There were no public comments. 

D. Phillips announced the first part of this exercise is to review the performance of the President’s goals that were approved last fall. 

The President indicated that the same format had been used as in prior years. He discussed the comprehensive list of accomplishments that have taken place. 

The President stated that COVID numbers were down and that the university had a good year in that regard. The university continued to honor any agreements with bargaining units related to testing. He next discussed the various annual independent financial audits that took place. All audits were clean with no findings. He next discussed the two state audits.  The first involved the operational aspects of pandemic relief funds distribution. There were no findings. The cyber security audit was also discussed.  There was one minor finding involving the tracking of participant training. This issue had already been addressed prior to the conclusion of the audit through the adoption of new training software module. He noted that the higher education system is vulnerable to attacks and all are working diligently to avoid any infiltrations. He provided the highlights of last year’s efforts that included updates on Institutional Advancement efforts and Technology.

Mr. Stefan Dodd, Chief Information Officer was introduced. 

The President next talked about Academic Affairs activity which involved articulation agreements, the early college consortium, and the upcoming fall assessment in the Education Department. He noted that the investment on recruiting students is a priority and getting the message out about the value of higher education is a focus. The university continues to work on diversity, equity and inclusion. Our admissions numbers are up slightly with regard to new freshmen students and undergraduate transfer numbers are slightly down.  Graduate students are roughly flat, but international students on campus continue to increase. 

The influx and recruitment of international students was discussed. 

The President talked about the reworking and improvement of the admissions process, marketing, the digital magazine, alumni events and capital projects. 

D. Tiernan asked about the Theater Project. The President responded that it continues to move along but it’s going slower than anticipated. Advancement is working to attract higher capacity donors. The President reported on the new restaurant in the store front by the theater. He indicated that there is a reasonable amount of activity around the Theater Block area in general. 

C. Phillips reminded the Board of the process for the President’s evaluation and compensation.  

The President presented and discussed his goals for the next year. 

The personnel actions were submitted for informational purposes. 

A. Turner commented on the high number of resignations this year and last year. The President addressed the challenges of the current marketplace. There are restrictions regarding salary adjustments and advancement. We can not compete with the private sector and are confronted with trying to meet high salary demands. 

E. Gregoire asked what planned changes does the administration have in place to 

investigate the high number of resignations.

J. Murdoch commented that the university is constantly evaluating salaries and assessing marketplace changes. Post COVID, people have readjusted their lives and the university is trying to piece together why people are leaving and what new benefits might be available to assist with retention. 

A. Turner reminded the Board of the invitation to attend Rock the Block which has been postponed to Thursday, September 14 because of inclement weather. She hopes that the Trustees will be able to attend. It is her goal to have Board members interact with students on a more informal level. The way to bridge that gap is to have Board members spend time on campus. Students are unaware of what the Board does. 

D. Phillips informed the Board of the meeting with all the state university and community college Board chairs with the Commissioner. They talked about presidential evaluations and compensation, strategic planning and the equity agenda. It was a productive meeting and they will be meeting again in the future and address issues more like a system. She next talked about Trustee appointments and the challenge of filling vacancies within the system. Also discussed was the DHE Trustee Convening tentatively scheduled for Nov. 9, 2023. She encouraged Board members to attend and stated that the organizers seek input from the Trustees. If there are topics of interest, please send them to her or the President. 

A doodle poll will be sent to the Board to solicit feedback on the best date for the university retreat this summer. 

The President reminded the Board that one of NECHE’s directives is to schedule a board governance retreat facilitated by a third party. This is an opportunity for the Board to weigh in on what is requested of them as it relates to best practices. The timeline was discussed. 

The President offered to reach out to an expert from Harvard to conduct this necessary work. 

The President reminded the Board of the Student Life Committee meeting that is scheduled on September 19. D. Phillips will appoint a Chair prior to the meeting. 

The annual form will be distributed to the Board for completion. 

The President reported that the opening of the fall semester went smoothly and there were no real issues. The move-in to the Residence Halls went well. Many of the Residence Halls had upgrades with new carpeting and paint. The doubles and triples in many rooms were converted to premium singles. The students are happy with private rooms. He also noted that there are more comfort pets on campus. 

This was discussed previously. 

This was discussed previously. 

The President informed the Board of the recent changes for undocumented students who are now eligible for Financial Aid. They will need to provide evidence of three years of residency in Massachusetts to be eligible for financial assistance. 

The President discussed the state budget and the money that the campuses might receive. 

The President discussed the audits previously.

This was discussed previously. 

The President discussed the task force and their work.  The current results of their work are posted on the webpage.  Round three begins this fall and working groups will be repopulated as necessary as there are some vacancies. Recommendations from the five working groups are due by December. 

The President discussed this previously.

The President asked the board for an opportunity to revisit the Dining Hall renovation and mandatory meal plan proposal that was not approved in the spring. He noted that more data from students is being collected and that he would like to present a more detailed plan at a future meeting. There were no objections to his request.