Ms. Fatima Syed, Mr. Mohammad Sayed, Mr. Srinath Adusumalli, Ms. Giza High, and Ms. Meng Wang.
Guests: Mr. Rick Boyko, Ms. Anne Buckley, Ms. Cathleen Burke, Dr. John Clore, Dr. Robert Holsworth, Dr. Thomas Huff, Dr. Nancy Langston, Dr. Joseph Marolla, Ms. Lori Michener, Dr. Napoleon L. Peoples, Dr. Reuban Rodriguez, Dr. David Sarrett, Ms. Delores T. Taylor, and Dr. Elizabeth Turf, Ms. LaForest Williams.
Dr. Gottfredson welcomed Council members.
The minutes of the Sept. 5, 2007, University Council meeting were approved.
A Proposal to Change the Department Structure of the School of Nursing from three departments to two departments was presented. Dr. Sarrett discussed details of the proposal. A general discussion followed with Drs. Sarrett and Langston responding to questions. A motion was made and unanimously approved to recommend the aforementioned proposal to the president.
A proposal to rename the VCU Adcenter to the VCU Brandcenter was presented. Dr. Holsworth discussed highlights of the proposal. Mr. Boyko discussed the make-up of the Adcenter Advisory Board. A general discussion followed with Dr. Holsworth and Mr. Boyko responding to questions. A motion was made and unanimously approved to recommend the aforementioned proposal to the president.
A proposal to establish the Center for Clinical and Translational Research was presented. Drs. Macrina and Clore discussed details of the proposal and responded to questions. A motion was made and unanimously approved to recommend the aforementioned proposal to the President.
Dr. Gottfredson informed council members that the above proposals were all reviewed and approved by the University Council Academic Affairs Committee.
The International Program in Addiction Studies (IPAS)-Master of Science in Addiction Studies was presented. Dr. Sarrett discussed slight changes to the program noting it will be forwarded to the State Council for Higher Education for review and approval as amended. A general discussion followed with Drs. Sarrett and Turf responding to questions.
An update on VCU Core Curriculum was presented. Dr. Gottfredson commended everyone who was involved in the process. Dr. Marolla discussed the 21-credit core curriculum program. Dr. Gottfredson noted that this program has been implemented and is underway. A general discussion followed with Drs. Gottfredson and Marolla responding to questions.
A campaign report was presented. Mr. Wyeth reported that VCU raised a total of $410,341,216 surpassing its goal of $330.5 million from eight years ago. He noted that VCU is a DDR (double designated and restricted) university. Sixty donors gave 56 percent of the donations and 54 donors gave in excess of $1 million. The goal this year is $70 million, with $21 million raised thus far. A general discussion followed with Mr. Wyeth responding to questions.
A budget update was presented. Mr. Bennett discussed the handout outlining approved FY 2008 budget reduction strategies. He noted these strategies will be forwarded to the VCU Board of Visitors along with a six year financial plan for review and approval at their Nov. 9, 2007, meeting. A general discussion followed with Dr. Gottfredson and Mr. Bennett responding to questions.
An enrollment update was presented. Dr. Rhone noted that more students are saying “yes” to VCU, and VCU is becoming first choice for many graduating seniors. This is the first year there has been a waiting list. Ms. Taylor discussed enrollment statistics, noting that VCU has 31,892 students currently enrolled. The recent Open House was extremely successful with the next one scheduled for Nov. 3, 2007. Dr. Boudinot discussed graduate statistics, noting the recruitment/admissions cycle is underway. A general discussion followed with Drs. Rhone and Boudinot, and Ms. Taylor responding to questions.
Mr. Ream, Faculty Senate President, noted that the Faculty Senate is focusing on the climate survey results and new bookstore vendors. Ms. Mooney, Staff Senate President, discussed events, to include: 1) the Sept. 27, 2007, Scholarship Ceremony; and 2) the Oct. 31, 2007, Pride Ambassador Award Ceremony. She also noted the newest publication of the “Senate Minute” is now available. Ms. Lee, Monroe Park Campus SGA President, noted that students are still focused on library study space. She asked council members to access the SGA Web site for current student updates/issues and also requested names to serve on a Green Campus Commission.
The meeting adjourned at 4:20 p.m.
