Board of Trustees report

May 4, 2007

Dear Members of the Bucknell community:
 
It is a pleasure to share with you my customary summary of the most recently completed Board of Trustees meeting, particularly action items of the Board. The annual meeting of the Board was held on campus beginning Thursday, April 26, and concluding on Saturday, April 28. The agenda for this meeting included several major institutional initiatives.
 
Strategic Plan
Following upon a request at the January Board meeting, Provost Mary DeCredico and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs Jim Rice presented to the Board a draft of an academic vision statement. Informed by the work of various committees and groups, including by the Academic Planning Group and Dean Jim Orbison and Interim Dean Chris Zappe, this draft document aims to bring together the many campus tactical proposals that are emerging to implement The Plan. This document will now, with the consent of the Board, be provided to students, faculty and staff for review and suggestions. We will be providing information on this process shortly, and will appreciate your contributions to developing an academic vision statement that can guide the future of Bucknell.
 
Academic Personnel and Programs
The Board approved changes to the University's academic personnel, including tenure and promotion, and the conferral of degrees. The Board encouraged the University to continue its successful recruitment, budgetary and planning efforts to implement the five-course load fully across the University by fall 2010.
 
The Board approved the University's establishing a bachelor of science degree program in computer engineering. The University will enroll its first class of computer engineering majors in fall 2008.
 
University Budget
Several items are standard topics of discussion at the spring meeting. Among these are the budgets that will shape the University for the coming fiscal year. Based on the recommendation of the University administration, the Board of Trustees approved the compensation, operating, and capital budgets for fiscal year 2007-2008.
 
Governance
The Board received an update on the on-going external review of the university's faculty governance process, and offered its continued support for this important work. Several members of the Board were interviewed by the external review team.
 
In an excellent example of shared governance, the Subcommittee on Honorary Degrees, with faculty and student representation, recommended, and the Board approved, the awarding of two honorary degrees this May, to Alan I. Leshner, former professor of psychology at Bucknell and CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and Executive Publisher of Science, and Richard E. Garman, former student at Bucknell, Marine Corps Veteran of the Chosin Reservoir Encirclement in the Korean War, and CEO and President of several heavy construction companies, including ABC Paving Co., one of America's most successful construction companies.
 
Board Membership
April is also a time of transition on the Board of Trustees. This year, two trustees were elected to emeritus status, David D. Ekedahl '56 and James S. McDonnell P'94. These two individuals have made outstanding contributions to the University and the Board, and we are indebted to them for their service and leadership. In addition, Amanda Kessler '93 completed her three-year term as trustee. We thank these three for their dedication to Bucknell. The four newly nominated trustees mentioned in my January message have now been officially elected and begin their terms officially in July. They are James DeGraffenreidt P'05, Michael Flowers '76, Peter C. Gerhard '80, and Stephen P. Holmes '79. We appreciate their willingness to serve the University through the Board, and look forward to working with them.
 
Special Events
The meeting was punctuated by several special events to celebrate our students and faculty. On Thursday night, the Board hosted a dinner that included the nine students selected in the inaugural year of the Undergraduate Executive Internship Program. These students were selected for this program following this spring's recruitment and evaluation process, and will be assigned as interns to various senior staff offices. The program itself was developed by our two current president's interns, Ben Portman '07 and Alison Faux '08, and we commend them for their excellent work building the program, recruiting and evaluating these students, and selecting individuals that will undoubtedly be of great service to the senior staff and their offices.
 
Friday night, the University continued a new tradition begun last spring. Faculty members awarded tenure and those named full professors were honored at a formal reception and dinner in their honor in Bostwick Dining Hall. It was a wonderful event, and we commend these faculty for attaining these significant milestones in their careers and for their continued service to Bucknell.
 
Campus Master Plan and Buildings and Grounds
Our consulting firm, Shepley, Bulfinch, Richardson & Abbott, provided a report updating the Board on its work thus far, which has passed the data-gathering stage and is moving into the stage of establishing a campus master plan vision for the University, which will involve all Bucknell constituencies.
 
The Board also approved plans to renovate the Seventh Street House. That work occurs this summer. 
 
The Board received an update on, and discussed at some length, the University Village component of the Bull Run Neighborhood redevelopment project – that is, the enhancement of the nine square blocks between Market Street and campus (on the north-south axis) and from the alley just west of Seventh Street to the alley just east of Fifth Street.
 
Based on the work of our campus master planning consultants and specialists they hired to evaluate concepts for University Village, this planning will continue to be coordinated with the broader neighborhood planning being done by the public-private Lewisburg Neighborhoods Corporation. That planning already has set the stage for the reconstruction of Seventh Street that is expected to begin this fall and which will improve the road surface, sidewalks, curbs, crosswalks, and streetlights, as well plant new trees and create a Bull Run Greenway on the east side of Sixth Street, extending the green space of Hufnagle Park and Kidsburg up to campus. This greenway will connect to a network of similar spaces and trails throughout Union County, some of which will traverse the Bucknell campus.
 
We also reported to the Board that we have found a temporary solution to the University's extensive office-space needs, with the signing of a three-year lease for new accommodations in Kelly Township. This allows the University's long-term decision about the location of an Administrative Office Building to be fully informed by the new campus master plan. We therefore have suspended any building plans for Abbey Lane (near the Bucknell Golf Club) or the Pennsylvania House factory site.
 
Plan for Prominence
The Board charged the Office of the Provost with implementing a review of "The Plan for Prominence," which defines the responsibilities, guidelines, policies, and expectations of fraternities and sororities at Bucknell. This review was originally scheduled for two years ago. The Board charged the University with assessing best practices nationwide, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of "The Plan for Prominence," and recommending any necessary changes in this plan to the Board. The committee that will be charged with conducting this review will include students, faculty, staff, and trustees.
 
Development and Alumni Relations
The Board engaged in a discussion about the management and volunteer structure being put in place to oversee the University's upcoming comprehensive campaign. The Board reviewed and endorsed the revised campaign budget, and noted that the number of prospects and donors required for the campaign will more than double since Bucknell's previous campaign and will require appropriate staffing support for a campaign of this magnitude. The draft campaign case statement remains under discussion at our continued leadership briefings with alumni and friends of the University around the country, with plans to finalize that document later this year.  The continued development of the case statement will allow it to integrate with the simultaneous development of the academic vision so that major academic initiatives can be included in the ultimate campaign themes.
 
The Board also discussed and endorsed a pilot program for new alumni affinity models at Bucknell. These models are designed to enhance the reunion and alumni club programs by focusing on academic, extracurricular and career affiliations, and to promote meaningful interaction among alumni, students and faculty.
 
Communications
The Board received a detailed review of the preliminary results of the reputation and identity study being carried out with Peter Hart Research Associates. This study is focused on assessing such issues as the impressions external audiences have of the University, how they obtain information, and how we are viewed relative to peer institutions. Focus groups with parents and alumni are completed; in-depth interviews with college and university presidents, higher education association leaders, and members of the University's volunteer leadership are nearly done; and the quantitative survey of alumni is now underway. The admissions quantitative survey phase will occur in May, when appropriate cohorts are available.
 
Conclusion
Board meetings are fast-paced and intense. As always, the Bucknell community was an important part of the weekend's success. I thank everyone involved for their hard work, especially ISR, Bucknell Dining, Facilities, RICS, and Administrative Services.
 
Our next major event is Commencement. We are fully involved in preparing for the transition of our senior class to the proud ranks of alumni, and we look forward to sharing together a wonderful celebration of Bucknell.
 
I hope that you continue to find these updates useful. I'd like to also take this opportunity to offer words of special encouragement to our students as they begin their final examinations.
 
Sincerely,
 
Brian C. Mitchell
President