Highlights of the UVM Board of Trustees meeting held January 31 through February 2, 2019 included the following:
President Tom Sullivan brought board members up to date on the once every-10-year accreditation process the university is currently undergoing, conducted by the New England Commission on Higher Education (NECHE). More than 100 faculty and staff have been working on the effort over the past two years, creating a self-study report to submit to NECHE. The process will culminate with a visit from March 24-27 by a five-member team of accreditors that will feature meetings with faculty, staff and students and several open forums. Accreditors will deliver an oral report at the of the visit and a written report later in the year.
UVM Foundation president and CEO Shane Jacobson gave the board an update on the university’ comprehensive fundraising campaign, which has exceeded its $500 million goal by nearly $50 million dollars. The Foundation will celebrate the success of the campaign on May 17 and officially close it on June 30.
In a report on grants and contracts, Board chair David Daigle said the university has already secured nearly $73 million, which would put it on pace to exceed last year’s total of $136 million.
A capital projects update from Robert Vaughan and Paula Carlaccini featured a slide show showing the construction progress of Innovation Hall, the last portion of the STEM complex to be built, from groundbreaking to the present. The project will be completed in May. This summer all the fences that have enclosed the UVM central campus construction district for the past several years will be eliminated, Vaughn said, and next fall bus service will be restored to the area.
In the Educational Policy and Institutional Resources (EPIR) Committee meeting, a number of new majors, minors and certificate programs were approve, including a Bachelor of Arts in Dance; Certificate in Community Music: Organ; Bachelor of Science in Anthropology; Undergraduate Certificate in Religious Literacy in the Professions; Minor in Reporting and Documentary Storytelling, all in the College of Arts and Sciences; and an Undergraduate Certificate and a Continuing Education Academic Certificate in Integrated Health & Wellness Coaching in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences and Continuing and Distance Education.
During the Budget, Finance and Investment (BFI) Committee meeting, the committee approved $4 million to be spent on deferred maintenance in 2019/2020. The committee also set maximum rates for 2020 comprehensive, SGA and IRA fees. Those details are available in the consent agenda.
Source: UVM News