There were none

D. Phillips presented the Administration and Finance Committee report. She stated the committee met last week and had a full presentation and robust discussion. The university will have some increases in financial obligation and proposes increasing fees. The Finance Committee had previously approved the FY2019 budget presented.

J. Bry discussed the budget narrative in detail. It is a balanced budget. He stated the budget again was developed based on level-funding. He emphasized the important financial contribution of online programs to the budget. The university anticipates receiving final appropriation numbers from the Governor's Office in July.

F. O'Donnell asked about the fee increase in technology. J. Bry responded that the university is working to develop a more comprehensive 5-year plan to address the challenges associated with the increasing demands of technology. There was a discussion on student parking, transcripts, and extended campus fees.
 

J. Bry discussed and presented the operating budget.

J. Bry stated that the technology fee increase would be assessed to all students. There was a discussion.

D. Irving stated that the Executive Committee met to discuss the slate of officers. The following nominations were presented for the upcoming academic year:

Donald Irving, Chair
Anna Maria Clementi, Vice Chair
C. Deborah Phillips, Clerk

The personnel actions were submitted for informational purposes. They reflect the recently new tenured faculty and promotions.

D. Irving discussed the dashboard. He stated this is a tool that will assist in identifying changes over time. It will help in more easily charting performance. He stated the campus has a solid financial team. He stated the administration is doing a great job. He also said, "Don't be afraid to question the numbers". This tool produces a living document and can be modified to include what we want to track.
 

The president shared that the APA bargaining unit had settled their contract and were now working toward ratification from their membership. The MSCA bargaining team settled and are currently working on the final contract language. He reported that the AFSCME Union has gone to mediation with a few items remaining to be settled. He also stated that the DGCE contract team recently met and that they appear to be making significant progress toward settlement.

The president noted that our deposits are coming in and we are caustiously optimistic. The university is slightly up over last year at this time. The Admissions Office continues to work on the uncommitted student pool and we will wind up in a good place.

The president informed the board that the searches for the Dean of Library, Dean of Business and Technology, and the Director of Digital Learning all produced strong diverse candidate pools. Finalists visited campus and there was strong campus support for each of the candidates selected. All searches were successful and new hires will arrive this summer.

The president mentioned that a board retreat was held a couple of years ago and proposed that a retreat be held this summer. D. Irving stated that it was an interesting day and suggested maybe going off campus for a different venue. G. Doiron will send out some meeting date options.

The president announced that a campus climate survey had been distributed to all staff and students. The university is always thinking about issues relating to the climate of the campus. The surveys were sent out to gain a better sense of people's perception of comfort on campus, in addition, to give an assessment of needed changes and the development of new programs. All responses were confidential. Institutional Research will analyze the data. Dr. Laura Bayless has already presented a program on Micro-aggressions that drew an interested and diverse audience.

The president informed the board about the annual Undergraduate Research Conference. It's a nice day to showcase the work that students have done. A significant number of faculty, staff and students participated in the event. Following the conference, the annual Convocation was held where scholarships and awards were presented. Both events provide positive outcomes.


 

The president stated that the Graduate and Undergraduate Commencements were fast approaching. They will be held on May 17 and 19. The campus is excited that Ret. Brigadier General Frederick Henry will be speaking at the Undergraduate Ceremony. He is an alumnus and has a successful and interesting career.

The nursing pinning will take place on May 16. All board members are invited to any and all of these events.

The president mentioned a number of other events. The University has a wide variety of activities for students to reduce stress during finals that includes pet therapy. We are closing out a strong year. The university hosted the Special Olympics in which many schools from around the state participated. The Naturalization Ceremony was also held on campus. The university is pleased to be able to host both events.

The president informed the board that Fitchburg State was once again designated as a Military Friendly School.

Other
This evening the Fitchburg City Council is set to debate on the city ordinance as it relates to the retail distribution of recreational marijuana. The university has taken a position on where the retail establishments should or should not be located. The university has requested that Main Street be eliminated as a viable location for marijuana retailing. The university's letter to the City Council has generated considerable conversation. The Mayor of Fitchburg was in support of the school's position and challenged the City Council on how they should lay out the map. The president also indicated that since the institution is federally funded that the campus policy will be no marijuana irrespective of state law as it would place financial aid at risk.

The president publicly thanked Student Trustee Abigail Cochran for her service to the board. He next introduced the incoming Student Trustee Alexander Ramos

The president reminded the board of the Faculty of Excellence Ceremony luncheon on May 21. The invitation will be resent to the board.

A. Cochran thanked everyone for an amazing two years serving as Student Trustee. There was a brief discussion on a mortarboard-decorating contest.