University Executive Committee Meeting Notes
September 4, 2008

Rollin Richmond
Ken Ayoob
Carl Coffey
Rob Gunsalus
Denice Helwig
Jim Howard
Nancy Hurlbut
Anna Kircher
Claire Knox
Bob Snyder
Carol Terry
Ray Wang
Patty Lindley, Staff Support

Guests:
Colleen Mullery
Frank Whitlatch

President’s Report

President Richmond reported:

  • he and others will be attending the September 4 ribbon cutting ceremony of the new hydrogen fueling station on campus.
  • he has been meeting with the Common Management System group to discuss issues of concern, which President Richmond may bring to the attention of the Chancellor’s Office. He plans to convene an additional group on campus to discuss reporting needs and accessing pertinent information from the data being gathered.
  • a nice event was held on August 28 celebrating the opening of the Veterans Enrollment and Transition Services (V.E.T.S.) program in the lower library, noting that Vice President Butler and Kim Hall, Veterans Certification Officer program director, are to be congratulated.
  • HSU representatives have been working with the City of Arcata to execute an MOU relating to easements (which impacts the construction of the new student housing facility) – the City Council approved this item at their September 3 meeting.

 

Other Reports

Claire Knox reported:

  • Saeed Mortazavi was elected to serve as Senate Chair.

Ken Ayoob reported:

  • the demand for additional enrollment in a Religious Studies’ course resulted in the use of an interactive video in a second classroom and the registration of approximately 75 additional students. This experimental method will be reviewed for effectiveness at the end of the semester.

Denice Helwig reported:

  • the CCRP (California Center for Rural Policy) received $700,000 recently from the California Endowment.
  • Keeling and Associates, consultants assisting HSU to create a share vision as recommended by the WASC visiting team, will be on campus September 8-10.

Rob Gunsalus reported:

  • the Alumni Board of Directors, including several new members, met recently and expect to play an active role in fundraising and outreach efforts.
  • it is anticipated that KHSU will greatly benefit under the new leadership of Patrick Cleary.
  • searches are underway for a new Associate Vice President of Development and Alumni Relations and a Director of Planned Giving.

Carl Coffey reported:

  • escrow has closed on HSU’s acquisition of the Industrial Electric building on Samoa Boulevard where some of the Plant Operations functions will be re- located.

Anna Kircher reported:

  • efforts are being made on an ongoing basis to reach out to the campus community alerting them of the phishing attacks (requesting password information).

Carol Terry reported:

  • the Y-Cal contract for travel ends on October 1, 2008. This special rate is tied to the State budget; as a result of the budget not being finalized, campuses will be paying the regular fare for air transportation until the budget is passed and a new contract can be negotiated.

 

EO 1034 Course Materials Fees

CSU Executive Order 1034 (http://www.calstate.edu/EO/EO-1034.html) delegating authority to campus presidents to establish miscellaneous course fees (within established ranges) was discussed. It was requested that Carol Terry e-mail a report of current fees to the members of the University Executive Committee. President Richmond will consult with Vice President Butler regarding the membership of a fee advisory committee (including review of the current Student Fee Advisory Committee membership) and this item will be placed on a future University Executive Committee agenda.

 

HSU Advocacy Efforts

Frank Whitlatch, Associate Vice President, Marketing and Communications, reviewed the CSU e-advocacy program (funded with non-state funds) where supporters of the CSU and HSU can sign up at the Advocacy Center to receive information about contacting legislators on key issues (http://humboldt.kintera.org/site/c.luLSJ6MSKtH/b.2552309/).
HSU has received praise from the CSU for its overall effort in implementing this system and the database, as well as having one of the best websites in the system. HSU’s response rate is one of the highest of the CSU campuses.


U.S. News Ranking

Frank Whitlatch reviewed HSU’s ranking by U.S. News, which is the same as last year (49th among western masters universities). He noted that there are actions that could impact its ranking, such as: providing the percentage of our students who graduate in the top 25% of their high school class; improving the graduation rate; and improving the peer assessment score (sharing positive information about HSU, especially with other presidents, provosts and enrollment deans who complete this survey).

 

Local Bottled Water Initiative

Vice President Coffey shared that the City of Arcata passed a resolution (#078-54) encouraging the public to drink water from the tap and not from plastic bottles. The resolution further prohibits the use of City funds to purchase single-serving bottles of water (except through special approval or during emergencies), http://arcata.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=3&clip_id=253&meta_id=11226

President Richmond asked for suggested committee members who would recommend a campus policy to address HSU’s sustainability efforts, including a possible bottled water initiative. Vice President Gunsalus noted that a publication will be distributed in the near future which is dedicated to campus sustainability; in addition, a sustainability website will be launched shortly.

 

RTP Problems

President Richmond shared concerns being expressed by some of the faculty on campus relating to problems with the RTP process, including the lack of criteria and standards within the departments, redundant levels of review, and committee structures. He was assured that efforts are being made to strengthen the RTP process and that additional time is required to ensure that a clear, solid process will result. Colleen Mullery, Associate Vice President for Faculty Affairs, provided suggestions for streamlining the process. President Richmond asked that Ken Ayoob, Claire Knox and Colleen Mullery consider drafting a letter to faculty summarizing the status of the revisions to the RTP process.