Board of Visitors Meeting September 15, 2017

The Board of Visitors met on September 15, 2017 in the Board Room of the David Student Union with Rector Scott Millar presiding.

Present from the Board

Lindsey Carney, Esq.
Mr. William R. Ermatinger
Mrs. Vicki Siokis Freeman, Vice Rector
Robert R. Hatten, Esq.
Mr. S. Anderson Hughes
Mr. C. Bradford Hunter, Secretary
Mr. W. Bruce Jennings
Mr. Steven S. Kast
Ms. Terri M. McKnight, CPA
Mr. N. Scott Millar, Rector
Kellye L. Walker, Esq.
Dr. Ella P. Ward
Ms. Judy F. Wason
Mr. Junius. H. Williams, Jr.

Absent from the Board

Sheriff Gabriel A. Morgan, Sr.

Present from the University

Paul Trible, President
Mr. William Brauer, Executive Vice President
Ms. Cynthia Perry, Chief of Staff
Dr. David Doughty, Provost
Mrs. Adelia Thompson, Vice President for University Advancement
Dr. Lisa Duncan Raines, Vice President for Enrollment and Student Success
Dr. Kevin Hughes, Vice President for Student Affairs
Maureen Matsen, Esq., University Counsel
Mr. Robert Lange, Dean of Admission
Dr. Brian Puaca, Faculty Senate President
Mr. Tom Kramer, Director of External Relations
Ms. Amie Dale, Executive Director of University Relations
Mrs. Beverley Mueller, Executive Assistant
Mr. Kenneth Kidd, Student Assembly President
Michelle Moody, Esq., Director of Title IX and EO

Others Present

Major Dustin Menhart
Ms. Meghan Copenhaver, Student
Mr. John Lawson, Chair of the Comprehensive Campaign

Present from the Press

Ms. Karen Mishkin, Daily Press
Ms. Melanie Occhuzio, Captain’s Log
Mr. Michael Innacelli, CNU TV

Rector Scott Millar welcomed everyone present. He thanked everyone for their commitment and service to the Board of Visitors. Rector Millar congratulated Mr. Bruce Jennings on his reappointment to the Board and introduced our new Board member Mr. Junius Williams. President Trible then introduced Ms. Judy Wason. They were both given a warm welcome to the Board.

Rector Millar thanked the chairs of the Board committees and said that he had appointed Vice Rector Vicki Freeman to lead the nominating committee next spring. He also announced that Ms. Terri McKnight and Mr. Bruce Jennings had been appointed to the CNU Investment Committee.

He told the Board that the November meeting will be a campus visit day for the Board to see classrooms, athletic practices, and other areas of campus. The idea is for theBoard to have the opportunity to interact directly with faculty and students.

Rector Millar called for a motion to approve the minutes of the full Board of Visitors meeting and the meeting of the President’s Annual Review on June 2, 2017. Mr. Bruce Jennings provided the motion, seconded by Dr. Ella Ward and the minutes were approved by unanimous vote of the Board.

President’s Report

President Trible began by repeating the words he spoke at beginning of this academic year when he addressed the faculty and staff at his State of the University address. He talked about what makes CNU special and having a community that knows and cares for each other and he denounced the violence of the White Supremacist and Neo Nazi’s and the violence that took place in Charlottesville. He said that when he did this over 1,000 colleagues stood and applauded for over 2 minutes. It was an extraordinary reflection of the culture of CNU and what makes our university so precious and distinctive.

He said that the Comprehensive Campaign Celebration will take place this weekend bringing to a close the fundraising campaign. He said that we set an audacious goal and it was far exceeded and said the Chair of the Campaign, John Lawson, will report later today the wonderful result.

President Trible stated that the success of our ROTC program is important and is soaring.

He explained that we have a shared program with William and Mary called The Revolutionary Guard Battalion. Major Dustin Menhart, a recognized Professor of Military Science, leads our program. There are 119 cadets in the Battalion and 76 are CNU students. Every year the government provides 1,000 scholarships for students in the ROTC program and those students can go to any school in the country. He was proud to say that eight of those scholarship recipients attend CNU. President Trible then introduced one of those students, Megan Copenhaver, who made military history becoming the first four-generation paratrooper. She has excelled as a student and cadet. He said she represents the minds and hearts of CNU and she has a commitment to a life of significance. Ms. Copenhaver shared with the Board her military experience and her experiences at CNU.

He said once again the school year is off to a great start with an outstanding incoming class of 1300 students. He announced that U.S. News & World Report had ranked CNU 4th among the public colleges and universities in the regional rankings in the South and 11th among public and private universities in South.

President Trible said our student athletes continue to excel with a fall sports winning percentage of 80% . He also noted that Women’s Golf, a new sport this year, won their first tournament and Coach Steve Shaw, Men’s Soccer, had his 300th victory.

Finance and Audit and Committee Report

Chairman Mr. Bill Ermatinger said the Committee had reviewed the financial statements and found everything to be in order. He reviewed with the Board the Statement of Revenues and Expenses explaining any variances and he noted that the Ferguson Center continues to improve in its operations posting a profit for this year. In addition, the Committee reviewed the SWaM report and CNU continues to show excellent results and compares favorably to the Commonwealth and all of higher education. In addition, as required by the Board each year, the report on Annual Debt Service was reviewed and accepted by the Committee.

He said that Ms. Faith Belote presented her audit plan for the next 12 months and he was pleased to report that all outstanding audit issues had been resolved. The Committee reviewed the amendment to the Charter which strengthened some of the language in the Charter and included best practices wording. Chairman Ermatinger said the Committee also reviewed the 6-Year Plan.

Rector Millar said that the Finance and Audit Committee had recommended approval of Resolution 1: Amendment to the Internal Audit Charter. He called for a second to the recommendation which was provided by Dr. Ella Ward and there being no further discussion, Resolution 1 was passed by unanimous vote of the Board.

Academic Affairs Committee Report

Chairman Mr. Bobby Hatten said the Committee reviewed the U.S. News Rankings and noted that the freshman retention rate is 88.25% which is the highest in CNU history; that 59% of our classes have fewer than 20 students; the number of adjuncts is declining and 80% of our professors are on a tenure track. He also said that we have a graduation rate of 75%. He noted that we currently have 279 faculty members and the goal is to reach 300. Approximately 30% of our faculty are on a non-tenure track and moving toward the goal of making that 25%.

Chairman Hatten reviewed in depth the long-term 6 Year Strategic Plan and its priorities. Among the top priorities was student success. He said that the two programs that contribute greatly to our student success are the Captains Launch program which identifies incoming students who may have difficulty succeeding in college and the mid-year assessment that takes place to determine if they are indeed doing well.

Among the other top priorities are undergraduate research, increasing participation in the study abroad program to 400 students and public service noting that 176 students who graduated in the fall received the Service Distinction award for performing 140 hours or more of public service in our community.

Chairman Hatten said among the other priorities are achieving recognition by Phi Betta Kappa, expanding the library holdings – traditional and electronic – and the drive to meeting the stated goal of 60% of our peer group for faculty salaries. There was also a discussion about expanding our partnerships with other universities.

Chairman Hatten presented Resolution 6: Resolution for Exclusion of Certain Officers/Directors in Accordance with the National Industry Security Program. Currently it is mandatory for the President, Executive Vice President, Provost and Vice Provost for Research, Graduate Studies and Assessment to complete a security clearance to access classified information. This resolution excludes members from the Board of Visitors from access to this information and the requirement of a security clearance. One amendment to the Resolution was required to eliminate the words “shall not have” … access to classified information because two Board members do have security clearance. Rector Millar explained that the Resolution comes before the Board at the recommendation of the Academic Affairs committee and called for a second to the motion. Ms. Judy Wason provided the second, there was no further discussion and Resolution 6, as amended, passed by unanimous vote of the Board.

Student Life Committee Report

Mr. Steve Kast chaired the Student Life Committee meeting and he reported that the incoming freshman class would number approximately 1,295 students. The average SAT score is 1217 and average GPA is 3.8. He reported there are 100 out-of-state students in this class and there is

a 2 percentage point increase in the number of students of color. He also noted that 80% of these students were personally interviewed. Recruitment for the class of 2022 is well underway and 7,500 applications are expected for next fall.

Mr. Kast said CNU held Accounting Day in September and 15 accounting firms interviewed our students and 19 firms attended a networking reception and 530 applications were submitted by Luter juniors and seniors for internships and post-graduation employment.

He said the Career Center has developed relationships with over 2,500 organizations for internships or post-graduate employment opportunities and the center has engaged over 4,000 students. In addition, a fall Career, Internships and Graduate School Fair will be held later in the month.

The Launch program is in its 2nd year and is designed to help freshmen with unique challenges to be successful and fifty-six students completed the summer program. He also said the Intensive Learning Communities program is in its 3rd year and helps new freshmen better understand majors, internship and career options.

The Code of Virginia has been amended requiring colleges and universities to provide mental health services for students, especially those exhibiting suicidal tendencies, as well as provide counseling services to those affected by suicide. Mr. Kast said thatCNU is very proactive on its reaction to such a crises. Counseling Services has a staff of 9 professionals and during the past few years over 600 students have engaged with our staff for approximately 5,000 clinical hours.

Dr. Kevin Hughes said that CNU has taken a look at our immediate response and what is our extended response to these types of situations to make sure we are providing the services required by the Code. Mr. Kast said that Resolution 2: Suicide Prevention, Intervention and Response comes at the recommendation of the Student Life Committee. Rector Millar called for a second to the motion which was provided by Vice Rector Freeman and there being no further discussion, Resolution 2 passed by unanimous vote of the Board

Building and Grounds Committee Report

Chairman Brad Hunter said the committee discussed the current capital projects underway stating the library expansion will be completed by next July, the fine arts center and band rehearsal hall will be under construction by this time next year and the expansion of Regattas Dining Hall will be completed by next semester. He said the Committee discussed the projects related to the 6-Year Plan.

Chairman Hunter said that the Committee decided to withdraw the By-Laws change recommended at the last meeting related to the duties of the Building and Grounds Committee because they felt that it was not necessary and the spirit of that change was already incorporated in the by-laws.

Rector Millar, said that Resolution 3: 2017 Six-Year Plan for 2018–2024 was discussed at committee meetings today and called for a motion for approval. Vice Rector Freeman provided the motion which was seconded by Dr. Ella Ward and Resolution 3 passed by unanimous vote of the Board.

President Trible explained Resolution 4: Resolution of Appreciation for Rob Brown. He said that Rob Brown led the Real Estate Foundation for many years and this Resolution outlines his long and dedicated service to the University and we would like to honor him for his commitment and leadership through the years. Rector Millar called for a motion to approve Resolution 4. Mr. Bobby Hatten provided the motion, seconded by Mr. Bill Ermatinger and it passed by unanimous vote of the Board.

Secretary Brad Hunter called for a motion to enter closed session under Freedom of Information Act Section 2.2–3711(a)(1) Personnel and (a)(8) Gifts, bequests and fundraising. Dr. Ella Ward provided the motion, seconded by Mr. Junius Williams and the motion was passed by unanimous vote of the Board.

The Board returned to open session and Secretary Brad Hunter asked for a roll call certifying that only public matters were discussed that were identified in the motion by which the executive or closed meeting was called. Board members Ms. Judy Ford, Mr. Bruce Jennings, Mr. Steve Kast, Dr. Ella Ward, Rector Scott Millar, Vice Rector Vicki Freeman, Mr. Junius Williams, Ms. Terri McKnight, Ms. Lindsey Carney, Mr. Brad Hunter, Mr. Bill Ermatinger, Ms. Kellye Walker and Mr. Bobby Hatten certified to the above.

Rector Millar called for a motion to approve Resolution 5: Award of Emerita **Status for Dr. Stephanie Bardwell. Vice Rector Vicki Freeman provided the motion and Mr. Brad Hunter seconded the motion, both of whom were students of Dr. Bardwell, and it passed by unanimous vote of the Board.

Annual Title IX Report

Michelle Moody said there were several policy changes made this year which included adding language to the definitions of Domestic Violence and Dating Violence to clarify that they both included not just physical actions but also emotional, economic and psychological actions or threats of action. Also the time frame to collect DNA evidence from the sexual assault exam by the SANE nurse was expanded to 120 hours.

Additionally,references were added about transcript notations which states that transcript notions for dismissal are never removed and notations for suspension are only removed after the person completes all sanctions and graduates. Also, a degree can be withheld until an ongoing investigation is resolved. She then reported on the number of investigations of sexual assault and the training required for the entire university community. New employees take in-person training and yearly there is an on-line refresher course. She stated that freshmen and transfer students are required to take on-line training along with an alcohol training class. Ms. Moody reported on CNU’s participation in the Sexual Assault Response Team which partners with other organizations in the community. She said CNU also networks with the Advisory Committee for Campus Sexual Violence with SCHEV and a Regional Advisory Committee for Campus Sexual Violence with other universities.

Faculty Senate Report

Dr. Brian Puaca, President of the Faculty Senate, thanked the Board for their support of faculty salaries increases. Dr. Puaca reported that the work of the Senate last year led by Dr. Jana Adamitis on the curriculum process was passed and approved and is now in place. This year the major initiative will be the discussion of the standards and evaluation process for promotion to full professor rank. He said the university has made great strides and changes over the past two decades but the criteria has not changed for promotion. He said the faculty are looking forward to the new faculty dining space in Regattas and are very thankful to have this venue.

Alumni Society Report

Rector Millar reported for the new Alumni President Chris Inzirillo who was unable to attend today’s meeting. Rector Millar noted that Mr. Inzirillo is the first alumni president who resides outside of Virginia and the first former faculty member to serve as President. He said that there are 33 total alumni board members and 7 live outside of the Hampton Roads area and 6 live out of state. Their focus this year will be on strengthening alumni chapters and partnering with CNU’s admission team to help recruit more students.

Student Assembly Report

President Kenneth Kidd thanked the Board for their support of the students at Christopher Newport. He said his goal was to bring new life and direction to the Student Assembly and said that now all 55 seats in that organization are filled. He said at their last meeting the Assembly passed a resolution in memory of those lost and impacted by the September 11 terrorist attacks, they introduced a resolution inspired by the events that happened in Charlottesville denouncing violence and they voted to create a special commission on Mental Health to ensure that every student has access to mental health services and resources. Mr. Kidd also said that over 1,000 students had signed a petition in response to the Department of Education’s rolling back guidelines to help combat sexual assault on college campuses stating even if the law is repealed, CNU pledges to sill abide by these principles and regulatory procedures. He also said the Fear 2 Freedom event was attended by 1,400 people pledging to help end sexual assault on our campus.