Board of Trustees Meeting
January 10, 2003
A regular meeting of the University of Florida Board of Trustees was held on Friday, January 10, 2003 at 9:00 a.m., in Room 207-208, Emerson Alumni Hall at the University of Florida.
Marshall Criser called the meeting to order, welcomed trustees and others, and verified that a quorum existed. Mr. Criser then made brief comments regarding the new Board of Governors, indicating that Governor Jeb Bush had acted wisely in the appointments made to the Board of Governors. Mr. Criser stated that it was evident the Board of Governors was committed to the success of the new public higher education governance structure in the State of Florida. Mr. Criser said that the University of Florida Board of Trustees likewise was committed to see the new structure work well and that the duties of both Boards would be carried out responsibly. Mr. Criser commented that the University of Florida's strength in its friends and members of the Legislature and Congress positions President Young and the Board of Trustees to move forward in ensuring the University of Florida will fare well under the new governance system.
Mr. Criser next called upon President Charles Young to deliver the President's comments. President Young recognized the importance of this day in the Sesquicentennial year of the University of Florida. He noted that the new Board of Governors includes members that have ties to the University of Florida. He stated that the Board of Governors appeared to be following the philosophy embraced by the Florida Board of Education to devolve authorities to the university boards of trustees as fully as possible. President Young expressed his view that even though different people can come to different conclusions about the Board of Governors, he believes the new governance structure will be successful. If it is not, he stated that the University constructively will seek to change it. President Young noted that the University of Florida would work hard to make the new governance system work for all of universities in Florida, not just for the University of Florida. He stated that each university should define and be true to their distinctive missions, but that the University of Florida will not succeed at the expense of one of its sister institutions.
In regard to the 2003 legislative session, President Young indicated his belief that the University is in a better position than it has been over the past few years with the leadership in the Florida Legislature. He also suggested that that the economic problems in certain other states, such as California, are more critical than in Florida; therefore, the University of Florida enjoys some advantages this coming year in areas such as faculty recruiting.
President Young noted the completion of most of the modifications to the University of Florida's Strategic Plan. He stated that he distributed the final copy of the plan to the Board of Governors at its meeting in Tallahassee earlier in the week and noted that a copy was included in the Board materials provided each Trustee. He closed his comments by indicating his positive anticipation working with the Board of Trustees in the coming year, and by welcoming Professor Jean Larson to the Board of Trustees as a full member.
With the approval of the Board, Mr. Criser appointed Pamela Bernard to serve as chair pro tem for the purpose of electing a chair. Trustee Carlos Alfonso nominated Marshall Criser as Chairman of the Board. The motion was adopted. Trustee Mac McGriff nominated Dianna Morgan to serve as Vice Chair of the Board. The motion was adopted.
Mr. Criser referenced the proposed Bylaws as found in the Board materials. Trustee Al Warrington and Mr. Criser raised certain questions concerning the Bylaws and, after discussion, Mr. Warrington moved for approval of the Bylaws. The motion was adopted.
Mr. Criser distributed a revised list of proposed Board committees and members. Mr. Criser proposed that oversight of the strategic plan implementation be placed within the purview of the Committee on Audit and Operations Review, thus obviating further need for the Strategic Planning Committee. Mr. Criser also noted his placement of Trustee Jean Larson on the Committee on Educational Policy and the Committee on Finance. Mr. Criser noted that other minor changes had been proposed to other committees.
Mr. Criser discussed the proposed ad hoc Presidential Search Committee. He recognized the excellent work of the Search Planning Committee, indicating that the committee and its chair Manny Fernandez had laid a solid foundation for the impending presidential search. Mr. Criser said that one of the recommendations from the Search Planning Committee was to appoint a 17-member search committee; Mr. Criser indicated he had appointed 18 members, including Trustees Alfonso, Daniels, Fried and Morgan, with Trustee Fernandez serving as the Search Committee's chair. Mr. Criser noted that in appointing the other members of the Presidential Search Committee, he purposely did not list a constituency group in hopes that all Committee members would view their roles more broadly than representing a particular constituency.
Mr. McGriff moved that all standing committees and members be approved. The motion was adopted. Mr. McGriff then moved for approval of the Presidential Search Committee. The motion was adopted.
As the next order of business, President Young moved that the Board appoint Pamela Bernard as Assistant Secretary to the Board. The motion was adopted.
As to the December 2002 Board of Trustees Meeting minutes, Trustee Carlos Alfonso moved that the minutes as distributed in the Board materials be approved. The motion was adopted.
Mr. Criser recognized the service on the University of Florida Board of Trustees of former Trustee John Dasburg, who recently was appointed to the new Board of Governors. Mr. Criser indicated that Mr. Dasburg would be invited to the University of Florida for a formal presentation. He asked that in the meantime the Board approve the proposed resolution of recognition as found in the Board materials. The motion was adopted.
As to new business, Trustee Dianna Morgan reported that the Committee on Government Relations was intending to create a legislative and strategic priority list for the new Board of Governors to help educate that Board about the priorities of the University of Florida. Trustee Joelen Merkel reported her involvement along with Trustee Fernandez in studying the cost of implementing the University of Florida Strategic Plan. She indicated that their participation in that exercise had been productive. Provost David Colburn reported on the University of Florida's strong placement nationally in the number of students attending the University of Florida who are National Achievement Scholars, indicating that the University of Florida is first among public universities and third among public and private universities in National Achievement Scholar attendance. As to National Merit Scholars, Provost Colburn reported that the University placed second among public universities and fifth among all universities, public and private, with only Harvard, Stanford, the University of Chicago, and the University of Texas placed ahead of it.
Mr. Criser recognized guest speaker Professor Jonathan Reiskind who delivered comments regarding the local chapter of the United Faculty of Florida.
The meeting was adjourned at approximately 9:45 a.m.
Charles E. Young
Secretary
Pamela J. Bernard
Assistant Secretary