Approved April 13, 2012 WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES MINUTES February 9, 2012 1. CALL TO ORDER, APPROVAL OF MINUTES Chair Dennis Madsen called the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of Western Washington University to order at 3:05 p.m., February 9, 2012, in OM 340, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA. Board of Trustees Betti Fujikado, Secretary Karen Lee Dennis Madsen, Chair Ralph Munro, Vice Chair Phil Sharpe Peggy Zoro (via conference phone) Dick Thompson (via conference phone for Exec. Session) Jacob Whitish Western Washington University Bruce Shepard, President Wendy Bohlke, Assistant Attorney General Stephanie Bowers, Vice President for University Advancement Paul Cocke, Director, University Communications Eileen Coughlin, Vice President for Enrollment and Student Services Paul Dunn, Sr. Executive Assistant to the President Anna Ellermeier, President, Associated Students Paula Gilman, Exec. Director, University Planning & Budgeting Karen Stout, President, Faculty Senate Liz Sipes, Secretary to the Board of Trustees Steve Swan, Vice President for University Relations Richard Van Den Hul, Vice President for Business and Financial Affairs 2. SPECIAL REPORTS A. Six Year Plan – The Planning Process Bruce Shepard, President, provided an overview of the development of Western’s Six Year Plan. The development process was coordinated, inclusive, and transparent. Each division was included, resulting in a document that both guides and shapes Western’s future. A copy of the 2011-17 List of Western’s Strategic Objectives was included in the Board packet. All the goals point to the university mission and new Strategic Plan that was adopted by the Board of Trustees at the December 2010 meeting. 1 Approved April 13, 2012 Eileen Coughlin, Vice President for Enrollment and Student Services discussed how Western’s enrollment is influenced and shaped by such things as Western’s message, the direction of our curriculum, the Honors Program, scholarship and advancement, and even the physical environment of the campus. Kathy Kitto, Special Assistant to the Provost for Strategic Initiatives, said that the 2011-2017 list of strategic objectives is a culmination of a lot of work by departments, colleges, the graduate school, etc. All the colleges went through their strategic planning process and Kitto noted that this was the first time we could look across campus at the hopes and dreams of every division, department, and college. This also provided an opportunity to see how we can work together and build on our strengths. Kitto said that the deans and faculty of several colleges met with industry leaders, to look at ways to build Western’s curriculum to help meet the critical needs of the state. The Trustees shared their expertise and suggestions on the bottom-up planning process and the possible challenges that Western may face in the future as we work towards implementing our strategic objectives. B. Huxley Green Paper Bruce Shepard, President provided a brief history of Huxley College of the Environment, one of Western’s marque programs. A copy of Green Fire, a History of Huxley College, written for Huxley’s 40th anniversary was distributed to the Trustees. Brad Smith, Dean of the Huxley College of the Environment, said when Huxley was established 42 years ago, it was one of the first interdisciplinary environmental colleges in the nation. Today, Huxley, through interdisciplinary research and local, regional, and national collaboration, looks at the holistic approach--economic, social, political, etc.—to find the solutions to the environmental issues of today’s world. A copy of A Distinctive Learning Environment: Huxley College of the Environment and Interdisciplinary Engagement at Western was included in the Board packet. Smith said that this is a beginning paper to prompt discussion. He noted that Huxley uses only a small percentage (1.9%) of Western’s budget, but the return is large. Huxley has a national reputation and many of the undergraduate and graduate students are from out of state. The demand is there for Huxley to grow. Smith noted that students graduating from Huxley go on to careers in law, medicine, engineering, etc. Leo Bodensteiner, Chair of the Department of Environmental Science, presented some of things that Huxley is implementing now towards the future, i.e. Green Energy program. Huxley’s mission “…addresses today’s environmental issues and prepares tomorrow’s interdisciplinary problem solvers. We accomplish this mission by integrating outstanding educational programs, faculty-student collaboration, applied research, and professional and community service.” Bodensteiner said that through collaboration with organizations, partnerships, and through grants, etc. Huxley is able to obtain funding for new initiatives. Michael Medler, Chair of Environmental Studies, said that Huxley has research projects locally and regionally, but also internationally, e.g., Costa Rica, Africa, Siberia. Students are able to work on real world problem solving in the field. Often these lead to internships and job opportunities. With Huxley’s new Resilience Institute, students work on projects both regionally and statewide, but also internationally. Medler noted that through funding from the Forest 2 Approved April 13, 2012 Service and the Weather Service, students have created a map web application for daily updates on avalanche hazards in the Pacific Northwest. Today this application went live. 3. EXECUTIVE SESSION At 4:35 p.m. Chair Madsen announced that the Board would go into Executive Session for 30 minutes to discuss personnel and legal issues as authorized by RCW 42.30.110. No action will be taken. At 5:10 p.m. the Board reconvened in Open Session. The meeting recessed at 5:11 p.m. 3