Florida Board of Governors

11/05/2010

ACTIONS TAKEN: Florida Board of Governors Meeting, Nov. 4, Gainesville

Notes to media:
• For the full agenda, and all materials and back-up, please see links off the home page for respective committees at: www.flbog.edu
• Unless otherwise noted, the phrase “at the January meeting” refers to the full Board of Governors meeting in January, at UWF in Pensacola. (The full 2011-12 meeting schedule of the Board of Governors also is on the web site.)
• The Student Financial Aid Workshop and the Educational Sites Workshop – both discussed at the September Board meeting as possible issues for the November meeting – will be on the January meeting agenda due to time constraints and to provide more time and Board questions for both issues.
• The annual Public Education Capital Outlay (PECO) list also will be presented to the Board of Governors at the January meeting.

The 17-member Board of Governors took the following actions at its meeting on Nov. 4 in Gainesville:

(Please note, many of these issues were discussed and approved by the respective committees at the September meetings, as indicated in the September agenda meeting materials. Many of these items, including the amendments to several Board regulations, were in the public comment period and had their second hearing and full Board adoption at this November meeting.)

From the Audit and Compliance Committee (Chair Norm Tripp)
• Accepted a report that included staff’s presentation of an Audit and Compliance Committee Handbook for the State University System (System). The Audit and Compliance Committee is simply part of a continuing effort to have a strong audit and compliance program in place; the Handbook is a complement to support and verify the strong compliance activities being carried out at the 11 universities currently.
• In the “Preliminary Inquiry and Investigative Process and Committee Role,” voted to have the Committee Chair, in consultation with the Chancellor and Inspector General, determine whether an item rises to the level of the Committee and/or for possible Board attention.

From the Facilities Committee (Chair Charlie Edwards)
• Approved three bond resolutions (to be offered by the State Division of Bond Finance):
1. FSU Parking Garage, Main Campus
2. UNF Student Wellness Center, Main Campus
3. UWF Student Residence Facility, Main Campus
• Heard initial details on a USF bond project for a student housing and student center in advance of the regular January meeting, a proposal that arrived outside normal Board timelines but will be addressed in order to take advantage of federal tax provision savings for the University and for the System. Therefore, the Committee will need to hold a special telephonic meeting before the end of the year for this bond issue, as will the Board of Governors if and when forwarded by the Committee.

From the Academic and Student Affairs Committee (Chair Ann Duncan)
• Voted to approve, on first hearing, a Ph.D. in Biochemistry at FIU – will return for a second and final hearing at the January meeting. (Additional provisions regarding all review protocols for new degree offerings will be brought forward to the January meeting, including a potential Council for Academic Vice Presidents review before or as offerings are being reviewed by the Committee and the Board staff. Also will be adding an affirmative statement that any new programs approved by the Board of Governors are not duplicative program and/or if duplicative, do not cause an adverse impact. Directed staff to create a formal provision and promulgate a regulation to be heard in January.)
• Approved first hearing and Notice of Intent to Promulgate Regulation 6.012, Access to Certain Electronic Library Resources by Accelerated Secondary Students. The Legislature in 2010 required the Board of Governors to put the regulation in place to increase access of collegiate libraries and resources to high school students in some college studies – will return for a second and final hearing at the January meeting.
• Limited Access Request for the Following Baccalaureate Programs, College of Business, FIU:
1. Bachelor, Accounting (CIP 52.0301)
2. Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Management (CIP 52.0201)
3. BBA, Finance (CIP 52.0801)
4. BBA, International Business Management (CIP 52.1101)
5. BBA, Management Information Systems (CIP 52.1201)
6. BBA, Business Marketing Management (CIP 52.1401)
7. BBA, Real Estate (CIP 52.1501)
8. BBA, Human Resource Management (CIP 52.1001)
Limited Access Request, Bachelor, Health Services Administration (CIP 51.0701), FIU
Limited Access Request, Bachelor of Arts & Bachelor of Fine Arts, Theatre (CIP 50.0501), FIU
Limited Access Request, Bachelor of Science, Social Work (CIP 44.0701), FIU
Limited Access Request, Bachelor & Bachelor of Arts in Music (CIP 50.0901), FIU
Limited Access Request, Bachelor of Science, Communication (CIP 09.0101), FIU
Limited Access Request, Bachelor of Science, Hospitality Management (CIP 52.0901), FIU
Termination, Ed.D., Education of Specified Learning Disabilities, FAU
• Received an update on the System Coordination of Academic Programming, a proactive initiative to review all degree program offerings in the entire System, in order to later look at resources and opportunities for stronger industry clusters and other identified needs. The effort is being led by the Council of Academic Vice Presidents (the 11 provosts of the universities). Their inventory data is expected to be presented to the Board of Governors and/or Chancellor by March 1. The CAVP also is considering an annual analysis to look at even greater collaboration and opportunities, many of which are already under way.

From the Budget and Finance Committee (Chair Tico Perez)
• Approved a Public Notice of Intent to Amend Board Regulation 7.001, Tuition and Associated Fees, (for the market-rate tuition section of the regulation). HB 7237 in the 2010 Session required the Board to address market-rate tuition issues associated with graduate level distance learning/eLearning and graduate course work offered through continuing education. Certain critical needs in professions such as offerings in the health profession, and emergency- and security-related offerings, are exempted in the draft that has been noticed. A university can seek a waiver through the Chancellor. The regulation also allows for a three-year pilot offering for any proposals approved, with the university needing to present follow-up information to the Board on an annual basis. Right now, the most number of programs that can have market-rate tuition at one university at any time is a total of 5 in order to see how the program is working. One final highlight is that a university cannot supplant any same state-funded program offered on-campus that is also offered in market-rate tuition circumstances.
• Voted to amend the following Board Regulations on second and final hearing:
1. Board Regulation 7.001, Tuition and Associated Fees (block tuition section of the regulation). This puts in place a regulation providing for a process for any university to come forward with a detailed proposal to ask the Board of Governors to implement block tuition. The earliest a university could submit a proposal for the Committee’s consideration is at its meeting Feb. 9.
2. Board Regulation 7.003, Fees, Fines and Penalties. This regulation amendment also addresses and updates the process by which the 11 universities will submit proposals or requests for any new fees, and increases or changes to any existing fees. Again, this information will come to the Feb. 9 Committee meeting for consideration. Further, Chair Perez asked the 11 universities to provide non-binding information to the Board Committee in a template fashion that forecasts four years into the future of fee increases.

From the Strategic Planning Committee (Chair Frank Martin)
• Approved Board Regulation 2.003, Equity and Access – a new regulation. Updates to reflect existing provisions and law.

From the Legislative Affairs Committee (Chair Dean Colson)
• Approved the 2011 Session legislative policy agenda:
1. Technical corrections/glitch bill related to issues from HB 7237 in the 2010 Session.
2. University Concurrency Trust Fund transportation-related issues – attempting to working with the Legislature regarding infrastructure improvements and the state local option fuel tax.
3. A provision for summer term attendance for students who come into the public universitites with at least nine hours of credit from accelerated mechanism such as AP courses.

From the Trustee Nominating Committee (Chair Mori Hosseini)
The Board of Governors has 23 appointments to make to the 11 Boards of Trustees (two each to every university and 3 at Florida A&M University). The deadline for applications to the Board office – which currently stands at more than 60 received – has been extended to Monday, Nov. 15 at 5 p.m. (Previous press release and full details: www.flbog.edu/pressroom/ )

Other notes
Upon adjournment of the Board of Governors meeting, the Board then held a brief meeting of the Board of Governors Foundation, Inc., for the purposes of having the Foundation’s annual meeting and approving an operating budget.

The next meeting of the Board of Governors for the State University System is scheduled for Jan. 19-20 in Pensacola at the University of West Florida.