The President opened the meeting by stating that the University performed at a high-level last year despite the impact of COVID. He indicated that the students that were on campus did a great job self-monitoring and honoring the COVID protocols that were in place. Those that lived on campus observed a restricted life style. Over the course of the year the university administered over 22,000 COVID tests with a positivity rate of approximately .5%. He stated that faculty did an outstanding job in delivering academic content. The university is currently in session and operating in primarily a fully face-to-face format. He noted the clean audit. In terms of technology, the university loaned a large number of laptops to students and provided hot spots to positively assist students with their academic progress. The University continues to strengthen its security given the high number of cyber hack attempts. The Board of Higher Education approved the university 2020-2025 strategic plan. He stated the university continues to work on increasing support services in an effort to improve student retention. He also indicated that students are having more life problems and mental health issues necessitating increased counseling services.

 Karen Spinelli joined the meeting at 8:27 a.m.
 
The president introduced Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management, Richard Toomey.

The Board Chair informed everyone that the President and her talk frequently. She has been updated on all activities taking place at the University.

The Chair next provided an opportunity to discuss the goal assessment.

The President discussed the NECHE process. Dr. Canney explained the timeline.

The president said that the budget conversation would be tied to an historical perspective of enrollment trends. He extended an invitation to the Board to ask R. Toomey questions about enrollment moving forward.

J. Bry shared documents that included enrollment and budget numbers. He explained them in detail. He noted the slow but steady decline in enrollment. The numbers are consistent with what the university has been reporting and what demographers have been predicting. He indicated that COVID appears to have accelerated the decline this year. It is not yet known how much of an impact the pandemic will have on enrollment moving forward. A review of the budget was presented on a line by line basis with explanations as to the change from what was anticipated.

The School of Graduate, Online and Continuing Education is slowing down in their growth as well. Given enrollment timelines it is not yet clear whether the university will meet it projections. By the next time the Board meets, enrollments in this area will be better understood.

J. Bry stated that on the expense side of the equation, notable changes are reflected by the impact of collective bargaining. While housing occupancy is significantly down the university was able to meet its budget goal in this area. The university is expecting to carry significant expenses related to COVID this year.

The SGOCE contract is still being finalized as well as that AFSCME. There will be additional labor costs at the conclusion of those negotiations.

J. Bry announced that the net loss is around $8 million dollars.

The audit is underway and on track. We should close FY2021 in the black. The Chair asked for questions.

Dr. Fiorentino asked about the Residence Hall occupancies. J. Bry responded that we are at 60%. He noted the closed buildings are due to the decrease in occupancy. A couple of the buildings are being used for COVID isolation. The MSCBA is looking at ways to explore if there is a debt relief opportunity with alternative housing initiatives. Many of our sister schools are in a similar situation.

There was a discussion.

F. O’Donnell asked when do we start talking about shrinking staff and other remedies. J. Bry responded that we are being intentional with staffing.

There was a discussion.

The Chair talked about committee assignments. She asked Board members to let her know what committees they would like to serve on. There was a discussion.

L. Barrieau expressed her thanks for the good job done by all with limited resources.

J. Cautela asked if with the decline in resident population is more is being invested in the commuter students on campus. J. Bry responded that the commuter population is not going up, we are going down across the board.

Dr. Bayless stated that over the last couple of years, the Student Development team has been putting together a commuter strategic plan to ensure  the university is connecting students with services. The President responded to J. Cautela that it was an excellent opportunity to see if there are things that student government is hearing from students to learn if there are differences between commuter and residential students' needs. There was a discussion.

There was a discussion surrounding the Theater Block.

The Chair announced the importance of trustee giving. She indicated that if every Trustee contributed to the University, regardless of the amount, having 100% participation is important to show leadership support. She also noted that for many grant opportunities, leadership giving is an important application criterion. She reiterated that is was not the dollar amount but participation was the important component. She further stated that our traditional relationship with the Foundation Board is to have the Trustee Chair sit on the Foundation Board, she formally asked that Dr. Fiorentino to represent the Board of Trustees on the Foundation Board. He officially accepted. She asked if anyone else would like to sit on the Foundation Board, to let her know.

There was a discussion on contributions.

The President informed the Board of COVID protocols on campus. The University is requiring face-coverings in all indoor locations whether vaccinated or not. There are penalties associated for those that do not comply. Vaccinations are required of all with the exception of those that have a medical or religious exemption. Those that are not vaccinated are required to test once a week. Testing is available five days a week. Anyone that would like to be tested can do so.

Students have been informed if they are not compliant with the vaccination mandate by Oct. 15, they will be administratively withdrawn from the institution. Students have been communicated with multiple times and in a variety of ways. Students that test positive for COVID-19 or  considered to be a close contact will either quarantine or isolate given their situation. Residential students will have the option to remain on campus or return to their homes until able to return to class. The state has disassembled its tracing services requiring the university to absorb more of the responsibility. Additional staff has been hired for this purpose.

The president noted that the university has a full agenda of activities lined up, large and small for the semester. He noted the Open House dates, CenterStage events, and Latinx programs. Also coming up is LGBTQ+ history month. All Board members are invited to attend these programs.

There was a discussion on programs, internships and the academic plan.

F. O’Donnell asked that at the next meeting, a brief update on Health Services be made.