STATE BOARD OF REGENTS
UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY, LOGAN, UTAH
TAGGART STUDENT CENTER
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2015

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

MINUTES

Office of the Commissioner
David L. Buhler, Commissioner of Higher Education
Gregory Stauffer, Associate Commissioner for Planning, Finance and Facilities

Institutional Presidents Present
David W. Pershing, University of Utah
Stan L. Albrecht, Utah State University
Scott L Wyatt, Southern Utah University
Gary L. Carlston, Snow College
Matthew S. Holland, Utah Valley University
Richard B. Williams, Dixie State University
Deneece G. Huftalin, Salt Lake Community College

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

Chair Campbell called the meeting to order at 1:03 p.m. He welcomed the newer regents and recognized Steve Lund attending his first meeting. He then turned the time over to Associate Commissioner Greg Stauffer and chair of the Facilities Committee, Regent Marquardt.

Regent Marquardt thanked the capital prioritization committee which includes himself, Regent Stoddard, Regent Barnes and Regent Clyde for their work. He noted over the last month or so they have visited each of the projects that are up for consideration. He stated this is a very tough assignment for the Board of Regents because every project deserves to be funded. He also thanked Greg Stauffer, Ralph Hardy and Rich Amon for their work in organizing the tour and working on the scoring process. Regent Marquardt then turned the time over to the institutions for their presentations.

The Regents heard presentations on the following proposed state-funded projects:

• University of Utah – Medical Education & Discovery (MED)/Rehabilitation Hospital (Dr. Vivian Lee)
• Utah State University – Biological Sciences Building (President Stan Albrecht)
• Weber State University – Social Sciences Building Renovation (Norm Tarbox)
• Southern Utah University – New Business Building (President Scott Wyatt)
• Dixie State University – Human Performance/Student Wellness Center (President Richard Williams)
• Utah Valley University – Performing Arts Building (President Matthew Holland)
• Salt Lake Community College – Career & Technical Education Center at Westpointe (President Deneece Huftalin)

The Regents heard a presentation on the following proposed Non-state funded project:

• University of Utah – David Eccles School of Business Executive Education Center (Dr. Taylor Randall)

Regent Marquardt stated this is an agonizing process and these are all very important buildings. The committee will meet after this meeting and bring their recommendation back to the board tomorrow for approval.

Chair Campbell thanked the committee for their hard work. He stated he believes one of the most important responsibilities the regents have is their selection of presidents and noted they have done a great job. He thanked the presidents for their work on the projects. He asked if there were any questions for the committee. No questions were asked.

No action was taken on this item at this time. The board will vote to approve the prioritization of the projects during the Committee of the Whole, September 18, 2015.

The Committee of the Whole adjourned at 2:49 p.m.

_____________________________
STATE BOARD OF REGENTS
UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY, LOGAN, UTAH
TAGGART STUDENT CENTER
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2015

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

MINUTES

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

Institutional Presidents Present
David W. Pershing, University of Utah
Stan L. Albrecht, Utah State University
Scott L Wyatt, Southern Utah University
Gary L. Carlston, Snow College
Matthew S. Holland, Utah Valley University
Paul Morris on behalf of Richard B Williams, Dixie State University
Deneece G. Huftalin, Salt Lake Community College
Madonna Miner on behalf of Charles 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.

Chair Campbell called the meeting to order at 1:03 p.m. He excused the Regents who are absent and thanked those present. Move to President Albrecht for the State of the University report.

State of the University
President Albrecht gave a report on the state of Utah State University, highlighting the quality of the university and noted the institution is recognized as being in the top 3% worldwide. The university has doubled applications over the last 5 years resulting in increased enrollments. They have focused on STEM initiatives and noted their number one program is mechanical engineering. They have seen dramatic growth in online course work. They are also focusing on increasing enrollment during summer terms and have seen a 10% increase. Additionally, they are focusing on completion rates by tracking and following up on students. For the second year in a row the university has broken records in terms of research funding, with this year being over 230 million dollars.

Oath of Office
Having been appointed to the Board of Regents, Steve Lund took the oath of office.

Chair Campbell then turned the time over to Commissioner Buhler to recognize new staff in the Office of the Commissioner. Commissioner Buhler noted that his office is now fully staffed and introduced new staff in attendance.

General Consent Calendar (TAB T)

On a motion by Regent Prince, and seconded by Regent Simmons the following items were approved on the Regents’ General Consent Calendar:
A. Minutes – Minutes of the Board meeting July 17&18, 2015, Utah State University.
B. Grant Proposals
C. Awards
D. Academic Items Received and Approved

Approval of Calendar for 2016-17 Board of Regent Meetings (TAB U)

Regent Theurer motioned to approved, was seconded by Regent Barnes and the motion passed.

USHE – Institutional State Funded Capital Development Projects for 2016-17 (TAB V)

Regent Marquardt noted this process is very hard and all projects deserve to be funded. He stated last year they tried a new approach and packaged the top four projects together; two were funded. This year they did but together an overriding theme and relied heavily on the CDP scoring process, the same process that has been used for years. The ranking is: Salt Lake Community College, Center at Westpointe; Utah Valley University, Performance Arts Building; Weber State University, Social Science Building; Southern Utah University, New Business Building; University of Utah, Medical School Complex; and tied for 6th place is Utah State University and Dixie State University. Regent Marquardt made a motion to approve; Regent Theurer questioned why we would steer away from STEM. Regent Marquardt responded stating that STEM is still a consideration and is awarded priority points, although they did not award additional discretionary points for STEM. He also noted last year was a one year experiment hoping to get more funding and there were no plans to continue that. Chair Campbell asked Greg Stauffer to review the scoring process. Greg Stauffer reviewed and explained in detail the process of assigning points and ranking. Chair Campbell noted we need to press the legislature this year for more funding. Regent Theurer questioned the way some of the points were assigned. Regent Marquardt explained the process of assigning points is defined by the CDP scoring process. Commissioner Buhler noted six points separate all projects and it shows how critical all the projects are. Chair Campbell noted the motion to approve by Regent Marquardt, was seconded by Regent Barnes, Regent Theurer opposed, the motion carried.

USHE – Institutional Non-State Funded Capital Development Projects and Land Bank Requests for 2016-17 (TAB W)

Regent Marquardt motioned to approve, seconded by Regent Barnes and the motion carried.

USHE – 2016-17 Operating Budget Request (TAB N)

Commissioner Buhler noted one of the roles of the Regents is to adopt each year a unified budget recommendation and submit to the Governor and legislature, with the dual objective of being consistent with the needs of higher education and also the state’s financial ability to pay. Commissioner Buhler reviewed the budget request as outlined in TAB N. Regent Marquardt noted Finance & Facilities discussed this in their committee meeting and voted unanimously to approve it. Regent Marquardt motioned to approve, Regent Stoddard seconded and the motion carried.

Reports of Board Committees

Academic and Student Affairs Committee

Southern Utah University – Master of Music in Music Technology with Emphases in Performance Technology and Studio Technology (TAB A)

Regent Theurer noted this is the first of its kind in the state. Regent Theurer motioned to approve as outlined in TAB A, seconded by Regent Valdez and the motion carried.

Policy R401, Approval of New Programs, Program Changes, Discontinued Programs, and Program Reports TAB B

Regent Theurer briefly described the changes. Regent Theurer motioned to approve as outlined in TAB B, the motion was seconded by Regent Marquardt and the motion carried.

Institutional Completion Update: Utah State University (TAB C)

Utah Scholars Initiative Annual Report (TAB D)

StepUP to Higher Education Website Update (TAB E)

The New College Guide (TAB F)

Benchmarks for Graduate Level Programming (TAB G)

Regent Theurer noted each report was great and encouraged others to review them. These are information items only; no action was taken.

Finance/Facilities Committee

Utah State University – Campus Master Plan (TAB H)

Regent Marquardt noted a group of Regents toured the campus and stated it was very helpful.

Revision of Policy R541, Management and Reporting of Institutional Investments (TAB I)

Regent Marquardt reviewed the language change and noted the changes were approved in committee.

University of Utah – Endowment Pool Investment Guidelines and Implementation Strategy (TAB J)

Regent Marquardt noted University of Utah wants to increase the performance of their endowment fund and they hired the Fund Evaluation Group to help develop this strategy. The change being recommended is to allow more alternative investments. These fall into three categories; high yield, private equity, and hedge funds. The committee supports these changes. Regent Marquardt moved to approve both the Revision of Policy R541 as outlined in TAB I and University of Utah – Endowment Pool Investment Guidelines and Implementation Strategy as outlined in TAB J, Regent Marquardt also moved to approve Utah State University Campus Master Plan as outlined in TAB H, seconded by Regent Theurer and the motion carried.

University of Utah – Rio Mesa Center Property Gift TAB K

Regent Marquardt briefly reported on this item and motioned to approve as outlined in TAB K, seconded by Regent Simmons and the motion carried.

University of Utah – Red Butte Garden Horticulture Compound (TAB L)

Regent Marquardt briefly reported on this item and noted this project will be entirely funded by donations and no O&M will be requested. Regent Marquardt moved to approve, seconded by Regent Simmons and the motion carried.

Utah Valley University – Autism Building and Basketball Practice Facility (TAB M)

Regent Marquardt noted this is a non-state funded project with costs being covered by donations. He noted this needs approval by the Regents, but not the legislature. Regent Marquardt moved to approve, Regent Barnes seconded and the motion carried.

USHE – 2016-17 Operating Budget Request (TAB N)

Regent Marquardt noted this item has already been covered by Commissioner Buhler and approved.

Programming and Design of USHE Facilities Prior to Funding (TAB O)

Regent Marquardt briefly reported on this item. This is information only and no action is needed.

Follow-up Audit of Higher Education’s Management Practices for Operation and Maintenance Funding (TAB P)

Regent Marquardt briefly described the item. This is information only and no action is needed.

University of Utah – Report on Savings Accrued from Consolidation into the General Revenue Bond System (TAB Q)

Regent Marquardt noted this has resulted in significant savings; since 2013 a refunding savings in excess of 25 million, with a present value savings of over 13 million. They have raised their bond ratings from double A2 to double A1. This is information only and no action is needed.

USHE – 2014-15 End-of-Term Enrollments (TAB R)

Regent Marquardt reported briefly on this. This is information only and no action is needed.

USHE – Annual Report of Foreign Gifts and/or Donations to USHE Institutions (TAB S)

Regent Marquardt briefly reported on this. This is information only and no action is needed.

It was moved by Regent Stoddard and seconded by Regent Simmons to meet in Executive Session for the sole purpose of discussing the character, professional competence, or physical or mental health of individuals, pending or reasonably imminent litigation, and the possible sale of real property. The motion carried.

The Board of Regents met in Executive Session until 3:45 p.m.

_____________________________
Loreen Olney, Executive Secretary