[POST-CEIT-facultycouncil] FW: Board meeting summary

[Michele Dornisch]

Hi everyone,

On behalf of your CEIT faculty council representatives (David Jank, Louisa Kramer-Vida, Jeong-eun Rhee, Kathleen Feeley, and myself), I send to you this summary of yesterday's Board of Trustees meeting.  As always, should you want to be removed from the list for these types of summaries, let me know.

Go n-éiri an bóthar leat,
Michele M. Dornisch, Ph.D.
Le mieux est l'ennemi du bien. [The perfect is the enemy of the good.]- Voltaire

From: Michele Dornisch
Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2016 11:39 AM
To: LIU Post Faculty Council; Brian Sweeney
Subject: Board meeting summary

Dear Colleagues,

Please find, below, my summary of yesterday's Board of Trustees meeting.  If you are your "communications" representative, please forward to your constituency.

Please note that this is a summary of the reports given - with no editorializing.  Just a simple summary.

The President's report provided a list of projected projects by campus.  Based on the report, there are many areas that need to be renovated and updated.  From the report, 29% of the space on LIU campuses is considered "Buildings over 50" which specifically means that "life cycles of major building components are past due and failures are possible."  This is the highest risk.  The average at private institutions is 27% of buildings in this highest risk category. Buildings at LIU campuses deemed to be in the low risk category are assessed at 6%.  Based on a State of facilities in higher education" report, the average at private institutions is 19% of buildings in this low risk category.  To address some of these concerns with facilities, 7 million dollars is slated to be allocated to each campus for buildings/grounds.  As buildings are renovated, they will cycle back to the low risk category.

With respect to technology in classrooms, 100% of the classrooms on campus are projected to be "Smart Classrooms" by the end of Summer 2016.  A Smart Classroom will have the projector, wireless connection, and a wall mounted interactive white board.

The president also discussed the need to conduct "Academic Program Assessment" (review) to look at: enrollment history and proposed targets, proposed programs, programs with challenges, capital and operational needs, marketing and communication requirements, research, faculty resources, accreditation review, etc. This is of course a different process from outcomes assessment.
The president also reaffirmed the institution's commitment to liberal arts and sciences, particularly with a statement that we are committed to a core curriculum that develops critical thinking as well as oral, visual, and written communication.  She discussed that a faculty and administrative task force will be assigned to study AAC&U and other materials and bring forward recommendations.  I wasn't clear on this, so we will discuss with Jeff Kane laster.

LIU is now developing a Master Plan (to address the above). In May and June, there will be meetings with the School Deans regarding the Master Plan.  In the fall, faculty will be engaged.  The Master Plan process will be completed by the end of October 2016.

Drs. Kane and Haynes provided an update on the Strategic Plan.  Both campuses will be at 120 credits by Fall 2017.  Learning communities are being implemented at both campuses and will be expanded in the coming years.

One of the most important goals of the Strategic Plan is to Secure and Sustain a Strong Financial Position In 2014/2015 our ratings Composite Financial Index (CFI) (Higher education industry standard for measuring an institution's financial health) is in the +3.4/+3.7 range.  A CFI score of 3 is the threshold of institutional financial health.  A score of less than 3 indicates a need for serious attention to the institution's financial condition.  A score of greater than 3 indicates an opportunity for strategic investment of institutional resources.  Based on CFI ratings, we are in a phase where we can/should "direct resources towards transformation."   When we arrive at the next level (5-7) we will be able to focus resources to complete in the future, but we have not yet arrived at that point.  The goal, of course, would be to achieve an even higher score such that we are able to "experiment with initiatives and design a robust mission."

Budget and Finance Committee report provided a proposed (balanced) budget for FY 2017, with a proposed excess of 15 million.  However, that excess will be used to offset unexpected costs as well as issues with projected funds that may not meet expectations (e.g., private gifts, government grants, tuition and fees).
In FY 2015, the institution's Moody ratings were upgraded to Baa3 (Positive Outlook).  The S&P ratings were upgraded to BBB (Positive Outlook). In FY 2011 and 2012, both Moody's and S&P had rated the institution with a negative outlook, so there has been some upward progression.  The goal, of course, is to bring the institution to "A" rating by 2020.

Resolutions
Several faculty members were awarded emeritus/emerita status.  Several new programs were approved for LIU Brooklyn - including a BS in Inclusive Early Childhood Education and a PharmD/MBA.
Please note: this meeting was shortened due to an extra-long executive session.  In the very short time that faculty were given to present, I mentioned faculty concerns regarding academic leadership (with three dean positions open and the assessment position open) as well as the need for academic support (e.g., secretarial support).  We are following up to learn who is working in the admissions office, but that seems to be a strongly held secret.

Michele M. Dornisch, Ph.D.
Professor
LIU Post, CEIT

The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place. ~George Bernard Shaw

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