Kinsey Kovar

The board meeting focused on two primary action items. The first was the formal approval of naming the College of Law as the Donald P. Klekamp College of Law, supported by a significant financial gift intended to enhance scholarships, experiential learning, and the Corporate Law Center. The second action item involved the review and approval of the employment agreement for the newly hired head men's basketball coach. Additionally, the board conducted an executive session to discuss employment, compensation, and legal matters.

The board meeting includes a report from the President followed by a presentation on the Dental Hygiene Program. The meeting structure consists of sessions for the Academic and Student Affairs Committee, Finance and Administration Committee, Audit and Risk Management Committee, and the Governance and Internal Affairs Committee. The proceedings will conclude with a regular meeting and an executive session to address various business and action items.

The board approved a variety of academic and administrative items, including amendments to board rules regarding faculty powers and curricular approval processes, as well as faculty appointments, emeritus status designations, and new academic degrees and certificates across multiple departments. The board also authorized the issuance of general receipts obligations for capital projects and approved funding for the YMCA renovation project and the new STEM academic facility. Furthermore, naming recommendations for campus facilities were confirmed, new policies for classified staff recruitment and appointment were adopted, and the appointment of a new Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost was approved.

The board meeting will include a vote on a recommendation regarding a naming, followed by an executive session to discuss the employment or compensation of a public employee or official, consult with legal counsel regarding pending or imminent court action, and address matters required to be kept confidential by statute. The board will reconvene after the executive session to vote on matters related to the employment of a public official.

The Board of Trustees addressed numerous actions categorized under the Academic and Student Affairs Committee, the Finance and Administration Committee, and Non-Committee Items. Key academic actions included the approval of numerous academic appointments such as Emeritus Status appointments, Endowed Chair/Professorship Appointments, Unit Head Appointments, New Hires (Professors with Tenure), and various levels of Tenure or Promotion recommendations within the College of Medicine. Furthermore, approvals were granted for Distinguished Research Professor Awards, a Distinguished Teaching Professor Award, and new members for the Fellows of the Graduate College and the Academy of Teaching and Learning. Academic unit and degree changes included renaming the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering to include Industrial Engineering, changing a Geology degree to Geosciences, and approving new undergraduate and graduate certificates. Discontinuation of several graduate degree programs across multiple colleges was also approved. Financial matters involved approving funding for the design and preconstruction phase of the Holmes Hospital Renovation ($8,000,000) and the design of the Welcome Gateway Building ($12,000,000), as well as approving a Note Exchange Agreement concerning the Uptown Consortium Write off Request. A final non-committee item was the approval of an Honorary Degree nomination for E. Jean Savage.