Brandi Bickham

The committee reviewed and approved tenure recommendations for a cohort of 20 faculty members across multiple departments. Additionally, the committee discussed and approved revisions to three institutional policies: policy 1.011 regarding student and faculty participation in the development of campus policies and programs, and policy 1.020 concerning the confidentiality and privacy of student records, specifically updating titles, offices, and procedural language without altering fundamental student rights.

The committee reviewed and approved the fiscal year 2026 revised audit plan, noting adjustments due to changes in audit priorities and the identification of investigation needs. The committee also received a presentation on the fiscal year 2025 financial statement audit and NCAA compliance engagement, noting no findings for the financial audit and a corrected reporting issue regarding Pell grants for the NCAA engagement. Additionally, the committee reviewed recent departmental audit reports and the results of the 2025 client satisfaction survey, with plans discussed to refine the survey format and frequency.

The board meeting included a campus spotlight on the Little Govs Child Learning Center, highlighting its educational approach, staffing, and community partnerships, along with upcoming plans to rename and expand the program. The Board also received reports from the Academic Affairs, Audit, and Business and Finance committees. Action items approved by the Board included faculty tenure appointments, the fiscal year 2026 revised audit plan, non-mandatory fees for the 2026-2027 academic year, housing rates for the 2026-2027 academic year, and the Blunt Hall HVAC replacement and upgrade project.

The committee discussed four information items. The first item was an Information Technology update, focusing on compliance with the Graham Leech Blly Act (GBA) safeguards rule. Updates included revising the risk register, conducting tabletop exercises for cyber incidents and disasters, completing the national cybersecurity review, ensuring mandatory security training completion (94% rate), and automating account access restriction for non-compliant employees. Additionally, a network penetration test was completed, and the cyber quotient assessment for the Tennessee Treasury was finalized. The second item covered internal audit reports, which included audits on technology access fee expenditures, the cyber incident response plan, and the annual audit of the President's office expense schedule. The third item discussed the requirements for independence and objectivity of the Office of Internal Audit as per Institute of Internal Auditors guidance. The final item provided an update on the 2025 annual Clearary Act security and fire safety report, discussing crime statistics trends relative to population growth within the designated campus perimeter.

The meeting commenced with the calling to order and roll call. Key discussions included providing an update on the student trustee selection process for the 26-27 academic year, which involves student applications, screening by a committee, and final recommendation by the University President to the Student Affairs Committee. Information was also provided regarding implementing the 'Engage' strategy, showing increased engagement indicators such as nearly doubled program attendance in the first six to eight weeks, an uptick in counseling sessions, and increased usage of the Governor's Connect platform. It was noted that this is the first cohort fully unaffected by COVID-19 high school impacts, leading to shifting engagement trends back toward pre-COVID levels. Additionally, an update on career success highlighted the 'GOVS Get Hired' strategic framework focusing on career readiness pillars. Finally, the committee received information regarding the transformational support from the Mean Foundation for a new basic needs facility intended to increase capacity for providing food and essential items to students.