December 6, 2018

MEMORANDUM

TO: The Academic and Student Life Committee:

Barbara J. Fried, Chair

Elizabeth M. Cranwell, Vice Chair

Thomas A. DePasquale

John A. Griffin

Tammy S. Murphy

Jeffrey C. Walker

Frank M. Conner III, Ex-officio

Margaret F. Riley, Faculty Member

Brendan T. Nigro, Student Member

and

The Remaining Members of the Board:

Robert M. Blue Maurice A. Jones

Mark T. Bowles Babur B. Lateef, M.D.

L.D. Britt, M.D. James B. Murray Jr.

Whittington W. Clement C. Evans Poston Jr.

Robert D. Hardie James V. Reyes

FROM: Susan G. Harris

SUBJECT: Minutes of the Academic and Student Life Committee Meeting on December 6, 2018

The Academic and Student Life Committee of the Board of Visitors of the University of Virginia met, in Open Session, at 2:45 p.m., on Thursday, December 6, 2018, in the Upper West Oval Room of the Rotunda. Barbara J. Fried, Chair, presided.

Present: Elizabeth M. Cranwell, John A. Griffin, Jeffrey C. Walker, Margaret F. Riley, and Brendan T. Nigro

Absent: Frank M. Conner III, Thomas A. DePasquale, and Tammy S. Murphy

Babur B. Lateef, M.D. was also present.

Present as well were James E. Ryan, Thomas C. Katsouleas, Richard P. Shannon, M.D., Melody S. Bianchetto, Margaret S. Grundy, Susan G. Harris, Timothy J. Heaphy, Ronald R. Hutchins, Patricia M. Lampkin, M. Elizabeth Magill, Barry T. Meek, Melur K. Ramasubramanian, and Debra D. Rinker.

Presenters were Ian B. Baucom, Zoe Denenberg, Kaitlyn Diaz, Blake Hesson, Olivier Pfister, Joe Reeves, Helen Roddey, and Ashwanth Samuel.

Ms. Fried opened the meeting and introduced the consent agenda item.

Consent Agenda: Converting the John A. Ewald, Jr. Distinguished Visiting Professorship in Law to the John A. Ewald, Jr. Research Professorship in Law

On motion, the committee approved the following resolution and recommended it for Board approval:

CONVERTING THE JOHN A. EWALD, JR. DISTINGUISHED VISITING PROFESSORSHIP IN LAW TO THE JOHN A. EWALD JR. RESEARCH PROFESSORSHIP IN LAW

WHEREAS, the John A. Ewald, Jr. Distinguished Visiting Professorship in Law was established in 1981 with a gift from John Ewald Sr. and Emme Ewald in honor and memory of their son, a 1953 alumnus of the UVA Law School, with the intent to support the Law School’s efforts to attract and retain eminent scholars; and

WHEREAS, converting this professorship to a research professorship would enable the Law School to use the gift more consistently according to the donors’ intent; and

WHEREAS, Jane Tolleson, a 1955 Law School alumna who is the widow of John Ewald Jr. and also a donor to the professorship, supports such a modification of the professorship; and

WHEREAS, the Circuit Court of Albemarle County has granted the petition of the University and the Law School Foundation to affect this change;

RESOLVED, the Board of Visitors approves the conversion of the John A. Ewald, Jr. Distinguished Visiting Professorship in Law to the John A. Ewald Jr. Research Professorship in Law.

Action Item: Establishment of the Honorable Albert V. Bryan Jr. Professorship in Law

Mr. Katsouleas said the professorship would provide support for summer research.

On motion, the committee approved the following resolution and recommended it for Board approval:

ESTABLISHMENT OF THE HONORABLE ALBERT V. BRYAN JR. PROFESSORSHIP IN LAW

WHEREAS, the Honorable Albert V. Bryan Jr., a member of the School of Law Class of 1950, is an inactive Senior District Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia; and

WHEREAS, Charles H. "Buzz" Smith '74, in celebration of his 25th Law Reunion, made a leadership gift to create an endowed fund in honor of Judge Bryan, for whom he clerked after law school; and

WHEREAS, the endowed fund is for a research professorship at the School of Law. Research professorships provide significant summer support for the Law School's most productive scholars and are usually held for three-year terms;

RESOLVED, the Board of Visitors establishes The Honorable Albert V. Bryan Jr. ' 50 Research Professorship in Law; and

RESOLVED FURTHER, the Board of Visitors, the University, and the School of Law express their deep gratitude for the generosity of all the donors to this research professorship, particularly Charles H. “Buzz” Smith; and

RESOLVED FURTHER, the Board of Visitors thanks Judge Bryan for his service to the University and the nation, and congratulates him on this honor.

Executive Vice President and Provost Remarks

Mr. Katsouleas began with several highlights from the Academic Dashboard. Last year, the University briefly moved from the bottom quartile into the mid-range of the Scholarly Productivity metric. Since this is a five-year average metric, it will take time before a more permanent improvement is realized.

The Faculty Diversity metric showed progress in 2017. Over 30% of the faculty were women, which moved the University into the middle quartile in the AAU for the first time. For African Americans, the University moved out of the top quartile and into the top decile. The University was moving into the mid range in the AAU for minority faculty. Preliminary data from the fall of 2018 showed that 40% of the faculty hires were minorities. In 2017, minority hires were 33%, which at that time was the highest the University had ever achieved. Next year, the University should move into the AAU mid-range. Five years ago, it was second to last.

The Student High Impact Experience metric showed improvements in the study abroad category. Last year, when compared to its AAU peers, the University ranked 24^th for the number of students who studied abroad. This year, the University ranked 12^th.

Mr. Katsouleas then reported on an initiative to bring life transforming experiences to every student. The initiative was launched in response to the Gallup-Purdue Index Survey, which found that alumni were twice as likely to report well being and work engagement later in life when they had been able as students to apply classroom learning to real world experiences and when they had supportive mentors. A task force was testing the effectiveness of three pilot projects, which focused on community engagement courses and internships associated with a one credit course.

Mr. Nigro asked why the admission’s yield had increased this year when it had been declining. Mr. Katsouleas said the increase was unexpected and defied national trends. Two years ago, the University changed its recruitment emphasis in response to data, which indicated prospective students thought the University was great, but felt that the University didn’t particularly want them. Mr. Nigro asked if the increased yield went across demographic groups. Mr. Katsouleas said the University was number one in the number of admission offers made to prospective African American students, but was not number one in matriculation because a number of its peers had higher yields. The University’s yield, however, was improving.

Vice President and Chief Student Affairs Officer Remarks

Ms. Lampkin reported on fund raising for the new student health and wellness building. The funding plan for this $100 million project was based on a $40 million gift provided by a lead anonymous donor, a $30 million commitment from the University, and $30 million in gifts. Commitments totaling $40.7 million had been booked. Verbal commitments totaled $355,000. A $500,000 gift had been received from the Parents Committee. Mr. Reyes had made a significant gift. Additional requests would be made over the next six months.

Research Reports: Report on Enhancing Research

Mr. Ramasubramanian reported on the 3 Cavaliers program and on research awards for FY 2018. The 3 Cavaliers program had received 114 proposals and had funded 77. Research awards for FY 2018 totaled $394 million, a record for the University. The top schools receiving funding were Medicine, Engineering, the College, and Curry.

During the committee discussion, questions were asked about changes in research funding over the next five years and the status of the University’s ranking once it achieved $500 million in research grants. Mr. Ramasubramanian said the federal government will remain the largest fund source. He said there were opportunities for gift funded research, industry research, and research with foreign entities. The University’s research ranking was 58. A research portfolio of $500 million would put the University in the 40 range. Mr. Katsouleas said another metric to consider was research funding per faculty member. With a $500 to $600 million research portfolio, the University would start to move into the top 25.

Mr. Ryan asked about overall faculty research productivity separate from sponsored research. Mr. Katsouleas said there were measures for non-sponsored research. In the humanities, there were four metrics: books, publications, citations, and awards. The University’s goal was to double its research and scholarship. While non-sponsored research productivity was improving, it was not improving as fast as the University would like and lagged behind increases in sponsored research. The University’s goal was to see productivity rise to the middle of the AAU.

Mr. Ramasubramanian outlined other metrics, such as the kind of doctoral students produced, the kind of postdoctoral students working on projects, the number of postdoctoral students, the number of postdoctoral students graduated and where they worked, and the number of undergraduates working in labs. There were also metrics based on endowment, consistency of annual giving, and SAT scores. Mr. Baucom said that for a decade the University had been the number one university in the country for the funding of the humanities from national agencies.

Mr. Ryan asked about impact metrics. Mr. Ramasubramanian said the University could look at the significant things it had advanced. Mr. Katsouleas added that consideration could be given to the number of startups and companies created by faculty. Ms. Fried asked what would make a researcher want to come to the University. Mr. Ramasubramanian said a collegial environment, supporting infrastructure, and minimal bureaucracy attracts researchers. Mr. Katsouleas said cluster hires were a powerful recruiting tool especially when coupled with the pan-university institutes.

Research Reports: Researcher Perspective

Mr. Ramasubramanian introduced Mr. Olivier Pfister, Professor of Physics in the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Mr. Pfister said the current emphasis in quantum physics focused on taking quantum mechanics and turning it into quantum technology. China’s launch two years ago of a satellite that could beam light containing a single photon back to earth from the moon spurred the U.S. House of Representatives to pass the National Quantum Initiative, which called for the acceleration of quantum research and development and would provide $1.3 billion for academic labs, government labs, industry, and multi-disciplinary centers. The initiative, which had the support of the White House, was under consideration by the U.S. Senate.

Mr. Walker asked what was needed to bolster the work. Mr. Pfister said consideration was being given to pursuing a NSF research center grant. To be successful the University would have to hire a researcher with the credentials of a center director and attract top students. Mr. Katsouleas said the University was pursuing an individual of this caliber and had a potential candidate.

Discussion Items: New Arts & Sciences Curriculum and Other Pedagogical Initiatives

Mr. Baucom reported on the new college curriculum, STEM initiatives, strategic partnerships, and global initiatives. The new curriculum, which focused on the first two years, was based on the premise that students needed to be able to wrestle with ethical questions; to understand an empirical truth claim; to engage with the arts in something other than entertainment; to be able to engage civilly; to be able to write well; to be fluent in a world language; and to be literate in quantification, computation, and data analysis. Mr. Baucom reviewed the engagement courses, which form the heart of the first year experience and focus on aesthetics, empirical and scientific engagement, engaging differences, and ethical engagements. They were designed and taught by the faculty drawn from the College. There will be a final assessment of the curriculum this May. In the fall, the faculty will vote on whether to make the curriculum mandatory for all students or to leave it as an optional requirement.

Mr. Baucom said the purpose of the STEM initiatives was to align the College’s curriculum with the University’s strategic priorities, particularly the pan-university institutes. They included curricular innovations at the upper class levels, a data science certificate, expansion of the neuroscience major, multi-departmental environmental studies, computation in the disciplines, and teaching reforms in calculus and chemistry. Investments were also being made in teaching spaces.

The College was pursuing partnerships with Apple and Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC). The Apple partnership would focus on integrating coding and digital design into the curriculum. The PVCC partnership was the first step in providing access to the College’s curriculum throughout the Commonwealth. The College was also exploring a collaboration with the School of Continuing & Professional Studies.

Global initiatives included expansion of the UVA Global First program and a new partnership with iXperience. UVA Global First, which allows students to spend their first semester at the University studying in London, was being expanded to include Shanghai and Valencia as options. The iXperience program offers students an intensive boot camps with imbedded internships in areas, such as data blockchains. Approximately 200 UVA students had participated in the program. Under the partnership, University faculty would teach in the program. Consideration was being given to expanding this summer experience to a semester long program, and possibly to a major.

Student Panel Discussion on Opportunities for Improving the Second Year Experience

Ms. Lampkin said the panel consisted of students from the third year cohort of the Merriweather Lewis Program. Last summer, the University gave them an engagement project called ‘Reimagining the Second Year Experience.’ The University had been focusing on the second year trying to address the issue of the sophomore slump. The second year was typically the time students experienced the most discontent, were the least engaged, and spent the least amount of time with faculty. The panelists were Kaitlyn Diaz, Blake Hesson, Joe Reeves, and Helen Roddey.

The panelists said second year students faced three main challenges: a lack of awareness of resources; a lack of career certainty about which majors lead to which careers; and feelings of isolation. A survey indicated that 90% of students said the University should do a better job of communicating the resources that were available to students.

Mr. Nigro was concerned that the survey showed nearly 88% of students use online research, a friend, peer, or an upper-class student for information instead of using institutional resources, such as the Career Center or faculty advisors. The panel said faculty advisors were not always in the major ultimately chosen by students and, therefore, could only provide limited guidance. Mr. Walker said the University needed to consider improvements to the advising system to better align faculty advisors with majors.

To help navigate the second year experience, the panelists developed a “M.A.P.S., through UVA module, which was centered around four themes: mental health, academic performance, professional readiness, and social engagement. The mental health module would introduce students to resources and classes. The academic module would help students create academic plans with back up options. The professional module would expose students to resources, teach personal branding, and prepare them for job recruiting and life after graduation. The engagement module would expose students to meaningful on-Grounds and off-Grounds activities. The modules, which would have interactive elements, would include University resources and perspectives by upperclassmen.

The goal was to have M.A.P.S. ready for rollout in 2019-2020. Its estimated cost was approximately $40.000. Its potential benefits included maintaining the high retention rates, stronger alumni connections, reaching out to more students, and having engaged second year students. The students said M.A.P.S. was not only a cost-efficient solution, but also had built-in sustainability since it could be updated with minimal work. Its success would be measured by tracking student use, quizzes at the beginning and end of the modules, and feedback from students.

Student Comment Period

Mr. Nigro said the student comment period would focus on the financial barriers faced by low income students who wanted to participate in the Greek system. He introduced Mr. Ashwanth Samuel, President of the Inter-Fraternity Council (IFC) and Ms. Zoe Denenberg, President of the Inter-Sorority Council (ISC).

Mr. Ashwanth led the presentation, which was titled ‘Accessibility of Greek Life at UVA – An Inter-Fraternity Council Case Study.’ He said the Greek system consists of 31 fraternities and 16 sororities. While the average national participation rate in fraternities at state schools was 8%, the University’s participation rate was 30%. The positive factors of Greek Life include higher GPAs than non-affiliated students, extensive philanthropic efforts, and networking during and after college. Challenges included hazing, unhealthy drinking, and exclusivity.

In 2018, 905 students participated in the fraternity rush, 598 were offered bids, and 541 accepted. Almost all of the individuals declining bid offers cited the cost of dues as the reason. For the sororities, of the 218 students who withdrew, 42% indicated they did so for financial reasons. The average fraternity dues, which did not include meal plans or rent for living in the house or incidentals, was $1,186 per semester. For the ISC, the average dues were $1,055.

Most of the national organizations have scholarships to alleviate membership costs. Twenty-one University chapters had applied for these scholarships; eight had been successful. Twelve UVA chapters have scholarships. Fraternities also work with members who had encountered financial difficulties during their time at the University. In the fall of 2016, the IFC created the IFC Scholarship. In 2017, 12 students applied for these scholarships; two were awarded. In 2018, 26 students applied and three were awarded. The ISC has used chapter fines from recruitment violations for scholarships. Ms. Denenberg said the ISC had also established a reimbursement program for recruitment fees for low income students and for students who indicated they could not afford the fees.

Mr. Samuel presented information on Vanderbilt University’s ‘Experience Vanderbilt’ program, which was an undergraduate led initiative. It provides need-based financial aid for extracurricular activities, such as Greek life, contracted independent organizations, and club sports. Funding was provided by an endowment created by alumni and parents. In 2018, $300,000 was available for the program.

During the comment period, Mr. Nigro said a program modeled after ‘Experience Vanderbilt’ could be used to support life transformative experiences, such as service learning trips or alternative spring breaks. Mr. Katsouleas said the Gallup-Purdue survey showed a positive correlation between Greek life and well-being later in life.

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The chair adjourned the meeting at 5:18 p.m.

SGH:wtl

These minutes have been posted to the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors website: http://bov.virginia.edu/committees/179