10410 MINUTES OF.THE SPECIAL MEETING OF THE MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES January 9, 1993 special Meeting of the Michigan State University Board of Trustees -was called to order by President Gordon Guyer on Saturday, January 9, 1993, at 10:20 a.m. in Room 103 of The Kellogg Center to discuss the organization of the Board, the Presidential Search Committee items, and for a retreat related to the mission, philosophy, and budget of the University. Trustees present: Dolores M. Cook, Joel Ferguson, Dorothy Gonzales, Russell G. Mawby, Barbara J. Sawyer, John D. Shingleton, Bob Traxler, and Robert E. Weiss. University officers present: President Guyer, Secretary Williams, Interim Provost Simon, and Vice President Wilkinson. Others present: Faculty Liaison and Student Liaison members, Mr. Vence Bonham, Dr. Bruce Miller, and Mr. William Bowen. All actions taken-, were by unanimous vote of the Trustees present unless otherwise noted. I 1. President Guyer welcomed Trustees Gonzales and Traxler to their first meeting :; ; % •• since being elected to the Board of Trustees. Election of Board Chairperson \ and Vice ; Chairperson At President Guyer!s request, a moment of silence was observed in recognition of the life of Elizabeth Richards of Frankenmuth, Michigan, an MSU student whose life was taken in a pedestrian vehicle accident two days ago in East Lansing* Mr. Traxler expressed gratitude for the honor of serving on the Board of Trustees and remarked that he looks forward to a cordial and pleasant relationship in serving the University. Ms. Gonzales was unable to speak because of laryngitis. 2. On a motion by Dr. Mawby5 supported by Mr, Weiss, THE BOARD VOTED to approve the proposed agenda, 3. There were no requests for public participation. 4. The Board elected its Chairperson and Vice Chairperson to each serve a two-year term according to the Board of Trustees Bylaws. On a motion by Ms. Sawyer, supported by Ms. Cook, Dr. Mawby was nominated as Chairperson of the Board. On a motion by Mr. Weiss, supported by Mr. Shingletonj Mr. Ferguson was nominated as Chairperson of the Board. Extensive discussion occurred related to the significant responsibilities and the spirit of the leadership of the Board. Ms. Sawyer commented from a letter she addressed to her colleagues and asked to have it retained in the official records of the meeting. The letter is included with the Agenda materials in the Office of the Secretary of the Board of Trustees. On a ROLL CALL VOTE of the Board conducted by Secretary Williams, Mr/ Ferguson was named Chairperson, On a motion by Dr. Mawby, supported by Ms. Cook, a unanimous vote of support will be recorded for Mr. Ferguson as Chairperson of the Board of Trustees- Mr. Ferguson thanked the Trustees for their vote of confidence and commented further about his leadership responsibilities- On a motion by Mr. Ferguson, supported by Ms. Sawyer, THE BOARD VOTED unanimously to elect Mr. Shingleton as Vice Chairperson, Presidential Search Committee Chairperson and Co-Vice Chai rpersons appointed Mr. Ferguson appointed Mr. Traxler as Chairperson of the Presidential Search Committee with Trustees Gonzales and Mawby serving as Co-Vice Chairpersons, Following Chairperson Ferguson's announcement of committee assignments, on a motion by Mr. Shingleton, supported by Ms- Sawyer, THE BOARD VOTED to table the committee recommendations for an amicable solution to be presented at the January 15 meeting. • 10411 Report on Presidential Search process Request for Executive Session January 9, 1993 5. 6, The Board recessed for a five-minute break and reconvened. Mr. William Bowen, representative of the search firm Heidrick and Struggles. Inc. commented on the Presidential Search process. The proceedings of that segment of the meeting are recorded in the minutes of the Presidential Search Committee with a copy included in the office of the Secretary of the Board of Trustees. President Guyer announced that Legal Counsel has requested that the Board of Trustees meet in Executive Session as authorized by Section 8 (h) of the Open Meetings Act to consider the written opinion of legal counsel dated January 6, 1993, regarding legal issues related to the Presidential Search, which opinion is exempt from disclosure under Section 13 (1) (h) of the Michigan Freedom of Information Act* On a motion by Mr. Weiss, supported by Mr. Shingleton, A ROLL CALL VOTE was conducted by Secretary Williams and the motion passed unanimously. Dr. Guyer announced the Board would go into Executive Session and would reconvene following lunch* On a motion by Dr. Mawby, supported by Ms. Gonzales, the Board reconvened at 1:40 p.nu Trustees present: Dolores M. Cook, Joel Ferguson, Dorothy Gonzales, Russell G. Mawby, Barbara J. Sawyer, John D- Shingleton, Bob Traxler, and Robert E. Weiss. University officers present: President Guyer, Interim Provost Simon, Secretary Williams, and Vice President Wilkinson- Others present: Faculty and Student Liaison members, Mr. Vence Bonham, Dr. James Bonnen, Ms. Betty Golden, and Mr. Steven Webster. The report of President Guyer included the following: Presidents Report A. B. C. D. E. F. President Guyer commented on his deliberate priority of interacting with people important to the University by hosting events at Cowles House during Spring semester. A list of those events was distributed to Board members. Trustees Shingleton and Gonzales are scheduled to accompany Dr. Guyer to Central America in February to view the University's commitment to international projects. Dr. Guyer expects to visit colleges for meetings with deans and faculty to share his perspective, and provide an opportunity for questions, regarding the financial challenges facing the University. He also will be visiting with students, employees, labor unions, and other constituent groups. An organized team of alumni is working with Admissions to aggressively recruit students in the State and nationally. Dr. Guyer expressed his excitement with this rekindled spirit of recruitment. Dr. Guyer will soon be making decisions on the pending legal issues of Williams and Garner. The Board will be provided with an update of those decisions. The decision has been made for the University to return to decentralized graduation ceremonies for Spring semester. Decentralized ceremonies will allow for more guests which is the desire of the colleges and students. G. Dr. Guyer commented on the information he provided to the Trustees on NCAA issues and the University's stance on those issues which will be considered at the upcoming NCAA convention. I I I 1 10412 President's Report continued January 9, 1993 H. During the holidays. Dr. Guyer visited Lansing area groups and people such as Cristo Rey Community Center, Black Child and Family Institute, Lansing Schools Superintendent Richard Halik, Mr. Richard Letts, and a number of others to better understand how Michigan State can be additionally responsible and responsive to societal concerns- Although he is pleased with current activities taking place in the community, he believes there are additional opportunities for MSU involvement. The University must be more aggressive and visible in sending a signal to the community. I. Dr. Mawby expressed appreciation to President Guyer for sharing an update of the exciting activities taking place at this great University. Ms. Sawyer applauded Dr. Guyer for encouraging international travel for Trustees. She believes every member of the Board should take advantage of this opportunity as the University benefits tenfold by the increased appreciation of Trustees for the international mission of the University. 10, Dr. Guyer introduced the next session of the meeting by briefly reviewing the history of the University, The meeting continued with presentations by President Guyer and Dr. James Bonnen, Professor of Agricultural Economics, on the mission and philosophy of the University. Ms. Betty Golden and Mr. Steven Webster, Assistant Vice Presidents for Governmental Affairs, reported on the University-related activities of State and Federal government. The budget discussions were delayed. 11, The meeting adjourned at 4:00. p.m. Gordon Guyer President Marcellette G. Williams Secretary I 1 I I