STATE BOARD OF REGENTS
UTAH VALLEY UNIVERSITY, OREM, UTAH
SORENSON STUDENT CENTER
FRIDAY, JANUARY 19, 2018

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
MINUTES

Regents Present
Daniel W. Campbell, Chair
Harris Simmons, Vice Chair
Jesselie B. Anderson
Nina Barnes
Wilford Clyde
Marlin K. Jensen
Ron Jibson
Patricia Jones
Steve Lund
Mark Stoddard
Robert W. Prince
Teresa L. Theurer
Alex Trujillo
Joyce P. Valdez
Thomas E. Wright

Regents Absent
Cristina Ortega
Robert S. Marquardt

Office of the Commissioner
David L. Buhler, Commissioner of Higher Education
Kimberly L. Henrie, Associate Commissioner for Planning, Finance and Facilities
Elizabeth Hitch, Associate Commissioner of Academic Affairs

Institutional Presidents Present
President Pershing, University of Utah
Noelle Cockett, Utah State University
Scott L Wyatt, Southern Utah University
President Carlston, Snow College
Matthew S. Holland, Utah Valley University
Richard B. Williams, Dixie State University
Deneece G. Huftalin, Salt Lake Community College
Charles A. Wight, Weber State University

Other Commissioner’s Office and institutional personnel were also present. The signed role is on file in the Commissioner’s Office.

Discussion – 2018 Legislative Priorities
A discussion regarding 2018 legislative priorities took place with Regents talking about important items.

Regent Stoddard made a motion at 10:32 a.m. to move into Executive Session to discuss the purchase, exchange, or lease of real property. The motion was seconded by Regent Barnes and the motion carried.

Chair Daniel W. Campbell called the Committee of Whole meeting to order at 11:00 a.m. He opened and turn the time over to President Holland for the State of the University.

State of the University
President Holland began by saying he wanted to talk about student success. He noted the university’s core themes for success are: inclusive, engage, and serious. He said the evaluators for accreditation commended Utah Valley for its focus on and culture of student success. Holland said he was asked by Regents to report on key objectives. The first issue is mental health. UVU has been very active on the mental health front. One way UVU is unique is they have a fully integrated health care approach, which includes medical, therapy, psychiatric, crisis and assessment. UVU has been working hard on this issue and has become more efficient in the intake process. They are serving more students, and have a robust outreach program that has increased hours of service and reduced wait times. The next issue is student success and completion. He noted UVU has been working on this issue, starting in 2006 with the Student Success & Retention Committee, and every year since has introduced major initiatives focused on the idea of retention and completion. He noted since 2010, using traditional IPEDS, the graduation rate has increase by 79%. President Holland said he wanted to share a few of the most important things they feel have been effective. Beginning with math, he said this has been on obstacle for a lot of students. UVU has streamlined multi-semester readiness courses and introduced ALEKS PPL. UVU has also been focused on being an inclusive institution, noting 38% of students are first-generation and students of color increased from 8.9% in 2009 to 18.1% in 2017. UVU won the 2017 Rose Duhon-Sells Award for Program of the Year for UVU’s Inclusion Initiative and the 2017 National Role Model Award – Institution Committed to Diversity. The third issue is Dual Mission. UVU is a Community College and Teaching University.

President Holland said he also wanted to give an update on the university being community responsive. They have created a Business Resource Center, five new masters degrees, approved for Fall 2019 is an engineering degree, CTE program with industry advisory boards, entrepreneurship, social media command center, Melissa Nellesen Center for Autism, and the Roots of Knowledge.

Resolution
Regent Jensen made mention of the great work of Thomas S. Monson and the six years of service as a Regent. Regent Jensen moved to approve the Resolution; the motion was seconded by Regent Theurer and the motion passed.

Consent Calendar (TAB R)
On a motion by Regent Wright, and seconded by Regent Jones, the following items were approved on the Regents’ General Consent Calendar:

A. Minutes – Minutes of the Board meeting November 17, 2017, Utah State University, Logan, Utah
B. Grant Proposals
C. Awards
D. Academic items Received and Approved
E. Revision of Policy R686, Student Prosperity Savings Program
F. Revision to Policy R611, Veterans Tuition Gap Program

Revision of Policy R208, Resource and Review Teams (TAB B)

Revision of Policy R209, Evaluation of Presidents (TAB C)
Commissioner Buhler noted these are very important policies and haven’t been updated in a number of years. We also want to make sure policies are compliant with the passage of SB238. He noted the Executive Committee has reviewed them and they have been shared with the Council of Presidents, but noted he felt like we needed more time to have a good dialogue with the Council of Presidents and get their input. Commissioner Buhler asked Chair Campbell not to take action on these policies today and proposed, after dialogue with Presidents, to bring back to the Executive Committee or full Board. Chair Campbell tabled TAB B and TAB C for further review. He also said since members have had the opportunity to review the changes, if there are no significant changes, we take it to the Executive Committee.

Modifications to 2025 Strategic Plan (TAB D)
Commissioner Buhler noted this is to replace Innovative Discovery, the third strategic priority, with Research and Workforce and to include High Impact Practices under the Timely Completion objective. Regent Jibson motioned to approve as outlined in TAB D; the motion was seconded by Regent Anderson and the motion carried.

USHE – 2018 Legislative Priorities (TAB E)
Commissioner Buhler noted this action item is to reaffirm the legislative priorities for the 2018 session as well as providing direction to the Commissioner and Presidents for the session. Regent Jensen asked in addition to the unified budget priorities, what may each institution bring to the legislature for appropriation? Commissioner Buhler said institutions should not be bringing forward any requests. The idea behind a unified budget is that Regents and Institutions are united in our priorities. President Cockett stated she is very supportive of the budget, but on occasion individual legislators could bring forward requests. Chair Campbell noted the same and said a legislator may bring forward a request for an institutional need they don’t feel is being addressed in the unified budget. President Williams commended the Commissioner’s office and said this new process has been very well received. Commissioner Buhler stated if an institution is approached by a legislator, they should communicate that with the Commissioner. Regent Barnes moved to approve as outlined in TAB E; the motion was seconded by Regent Anderson and the motion carried.

Reports from Regent Working Groups
Affordability and Access, Chair Marlin Jensen: Regent Jensen noted they had their initial meeting in December and were fortunate to have Presidents Carlston, Huftalin and Cockett join them that day. A second meeting was held on January 4 that included information from the Cicero group. The next meeting is scheduled for February 8, 2018 and they are looking forward to providing a full report to the Board in July 2018. So far they have looked at the barriers that exist and impact access and affordability, which include elective general college knowledge on the part of the student, the difficulty that exists navigating college systems from application to enrollment, and understanding the whole scheme of college financial options and how to navigate that world.

Timely Completion, Chair Nina Barnes: Regent Barnes noted they had their first meeting and the next meeting is scheduled for February 22, 2018. Joining the group is Senator Henderson, Representative Owens, Tami Pyfer with the Governor’s office, and President Watkins. The group has decided to tour each institution and look at best practices and what is happening on campuses. They are meeting with groups that are designated out of the President’s office, as well as a student group. Regent Trujillo said they met with their first group of students during lunch today. He noted students were excited to meet with Regents and express their thoughts and share their journeys and what motivated them. Regent Barnes noted in addition to the tours, they are looking at different initiatives as well as defining what is Timely Completion.

Workforce, Vice-Chair Pat Jones: Regent Jones noted joining their group is Senator Ann Millner and Representative Mark Wheaton. The group met on December 18, 2017 for a brainstorming session. They are planning additional meetings in February, March, and April. Possible topics for the group include: meeting the needs of the workforce, who comes up with numbers and projection of jobs, returning adults, who will be partners in this effort, how do we get students in the right programs, how do we meet the needs of millennials, be more flexible, get credit for competencies and prior learning, and partner more with technical colleges. These are just general ideas, then the committee got more specific, talking about raising the awareness of CTE, why students do not enroll in programs that lead to occupations, transferable skills, and targeted populations as well as several others. The group will develop one or more strategic and measurable action items that will make a positive and meaningful impact on workforce development.

Chair Campbell expressed appreciation for the hard work the committees are putting in. He asked the committees to come back to the full Board with three targeted topics and key metrics to address.

President Wight asked Regents to note that each institution may have a different set of metrics. Chair Campbell agreed. President Williams said it would be nice to have targets by May as this will allow them to implement them within their strategic work plans for the upcoming year.

Utah Educational Savings Plan (UESP) Branding (TAB F)
Lynn Ward, Executive Director for UESP said on February 5, 2018, the Utah Educational Savings Plan (UESP) will unveil a new name and will be known as my529. She noted there has been some misconception with the current name; people think they must be a Utah resident or have the beneficiary reside in Utah. Most of UESP’s current users are not Utah residents. The program is highly ranked nationally and has had a gold star ranking for the last seven years. She continued saying about five years ago the “I Have A Dream” program approached UESP about using the UESP platform for their low income accounts. This program set up milestones for students to attain, for example: If you visit a college campus you will get $25 deposited in your UESP account, or if you take a college prep class you will get $25 deposited. This allows the students and parents to watch the account grow. As of today they have added about 12 non-profit organizations, including a Native American Tribe in Montana. The most recent partnership is with the city of Oakland, who chose UESP over the California program. Chair Campbell noted UESP is doing a phenomenal job and asked if we are seeing an increase in Utah residents using the program as opposed to out of state residents. She noted the proportion of in state versus out of state remains the same. This is an information item only; no action was taken.

ACADEMIC AND STUDENT AFFAIRS

Revision of Policy R473, Standards for Granting Credit for Course Work Completed at Applied Technology Centers (TAB G)
Regent Theurer noted this policy revision is to reflect the name change of the Utah System of Technical College as well as to clarify some questions and align more closely with accreditation standards. Regent Theurer motioned to approve as outlined in TAB G; the motion was seconded by Regent Barnes and the motion carried.

Engineering and Computer Technology Initiative Annual Report (TAB H)
Regent Theurer noted this report shows an increase in students. This is an information item only; no action was taken.

USHE – Career and Technical Education Annual Report (TAB I)
Regent Theurer noted how much she enjoys this report and said it shows USHE campuses provide a high percentage of current technical education. This is an information item only; no action was taken.

FINANCE AND FACILITIES

University of Utah – Short-term Lease for Student Housing (TAB J)
Regent Stoddard noted this is to increase housing near campus for sophomore students and will include about 990 beds. Regent Stoddard motioned to approve as outlined in TAB J; the motion was seconded by Regent Prince and the motion carried.

University of Utah – Long-term Lease (TAB K)
Regent Stoddard noted this request is to expand existing lease downtown Salt Lake to accommodate growth of the David Eccles School of Business. The lease would increase from approximately 12,000 feet to a little over 26,000 feet with a cost of $457,000 annually. Regent Stoddard motioned to approved as outlined in TAB K; the motion was seconded by Regent Clyde and the motion carried.

University of Utah – Nontraditional Arrangement for Solar Canopies (TAB L)
Regent Stoddard said it would be helpful to have Ken Nye address this item. Ken Nye noted they are proposing to enter into a power purchase agreement and would work with an investor to install a canopy system with solar panels. The system would be owned by a private party and the U would buy power from them. The benefit of doing it this way is the private investor can take advantage of tax credits the U is not eligible to take and allows the university to lower the cost of the project. The University will pay the same rate as they would if buying power from Rocky Mountain Power, but this is a clean source of energy. Chair Campbell ask about handling snow loads; this will be addressed with the engineer. Chair Campbell clarified the benefit is using sustainable resources and not an economic one. Amy, Chief Sustainability Officer, University of Utah noted the numbers show the university will break even or save money, and will provide covered parking as well. Regent Valdez asked if the U has worked with the community and residents in the area. Mr. Nye said the U met with the community council and they are supportive. Regent Stoddard motioned to approve as outlined in TAB L; the motion was seconded by Regent Anderson and the motion carried.

Utah State University – Property Acquisition and Industrial Facilities and Development Bond Authorization (TAB M)
Regent Stoddard noted this is to request a bond to purchase property. Regent Stoddard motioned to approve as outlined in TAB M; the motion was seconded by Regent Jibson and the motion carried.

Weber State University – Property Disposal (TAB N)
Regent Stoddard asked President Wight to address this item. President Wight stated Weber received a gift of a home located near campus about two years ago; that property is now ready to be sold for a price that is above appraisal. The proceeds of this sale will be set aside for the possible construction of an institutional residence. Regent Stoddard motioned to approve as outlined in TAB N; the motion was seconded by Regent Trujillo and the motion carried.

USHE – Space Utilization Project Status Update (TAB O)
Chair Campbell said he thought it may be helpful for Regents to understand the work that has gone into this report. Kimberly Henrie, Associate Commissioner of Finance and Facilities noted the work on this actually started in November 2015 with a conversation about facilities and buildings with the Board. Various reports have been provided about what buildings and locations we have. In January they started talking about how we are using the facilities; then the conversation turned to capital facility requests. The question, how are we utilizing the facilities that we currently have was asked. Since January OCHE staff have worked with the institutions to develop a report that looks at the utilization of classroom space and laboratory space specifically. This space was chosen because it represents the core space and why we would go to the legislation and ask for buildings. She noted what they found was inconsistencies among institutions on definition and use. They have been working with a data group to find common ground and are working on the next iteration of the report. A full report will be brought to the Board at the March 2018 meeting. Chair Campbell noted this is important information and believes it will become a critical component to have as we make building requests and how they get prioritized. This is an information item only; no action was taken.

USHE – Refunding Bonds Results (TAB P)
Regent Stoddard asked Kimberly Henrie, Associate Commissioner of Finance and Facilities to report on this. Kimberly noted the U and USU recently advance refunded existing bonds for debt service savings before federal legislation eliminated the opportunity. The U closed on $96,550,000 of General Revenue and Refunding bonds on December 21, 2107 with an all-in TIC of 2.78% and a Net Present Value savings of $3,813,912. USU closed on $38,825,000 of Student Building Fee Revenue Refunding bonds on December 28, 2017 with an all-in TIC of 3.25% and a net Present Value savings of $2,807.511. This is an information item only; no action was taken.

USHE – Annual Auxiliary Funds Report (TAB Q)
Regent Stoddard noted this is an information item only; no action was taken.

USHE – Annual Report on Institutional and Revenue Bonded Indebtedness (TAB R)
Regent Stoddard noted this is an information item only; no action was taken.

USHE – 2018 Data Book Update (TAB S)
President Cockett said they discovered IPEDS only acknowledges the last school a student attends when reporting degrees. When a student attends both Utah State University (USU) and Washington State University for the Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine, the degree list both schools, but only the last school attended receives credit for the degree. Clearly the degrees are not be counted for USU. She stated we need to find a way to address this; a possible solution would be to provide a certificate from USU, but what she wants is credit for the student receiving their Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. This is an information item only; no action was taken.

Regent Stoddard motioned to move into executive session for the sole purpose of discussing the character, professional competence, or physical or mental health of individuals. The motion was seconded by Regent Wright and the motion carried.

The meeting adjourned at 2:31 p.m.