Executive Council Meeting Notes January 27, 2015

Tuesday, January 27, 2015
9:30 a.m.
A110

President Turner began the meeting at 9:30 a.m. by welcoming the group.

Members present were: Dr. Steve Turner, Dr. Mark Arant, Mr. David Koehn, Mr. Ben Hardcastle, Dr. Laura Boren, Ms. Patti Buhl, Mr. Tony Duckworth, Ms. Peggy Glenn, Ms. Monica Barnett, Ms. Taylor Melone, Dr. Ron Cambiano, and Dr. Cheryl Van Den Handle.

Members absent were: None

Comprehensive Campaign Update: Peggy Glenn updated the group on current activities of the campaign. The campaign was included as part of the RUSO Board items in January informing the Regents that J.F. Smith Group will assist with the campaign. The group discussed current fund raising activities and Peggy reported that last year was a record year an increase of 112% over the past year. Currently there are 360 employees giving in some capacity. Peggy reported that the employee portion of the campaign will be rolled out next semester and that the Student Philanthropy Council is currently meeting to involve the student body. President Turner reported that he will also be meeting with donors and talked about the importance of employee participation. More information regarding the campaign will be made available as necessary to keep all informed.

Web Re-design: Ben Hardcastle reported to the group that this project was approved by RUSO at the January 2015 meeting. The RFP has been sent out and is expected to be returned sometime in February. The selected company will be responsible for all build out activities. He explained that there will be departmental meetings on needs when appropriate.

Enrollment Update: Laura Boren reported that the number of applications received for spring 2015 was up 12.3% from last spring. Also, undergraduate admissions increased 16.09 % and the number of new students increased slightly over last spring. While Head Count numbers are up, Credit Hour numbers are down by 1.0%. An analysis of past Credit Hours shows that we are closing the gap since a 5.1% decrease in 2012. Numbers in 2013 and 2014 were down 4.4% and 3.3% respectively. It was also reported that the freshman cohort group retention rate is up 5.0% with 84.7% returning from the fall semester. Enrollment numbers for fall 2015 are now coming in. Efforts are being made to collect data that will have a tremendous affect on decisions regarding enrollment needs.

Title IX Update: Laura Boren reported that work is being done to finalize the training component of this mandate. All employees as well as students must be trained. Training will begin in spring 2015. More information will be provided as it is developed.

Spring Calendar of Student Events: Laura Boren announced upcoming events during the spring semester.
RiverHawk Jam - February 21st.
Founders Day 5K Run - February 28th.
Founders Day Centurion Luncheon - March 6th.
The Big Event is being planned for March 28th.
Green and White Weekend - April 10-12th.
The Symposium on the American Indian - April 14-18th.
The Red Fern Festival will be held the weekend of April 25th .
Optometry New Student Welcome Event - April 25th.
Relay for Life - May 2nd.
Late Night Breakfast - May 4th.
Commencement is scheduled for May 8th and 9th in Tahlequah and May 11th in Broken Arrow.

New Student Housing Project: David Koehn updated the group on the housing project. Paperwork is being done to begin the project. Once started, it is expected that construction will take 400 days (depending on weather). The new build will be located where Leoser parking is currently at Lewis and Garrison. Student parking will be relocated. Wyly will also be renovated and will be open to student in fall 2015. The budget for the new build is complete allowing for assignment of funding for the renovations.

New Phone System Update: David Koehn reported that all equipment for the system is on site. Currently, new network switches are being installed. It is expected that the new phones will be installed after spring break. It is expected that the install will be complete by the end of the spring 2015 semester.

Economic Development Council/NORA: Ron Cambiano updated the group on economic development work being done. He provided documentation related to Senate Bill 1181, which provides criteria for designation as a STEM community or region; the Relative predictive Validity of ACT Scores and high School Grades in Making College Admission Decisions; Oklahoma Business and Education Coalition Education Policy Coordinating Committee Legislative Proposal 2015; College and Career readiness Anchor Standards; Information from the Oklahoma Higher Education's Economic Development Council (EDC) regarding Community & Economic Impact of Oklahoma State System of Higher Education 2012-13; 2014 Community and Economic Impacts of the Oklahoma State System for Higher Education. He also reported that NSU is hosting the Leader in Me event at the Broken Arrow campus on January 29th. The 2015 Regional Economic Summit date has been set and is being planned for November 10, 2015. Dr. Cambiano also stated that AT&T will be recognized as NSU's economic partner for 2014 at a reception in Oklahoma City in March.

Spring 2015 Congress: Taylor Melone reported that NSU is the host site for the 2015 Spring Congress. Plans are underway with the dates of the event being on March 6 and 7.

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Event Consideration: Tony Duckworth reported information he had gathered to answer questions asked by Council members from a previous meeting regarding the possibility of NSU hosting a MMA event. After much discussion regarding the event, the group reported to Mr. Duckworth that they would not be in favor of NSU hosting such an event as it is not consistent with NSU's Mission. Mr. Duckworth thanked the group for the consideration.

Retiree Complimentary Tickets: Tony Duckworth reported that Athletics has found a solution to retirees not having access to complimentary tickets to games. All retirees are to contact Athletics to obtain their ticket. Athletics will work with Human Resources to ensure all have access.

Oklahoma Research Day: Mark Arant reminded the group of the upcoming event being held on the Tahlequah campus on March 13th. Entries are coming in but only have 20-25% of normal submissions at this point. There are concerns that the date may be deterring entries as it is the Friday before Spring Break. The speaker is a local OBGYN from Cherokee Nation's Hastings Hospital.

Strategic Plan Release Date: Mark Arant asked what the status is of the Strategic Plan release. President Turner will visit with Dr. Keller and will get information out regarding the plan.

RUSO Board Meeting Update: President Turner reported to the group that all recommendations submitted to the Board in January had been approved. Two projects include: Circle of Excellence Bricks relocation. Work will begin when renovations have been completed at the John Vaughan Library to ensure the security of the site as well as the NSU Muskogee sign project. President Turner updated the group on bills that may affect the Teacher Retirement System as well as Guns on Campuses.

Announcements

President Turner commented on the wonderful opening meeting and thanked all for the information provided.

Mr. Koehn reported that progress is being made on the Fitness Center. The roof has been installed.

President Turner reported that the State Mayors Conference will be held on the Tahlequah campus in the Tahlequah Event Center. The conference will be held in June.

The Governor's State-of-the-State address will be held next week.

ODOT 82 Relocation Open House is being held on January 27th in the UC Ballroom.

Higher Education Day will be held in Oklahoma City on February 10th.

Peggy Glenn reported that the Larry Adair Lectureship will be held on February 25th and that the deadline for continuing scholarships is February 1st.

The meeting adjourned at 12:00 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Robin Hutchins