MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL MEETING 
OF THE 
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY 
BOARD OF TRUSTEES 

March 18, 1993 

The meeting of the Board of Trustees was called to order by Chairperson Joel Ferguson 
on Thursday, March 18, 1993 at 4:55 p.m. in room Red Cedar A of The Kellogg Center. 

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:  Secretary Williams, Interim Provost Simon, General 
Counsel and Vice President Kurz, and Vice President Wilkinson.  Others present:  Dr. 
Robert M. Lockhart, Director of the Office of Planning and Budgets and Dr. Bruce L. 
Miller, Executive Director of the Presidential Search. 

All actions taken were by unanimous vote of the Trustees present, unless otherwise 
noted. 

1.  On a motion by Mr. Shingleton, supported by Ms. Gonzales, THE BOARD VOTED to 

approve the agenda. 

2.  There were no requests to address the Board of Trustees. 

3.  Chairperson Ferguson introduced the discussion of the role of the Board in the 

next phases of the Presidential Search process. 

Trustee Traxler, Chairperson of the Presidential Search Committee, presented 
the options proposed in the materials distributed to the Board.  He asked Board 
members  to  focus  on Alternative  III-B,  Stage  1, which  would  provide the 
opportunity  for review of individual candidates  in closed meetings with the 
full seventeen-member Search Committee. Board members expressed their opinions 
on maintaining the confidentiality of candidates during stages 2 and 3, the 
application review, evaluation, and interview processes of the search. 

On a motion by Mr. Weiss, supported by Dr. Mawby, THE BOARD VOTED to approve 
Alternate  III-B,  Stage  1,  that would  allow meeting  in  closed  session as 
provided by the law to review applications based on paper record. 

Mr. Weiss withdrew the motion and presented a new motion, supported by Mr. 
Shingleton.  THE BOARD VOTED to approve Alternate III-B, Stage 1:  Review of 
Individual Candidates by eight Trustees and nine Non-Trustees.  All Trustees 
and  Non-Trustees  Comment on Individual  Candidates.  The Open Meetings Act 
permits the Board of Trustees to hold executive sessions to review individual 
applications of those who have requested confidentiality.  Decisions to exclude 
candidates, to prefer some candidates, to put some candidates ahead of others, 
etc, cannot be made.  The members of the Search Committee may proceed to review 
candidates based on written information that has been submitted to the Search 
Committee  and  that  we  review  that  information  against  the  criteria  to 
characterize the candidates as strong or weak. 

The Board will discuss Phases II and III of the Search in the future. 

4.  Vice President Wilkinson and Interim Provost Simon commented on the budget as 
a continuation of the discussion at the Board's budget retreat on February 4. 

5.  Chairperson Ferguson announced the meeting would adjourn so Board members could 

attend the Presidential Search Committee meeting in Room 61 Kellogg Center. 

6.  The meeting was adjourned at 6:02 p.m. 

Marcellette G. Williams, Secretary