APPROVED April 10, 2015 WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, February 12, 2015 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Karen Lee called the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of Western Washington University to order at 3:04 p.m., Thursday, February 12, 2015 in the Alexis Hotel, 1007 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98104, in the Grand Parlor Room. Board of Trustees Karen Lee, Chair Sue Sharpe, Vice Chair Dick Thompson, Secretary Betti Fujikado Chase Franklin Carly Roberts Ralph Munro Earl Overstreet Western Washington University Bruce Shepard, President Brent Carbajal, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Eileen Coughlin, Senior VP, Vice President for Enrollment and Student Services Richard Van Den Hul, Vice President for Business and Financial Affairs Stephanie Bowers, Vice President for University Advancement Steve Swan, Vice President for University Relations and Community Development Lisa Wochos, Assistant Attorney General Paul Cocke, Director, University Communications Barbara Sandoval, Assistant to the President and Secretary to the Board of Trustees Elissa Hicks, Assistant Secretary to the Board of Trustees 2. WSAC PANEL: PROMOTING A CONTINUUM OF QUALITY EDUCATION FROM EARLY LEARNING THROUGH COLLEGE Chair Lee and President Shepard welcomed Gene Sharratt, Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) Director and Maud Daudon, WSAC Board Chair to the meeting. Daudon gave a brief overview of WSAC and its purpose, then Sharratt gave a brief overview of WSAC’s current legislative strategies. Sharratt said that WSAC is actively promoting several policy recommendations this legislative session, including:  Commit to fully fund the State Need Grant program. Strategic investment of an additional $16 million each year through 2023 will close the State Need Grant funding gap and fulfill the commitment to Washington’s lowest-income students. Each annual increase would serve an 1 APPROVED April 10, 2015     additional 4,000 students who depend on financial assistance to enroll and succeed in postsecondary education. Build bridges from high school to college and careers through dual credit programs. Students who earn college credit in high school are more likely to complete high school, enroll in college, and earn a college degree. Expanding dual-enrollment options for all Washington high school students by reducing costs and other barriers will improve student participation and increase educational attainment. Leverage the state’s investment through student support services. Students from lowincome families, who are the first generation in their family to attend college, or who are from backgrounds underrepresented in degree attainment, are more likely to succeed with focused support services. The coordination of targeted support services for College Bound K-12 students, expansion of support services on campuses, and creation of collective impact coalitions will improve educational attainment. Provide greater access to work-based learning opportunities. Expanding work-based learning and earning opportunities through strategic reinvestments in the State Work Study program will provide jobs for an additional 3,000 low- and middle-income students. By adding $5 million, we can begin restoring the program to pre-recession service levels. Pursue policy-driven investments to improve affordability of higher education. An affordability framework will help our Legislature coordinate funding (state, federal, institutional, tuition, and financial aid), understand the impact of funding policies on all students, support decisions that reduce volatility in tuition increases, minimize student debt, and increase investments in postsecondary education. Trustees and the WSAC representatives discussed how these positions are being received in Olympia and the direction that they see this legislative session going. Trustees then offered to assist WSAC in any way they could in Olympia to help further their efforts in funding higher education. Chair Lee announced a break at 3:08 p.m. The Board returned and reconvened the meeting at 3:15 p.m. 3. PREPARING STUDENTS FOR THE FUTURE: A PANEL DISCUSSION ON THE EXPLODING TECH LANDSCAPE Vice President Stephanie Bowers introduced Julie Hill, Western’s Manager of Corporate Partnerships who introduced panel members, Nate Vogel (’96 alum), Director for Global Sales, Tableau Software; Josiah Johnson (’99 alum), Co-Founder and VP, Society Consulting; Danny Mason (’07 alum), Director for Software Development, Expedia; Nona Larson, Engineering and Operations Manager, PACCAR; Karen Clark Cole, CEO, Blink UX. Panelist were asked a series of questions including why they look to Western graduates when hiring, what makes Western graduates stand out, and about how their personal experiences at Western prepared them for their careers and life. Most panelists focused on how Western had helped them to have a broader view of life and how they learned to be creative problem solvers and out-of-the-box thinkers. They noted that their education wasn’t simply major focused, but that they learned how to evaluate and look at the bigger picture and became well-rounded human beings. The panel mentioned that Western graduates 2 APPROVED April 10, 2015 often bring a sense of community and diversity to the job and have a greater sense of perspective and collaboration, which makes them valuable in any position. Western graduates tend to think differently and that is what employers love. Trustees expressed their gratitude to the panel for the insight they provided, and for the feedback on what Western is getting right on campus, in order to help students succeed after graduation and throughout their life. 4. EXECUTIVE SESSION MAY BE HELD TO DISCUSS PERSONNEL, REAL ESTATE AND LEGAL ISSUES AS AUTHORIZED IN RCW 42.30.110. At 5:04 p.m. Chair Lee announced that the Board would convene in Executive Session for approximately 30 minutes to discuss real estate and a legal matter with counsel as authorized in RCW 42.30.110 (1)(b)&(i). The Board returned to open meeting at 5:20 p.m. with no action to report and adjourned until Friday, February 13th at 8:00am. 3