Fitchburg State University
Minutes
Board of Trustees
Date and Time
Tuesday November 14, 2017 at 8:00 AM
Location
Presidents' Hall, Mazzaferro Center, 291 Highland Ave., Fitchburg, MA 01420
Trustees Present
A. Clementi, A. Cochran, C. Stimpson, C. Stover, D. Irving, D. Phillips, D. Tiernan, L. Barrieau
Trustees Absent
D. Nieto, F. O'Donnell, G. Rodriguez-Parker
Guests Present
A. Cardelle, A. Krishnamurthy, C. Canney, C. Hendry, G. Doiron, J. Bry, J. Murdoch, L. Bayless, M. Cloutier, M. Siderwicz, S. Swartz, S. Tully
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance and Guests
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
D. Irving called a meeting of the board of trustees of Fitchburg State University to order on Tuesday Nov 14, 2017 at 8:07 AM.
C.
Public Comments
There were none.
D.
Approve Minutes from the October 19, 2017 meeting - VOTE (08-17-18)
D. Phillips made a motion to approve minutes from the Board of Trustees on 10-19-17 Board of Trustees on 10-19-17.
A. Clementi seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
D. Tiernan abstained.
II. Sabbatical Requests
A.
Act on President's recommendation for faculty sabbatical requests - VOTE (09-17/18)
President Lapidus presented the list of faculty members that he recommended for sabbatical leave for the 2018-2019 Academic Year. These faculty members put together formal proposals that were submitted and reviewed by the Department Chairs, Provost and the President for approval. There are a slightly higher number of proposals than normal, but the university had budgeted for them. While on sabbatical, the faculty will be working on interesting and worthwhile projects. There was a discussion.
D. Phillips made a motion to approved.
A. Clementi seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
III. Fitchburg State University Downtown Theater Renovation
A.
Official intent to renovate - VOTE (10-17/18)
President Lapidus reminded the board that they had previously approved the Theater Block project. The project is now ready to move forward with next steps. The financing is very complicated. Pinck & Company has been retained to assist with the development of the project scope and funding. They are a highly reputable firm and the university looks forward to their recommendation. The timeline was discussed.
D. Phillips made a motion to Approve.
C. Stimpson seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
IV. Student Success Initiatives
A.
Dr. Alberto Cardelle will provide an update on student success initiatives
Dr. Cardelle stated that student success is a major priority. There is a moral imperative that students graduate without significant debt. He presented a PowerPoint that he discussed in detail related to student success. He highlighted that it is much more expensive to recruit students than it is to retain them. There was a discussion.
V. An Overview of Emergency Preparedness and Personal Safety Course Offerings
A.
Chief Michael Cloutier will discuss emergency preparation and safety.
Chief Michael Cloutier was introduced and reviewed his PowerPoint presentation. He discussed some of the content in the updated campus safety guide and introduced components of the current comprehensive safety plan. The university is on a path of a constant cycle of preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation. He explained the emergency management team that includes 28 team members made up of campus and external members. Various training has taken place and the university has hosted some trainings that included table top exercises and physical drills. He informed the board that there will be a planned scaled active shooter exercise in the spring. There are currently RAD classes (Rape Aggression Defense), First Aid, VIPR (Violence Identification Prevention and Reporting), and CPR classes offered to faculty, staff and students. The university continues to enhance the safety of the campus and the surrounding community. The President reiterated that safety is always a top priority.
VI. Notifications
A.
Personnel Actions (N03-17/18)
The personnel actions were presented for informational purposes.
VII. Chair's Report
A.
Committee Membership update
Chairman Irving discussed the committee assignments. Board members are to let him know of any changes to their committee assignments.
VIII. President's Report
A.
Open House update
President Lapidus updated the board on the latest Open House. The numbers were slightly down from last year. The university was competing against SAT weekend and other schools open houses. The numbers for the personal tours and athletic tours campus have been strong.
B.
Landry Arena Update
President Lapidus provided an update on the Landry Arena renovation project. He reminded board members that it will soon become a multi-purpose facility. He invited any board member that would like to see the space to let him know.
C.
Free Speech Panel event
President Lapidus informed the board that some Free Speech programming had taken place and that the university continues to take a proactive approach on many of the hot button issues as it believes they are learning opportunities. He noted that the Free Speech event was well done.
D.
Transgender speaker Nicole Maines
President Lapidus reported on a recent transgender speaker. The university hosted Nicole Maines and her family. Ms. Maines was well received by the campus community. People got a sense of what her life has been like and she had some interesting things to say. Her visit provided insight to the administration.
E.
News Articles
The news articles were included for informational purposes.
IX. Dates for consideration
A.
Holiday Show - Glenn Miller - Saturday, December 9 at 7:00 p.m.
President Lapidus invited board members to a number of upcoming events.
B.
Holiday Gathering - Thursday, December 14 at 3:30 p.m.
C.
Winter Commencement Ceremony on Friday, December 22 at 6:30 p.m.
President Lapidus stated the number of students graduating this winter is strong (122 graduates and 258 undergraduates) those indicating that they will participate in Winter Commencement currently is 258. He invited all board members to attend Commencement.
X. Closing Items
A.
Adjourn Meeting
D. Phillips made a motion to adjourn the meeting.
C. Stimpson seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 9:16 AM.
Respectfully Submitted,
D. Phillips