June 7, 2018

MEMORANDUM

TO: The Committee on The University of Virginia’s College at Wise:

John G. Macfarlane III, Chair

Whittington W. Clement

Elizabeth M. Cranwell

Thomas A. DePasquale

Maurice A. Jones

Frank M. Conner III, Ex-officio

Brendan T. Nigro, Student Member

Matthew S. Harvey, Faculty Consulting Member

and

The Remaining Members of the Board:

Robert M. Blue Babur B. Lateef, M.D.

Mark T. Bowles Tammy S. Murphy

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

Barbara J. Fried James V. Reyes

John A. Griffin Jeffrey C. Walker

Robert D. Hardie Margaret F. Riley, Faculty Member

FROM: Susan G. Harris

SUBJECT: Minutes of the Meeting of the Committee on The University of Virginia’s College at Wise on June 7, 2018

The Committee on The University of Virginia’s College at Wise met, in Open Session, at 11:20 a.m. on Thursday, June 7, 2018, in the Board Room of the Rotunda. John G. Macfarlane III, Chair, presided.

Present: Whittington W. Clement, Elizabeth M. Cranwell, Thomas A. DePasquale, Maurice A. Jones, Brendan T. Nigro, and Matthew S. Harvey

Absent: Frank M. Conner III

Jeffrey C. Walker was also present.

Present as well were Teresa A. Sullivan, Jonathan D. Bowen, Susan G. Harris, Donna P. Henry, Mark M. Luellen, Pace Lochte, David W. Martel, Barry T. Meek, and Debra D. Rinker.

Andrew Cox and Dan Pasquale were the presenters.

Mr. Macfarlane opened the meeting. He said the Executive Committee at its April meeting approved the College’s student fees and housing rates for the upcoming year. He thanked Mr. Murray, Mr. Hogan, and Mr. Hogan’s staff for working with the College to keep the housing rates flat; these rates are now lower than the University’s rates. He thanked Mr. DePasquale for his work with admissions and said more students on the University’s waitlist have accepted admission to the College than ever before. He then introduced the first resolution.

Action Item: Appointments and Reappointments to The University of Virginia’s College at Wise Board

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

APPOINTMENTS AND REAPPOINTMENTS TO THE BOARD OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA’S COLLEGE AT WISE

RESOLVED, Mr. Michael L. Allen, Mr. Marvin W. Gilliam Jr., Dr. Joseph Frank Smiddy, Mr. James Michael Thomas, and Ms. Dawneda F. Williams are reappointed to The University of Virginia's College at Wise Board for four-year terms ending June 30, 2022, in accordance with the UVA-Wise College Board bylaws; and

RESOLVED FURTHER, Mr. James M. Gott, Mr. Fran G. Hunt, and Mr. Joseph R. Carico are appointed to The University of Virginia's College at Wise Board for four-year terms ending June 30, 2022, in accordance with the UVA-Wise College Board bylaws.

Report of the Chancellor

Ms. Henry began her report with a review of the fall enrollment projections for incoming students and the status of the Carl W. Smith Bicentennial Scholarship Programs. The current projection for incoming students is 320. Last fall, the incoming student enrollment was 267. Seven students made deposits as a part of the University’s deferred admission program. Two more students on the University’s waitlist are interested in the College and plan to visit the campus. Twenty-two students are enrolled in the College’s four-week summer bridge program, which is designed for students who do not qualify for admission. Since 90 to 95% of the students who successfully complete the program typically enroll at the College, the College anticipates a final fall enrollment of 340. Eleven students have accepted offers from the Smith Chancellor’s Scholars program. Nine students have accepted offers from the Smith Wise Scholars program; the College believes four more offers will be accepted.

The College continues to support economic development in southwest Virginia. It serves as the support organization for GO Virginia’s Region 1 and recently hosted its third Economic Development Forum, which drew 367 participants. Enhanced coordination efforts between the University and the College are continuing. The UVA Employee and Student Health Wise Clinic (UVA Health Wise) will open on campus later in the month. The University’s Office for Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights visited the College in April to improve collaboration with the College.

At Ms. Henry’s request, Mr. Hogan introduced Mr. Dan Pascale, managing director of Margolis Healy. Mr. Pascale reviewed the findings of his firm’s physical security assessment. He said the College has several positive security elements; there is a substantial public safety response capacity within five minutes of the campus consisting of the State Police, the sheriff’s department, and the Town of Wise police department; there is an exceptional sense of ownership and camaraderie on campus; and the Town of Wise has a low crime rate.

The firm’s first recommendation was to assign responsibility for the physical security systems. Currently, responsibility is done primarily by committee. Responsibilities would include developing a strategic vision, capturing a good return on investment, making sure the systems use the latest technology, and implementing a sustainability plan. There is a need to centralize the management of security systems, to update network infrastructure, and to complete building security assessments. Equipment improvement opportunities include developing security technology standards; upgrading analog cameras and implementing a networked video management solution; and replacing inoperable and missing cameras. The firm recommended developing a system use policy comprised of a privacy statement, a non-harassment statement, a non-discrimination statement, retention standards, and a door position alarm response.

There were several environmental safety recommendations: reviewing and enhancing way-finding signage; assessing parking areas, walks, and crosswalks; and benchmarking exterior lighting against best practices. As a next step, the firm recommended the preparation of cost estimates and an implementation plan, and suggested the University assist by sharing resources and best practices.

In response to committee questions about the availability of funding for the recommended improvements, Mr. Hogan said cost would not be an obstacle and offered to present a cost estimate and an implementation timeline at the September committee meeting.

Ms. Henry introduced Mr. Andrew Cox, an associate professor in the College’s Department of Education. Mr. Cox is the director of the Teacher Education program and was just named department chair. He reviewed the College’s proposed Master of Arts in Teaching degree, which will address the needs of K-12 students and educators in the region.

The College is working on approvals, funding, personnel requirements, and a marketing and recruiting plan. The earliest possible program start would be August 2019.

During the committee discussion, the chair asked for a sense of the committee regarding the degree. Committee members expressed support.

Ms. Henry then announced Mr. Barry Meek as the recipient of the 2018 Crockett Award, which is given annually to individuals who have made a significant effort towards strengthening the relationship between the University and the College.

Ms. Henry announced that the College will be changing its NCAA Division II athletic conference affiliation in the fall of 2019 from the Mountain East Conference to the South Atlantic Conference. The switch will reduce travel times, which in turn will reduce costs and will allow student athletes to spend more time in the classroom. There will also be better regional news coverage since the schools in the new conference are closer to the College.

Remarks by the Faculty Consulting Member

Mr. Harvey spoke about the impact of the College’s Strategic Investment Fund grant on the Mathematics & Computer Science Department. As a part of the grant, the department is working to attract and retain more students. This fall the department will modify those courses where students struggle; these tend to be critical classes for the department’s majors.

Mr. DePasquale suggested the department consider adjusting its degree requirements to meet market demand. The chair asked the College to explore this idea.

Action Item: Commending Resolution for Matthew S. Harvey

Mr. Macfarlane introduced the resolution, and on motion, the committee approved the following resolution and recommended it for full Board approval:

COMMENDING RESOLUTION FOR MATTHEW S. HARVEY

WHEREAS, Matthew S. Harvey, Ph.D., is a graduate of the University of Virginia and an Echols Scholar, and received his doctorate in mathematics from Johns Hopkins University; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Harvey is a professor of mathematics at The University of Virginia’s College at Wise; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Harvey became the faculty consulting representative to the Board of Visitors Committee on The University of Virginia’s College at Wise on July 1, 2016, for a term ending June 30, 2018; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Harvey is a dedicated teacher and an accomplished scholar having recently published Geometry Illuminated: An Illustrated Introduction to Euclidean and Hyperbolic Plane Geometry through the Mathematical Association of America press; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Harvey has assisted Visitors in understanding the perspectives of the College’s students, faculty, and staff;

RESOLVED, the Board of Visitors offers its thanks and appreciation to Matthew S. Harvey for representing the students, faculty, and staff at the College at Wise before the Board of Visitors Committee on The University of Virginia’s College at Wise.

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The chair adjourned the meeting at 12:30 p.m.

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These minutes have been posted to the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors website: https://bov.virginia.edu/committees/208