March 1, 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

Bryanna F. Miller, 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 March 1, 2018

The Committee on The University of Virginia’s College at Wise met, in Open Session, at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 1, 2018, in the Board Room of the Rotunda. John G. Macfarlane III, Chair, presided.

Present: Whittington W. Clement, Thomas A. DePasquale, Maurice A. Jones, Bryanna F. Miller, and Matthew S. Harvey

Absent: Frank M. Conner III and Elizabeth M. Cranwell

Jeffrey C. Walker was also present.

Present as well were Teresa A. Sullivan, Thomas C. Katsouleas, Richard P. Shannon, M.D., Jonathan D. Bowen, Donna P. Henry, W. Thomas Leback, Barry T. Meek, and Colette Sheehy.

Mr. Macfarlane opened the meeting. He thanked Ms. Henry for her role in the solicitation of the $10 million gift from the Hunter Smith Family Foundation and relayed the comment made by Ms. Smith to Mr. Luellen that the gift may not have occurred were it not for the confidence she had in Ms. Henry’s leadership. He gave the floor to Ms. Henry.

Report of the Chancellor

Ms. Henry asked Dr. Shannon to report on the new full-service primary care clinic that will open at the College. Dr. Shannon said the clinic is the result of an initiative to expand the University’s BeWell program to the College. The University launched the BeWell program two years ago with the idea of making the University the healthiest place to work.

Dr. Shannon said the program is predicated on having access to primary care. During the initial discussions with the College, it was discovered that primary care physicians in the Wise area were overextended and access to primary care was limited. In addition, specialty care was not available locally and behavioral health services were limited. The College’s existing student health clinic has only a full-time nurse and a part-time nurse practitioner who is available on Monday mornings. The Health System realized this was an opportunity to serve the College workforce and expand student health offerings.

The University will open the clinic in June to serve students, employees, and spouses. It will employ a nurse and a nurse practitioner. The nurse practitioner will have access to a UVA physician via telemedicine. The University will provide specialty care. Lab work and other diagnostics will be sent to Norton Community Hospital. Start-up costs will be $46,000 and first year operating costs will be $273,000. The Health System will fund the start-up costs. The clinic will generate revenues, which will cover a significant portion of the operating costs.

The clinic will allow nursing students to complete clinical observations at the College. Currently, students often have to drive 90 minutes each way to complete their observations. It also offers the ability for internships in Telemedicine via the Computer Science program.

Ms. Henry reported on student recruitment. Compared to this time last year, inquiries are up 20%, applications are up over 14%, and deposits are up 20%. Transfer applications and deposits are up. Eighty students attended this year’s Admitted Student Day; typically, 40 students attend. When asked about reasons for the increases, Ms. Henry suggested three: an adjusted admission schedule to respond to the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) schedule; scholarships funded by the Hunter Smith Family Foundation; and the College’s marketing program.

Mr. DePasquale asked about competition for students from Southwest Virginia by East Tennessee State University (ETSU), which offers in-state tuition to students living with 250 miles of its campus. Ms. Henry said the College at Wise, which is more expensive than ETSU, had offered reduced out-of-state tuition to students living within 50 air miles of its campus, but this past spring decided to offer in-state tuition instead. This has generated student interest though the College’s in-state tuition is $800 higher than ETSU’s. A proposal was submitted to the General Assembly to provide a $2 million base budget increase so the College could reduce tuition.

Mr. Katsouleas reported on a videoconference held with University and College administrators to discuss rebranding as a way to improve the College’s recruitment efforts. This had been requested by the committee at its December meeting. While a cost analysis determined rebranding would be expensive and would have a low return-on-investment in terms of new students, it was suggested the College build on the University’s relationships with high school counselors. The two deans of admission will work on ways to get the College in front of the same counselors.

Ms. Henry reviewed five regional economic development activities: the College will host its third SWVA Economic Forum in May; collaboration continues with MARCH37; the Nest program hired a program coordinator and has a search underway for an innovation center manager; in December the Governor’s Workforce Policy Workgroup prepared a policy paper on rural Virginia; and the College approved a minor in Public Health.

Ms. Henry reported on recent faculty honors. Ms. Elizabeth Hirschman, the Hill Richmond Professor of Business, received SCHEV’s Outstanding Faculty Award. Mr. Floyd Beckford, the Van Daniel III Endowed Chair in Chemistry, was named a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Turku in Finland. She said Senator Mark Warner will be this year’s commencement speaker.

Ms. Henry concluded with a presentation on the proposed RN to BSN Online Degree Completion Program. She introduced Ms. Cathie Collins, chair of the College’s Department of Nursing. The College started an on-campus RN to BSN program in 1993, but its enrollment declined due in part to class schedules that conflicted with student work schedules. The College dropped the program in 2010. Since then, the College has been developing an online format to make it easier for working registered nurses to get a BSN degree. The program must be approved by the Board of Visitors, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The earliest start date would be January 2019.

Remarks by the Faculty Consulting Member

Mr. Harvey reported on efforts to expand opportunities for student research. This past fall the College held its first research day, a half-day event where students showcased their work. A second research day will held in March. A full day event is scheduled for April and will include faculty presentations.

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The chair adjourned the meeting at 11:55 a.m.

SGH:wtl

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