Maclane Stebbins

The meeting agenda includes the administration of the Oath of Office to new trustees, an executive session, and reports from the Institutional Advancement, Academic and Scientific Affairs, Finance, Fiscal Policy and Investment, and Trusteeship committees. Key action items involve approvals for academic personnel actions, non-tenure track faculty appointments, various university policies, hourly and administrative personnel actions, the Affordability and Efficiency Report, and support for construction and lease agreements. Additionally, the board will review financial, asset allocation, and cybersecurity reports, as well as proposals for revisions to the bylaws.

The Board of Trustees conducted an executive session to discuss legal matters. Committee reports were presented covering Institutional Advancement, Academic and Scientific Affairs, and Finance, Fiscal Policy and Investment. Key actions included the approval of several resolutions, the authorization of lease agreements for academic space in Cleveland, and the approval of revised Board Bylaws to comply with the Advance Ohio Higher Education Act. The President's report highlighted the University's strong financial position, expansion plans for the College of Nursing, new degree programs, and the 25th anniversary of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Center of Excellence.

The presentation details the mission and strategy of the Harrington Discovery Institute and Oxford Harrington Rare Disease Center to accelerate cures for rare diseases. The core approach involves a 'nonprofit pharma' model that identifies and supports breakthrough projects globally. Key focus areas include providing drug development expertise, fostering partnerships across academia, industry, and philanthropy, and leveraging genomic data and gene-targeted therapeutics. The vision aims to translate biomedical discoveries into new medicines, addressing significant unmet medical needs in various disease categories such as neurological, metabolic, and oncology disorders.

The campus update, the first of 2026, focused on reviewing the results of the recent faculty and staff ENPS survey and subsequent executive management team retreat, with plans to share details soon. The President discussed ongoing initiatives to improve organizational cohesiveness and mentioned meeting with Human Resources regarding actionable items. A major topic was the College of Medicine's self-study kickoff for its reaccreditation visit scheduled for early 2027, noting skyrocketing performance indicators and student net promoter scores. Updates were also provided on research funding secured (nearly $150,000 since the last update), the recognition of faculty and student scholars, the matching of six military medical students to residencies, and the commissioning of two new military officers. Personnel updates included Dr. Mark Erando taking over leadership of the Neomed Free Clinic. Furthermore, announcements were made regarding new cohorts for Lean Six Sigma training (Yellow Belt and Green Belt programs) and the kudos recognition program. The presentation concluded with brief mentions of upcoming events, including the Lunar New Year celebration and the next vital speaker presentation.

The February update focused on recognizing faculty and staff achievements, including external research funding secured by multiple faculty members, such as Dr. Sam Krish, Dr. Phil Turk, Dr. Jen Reneker, Dr. Basson, Dr. Christine Kish, and Dr. Matt Smith. Total recent funding since the last update exceeded $1.5 million, with major awards for Dr. Ramen and Dr. Lose. Dr. Sarah Dugan was recognized for her nomination as a Fellow for the American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists. A significant segment detailed the conclusion of year four of the 'ideiator' joint venture with University Hospitals, which addresses major healthcare problems through interdisciplinary teams focused this year on environmental health, following previous years on maternal health, gun violence, and food insecurity. Recognition was given to Subie Simmons for joining the United States Navy. The establishment of the $1.5 million endowed Igel Family Award for high-impact research in the College of Medicine was announced. Chief Callie Williams was congratulated for completing the Certified Law Enforcement Executive Program. Preparations for an active threat training exercise on March 17th were announced. Updates were also provided on the thriving Vitals program, the upcoming Escapius Ball on March 27th with a 'Starry Night' theme, and employee recognition in March. Finally, an overview of the Net Promoter Score (NPS) methodology was presented in preparation for sharing results from faculty and staff surveys.