UHS - Meeting Minutes

MINUTES OF THE MEETING
UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON SYSTEM
BOARD OF REGENTS

November 2, 2006

Members Present:	Members Absent:
Leroy L. Hermes, Chair Michael J. Cemo, Vice Chair Dennis D. Golden Raul A. Gonzalez Robert B. Johnson Morgan Dunn O’Connor Lynden B. Rose Welcome W. Wilson, Sr. Jim P. Wise	Calvin W. Stephens, Secretary

The University of Houston System Board of Regents convened in the Melcher Board Room, Athletics/Alumni Center at the University of Houston on Thursday, November 2, 2006. Noting the presence of a quorum, Chairman Hermes called the meeting to order at 8:32 a.m.

Action:

Regent O’Connor moved approval of the minutes from the following meetings:

August 1, 2006, Board of Regents Meeting
August 17, 2006, Board of Regents Meeting
August 23, 2006, Special Called Administration & Finance Committee Meeting
September 7, 2006, Special Called Executive Committee Meeting

Regent Wise seconded the motion, and the minutes were passed as presented.

Chairman Hermes called on Regent Cemo to present Item C on the agenda, Amendment to Committee Restructure – UH System. Regent Cemo briefly described the amended changes to the committee restructure, the meeting guidelines, and the calendar of meetings.

Regent O’Connor made a motion to approve the item as presented. Regent Wise seconded the motion, which passed unanimously and is effective immediately.

Chairman Hermes called on Ms. Dona Hamilton to present Item D, Amendment of Bylaws – UH System. Ms. Hamilton stated these changes were needed to reflect the amendments to the committee restructure. Chairman Hermes requested a motion to approve the amendment of bylaws as presented.

Regent O’Connor moved approval of the item as presented. Regent Wise seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.

Chairman Hermes called on Regent Golden, who in the absence of the chair, Regent Stephens, presented Item E, the Review and Approval of Audit Report and Financial Statements, University of Houston Charter School, FY 2005 that was passed by the Audit Committee on November 1, 2006 and is presented for board approval.

Regent O’Connor made a motion to approve the item as presented. Regent Rose seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.

There being no further business, the board recessed for the meetings of the standing committees at 8:36 a.m.

ADMINISTRATION AND STRATEGIC PLANNING

Regent Wise called the meeting to order at 8:37 a.m. and stated that he would like to have the items presented out of order to save time. Item C, Graduate and Professional Student Housing on Calhoun Road Ð University of Houston, will be presented after Item H, Purchase Order for Public Broadcasting Service Ð University of Houston. Regent Wise turned the meeting over to Dr. Rudley.

Dr. Rudley presented the following items for review by the committee:

Action Items:

UH System @ Sugar Land/Wharton County Junior College Academic Building – UH System
Approval is requested to revise the estimated budget for this building to $35,000,000, primarily due to an increase in construction and material costs.

Contract to Provide Electrical Service for the University of Houston System – UH System
Approval is requested for a Delegation of Authority to the Chancellor to negotiate and execute the contract with the selected provider upon agreement of the General Terms and Conditions.

Contract to Supply Natural Gas for the Central Plant Boiler Operations – University of Houston
Approval is requested for a Delegation of Authority to the Chancellor to negotiate and execute the contract with the selected provider upon agreement of the General Terms and Conditions.

Authority to Reduce Designated Tuition and Fees – University of Houston
Approval is requested that the Chancellor be given continuing authority to reduce the tuition and fees for 1) selected UH summer programs, 2) UH study abroad programs (where students are not able to routinely avail themselves of certain traditional university services) and, 3) other similar programs for which a reduction can be adequately justified.

Purchase Order with EBSCO Subscription Service, Inc. – University of Houston
Approval is requested for a purchase order with EBSCO Subscription Services, Inc. in the amount of $3,625,263. The agreement is effective November 17, 2006 through August 31, 2007 and includes an option to renew for one additional year.

Purchase Order for Public Broadcasting Service – University of Houston
Approval is requested to continue KUHT’s 100% participation in the Public Broadcasting Service’s National Program Service, Member Service, and Station Independence Programs for Fiscal Year 2007.

Graduate and Professional Housing on Calhoun Road – University of Houston
Approval is requested for the design and construction of this project, adjacent to and west of Calhoun Road between C.T. Bauer College of Business and the UH Law Center. This 900 to 1,000 bed project complies with the Campus Framework Plan presented at the May 2006 Board of Regents meeting, and features contemporary living spaces as well as learning, recreational, and retail spaces.
Dr. Lee presented a powerpoint presentation detailing the demand projections, schedule of completion, costs estimates, etc. A copy of the presentation is on file in the Board of Regents Office.
Dave Irvin mentioned there were four proposals submitted and reviewed for this project. The recommended firms are John Kirksey Associates Architects and Pepper-Lawson Construction, L.P. This project will take approximately 30 months for completion.

One Time Waiver of Art Acquisition Policy – University of Houston
Approval is requested for a one-time waiver of the Art Acquisition Policy allowing an allocation of one-half of one percent of the construction cost of the proposed Calhoun Road Housing Project rather than the full one percent.
Regent O’Connor emphasized that this would be a one-time waiver by the Board.

Regent Wise moved approval of all of the action items as presented. Regent Gonzalez seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. The committee will present these items to the board for approval at the November 16, 2006 meeting. There being no further business to come before the committee, the meeting adjourned at 10:14 a.m.

After the Administration and Strategic Planning Committee adjourned, Regent Hermes called a 10 minute recess at 10:15 a.m.

At 10:28 a.m. Regent Hermes reconvened the committee meetings.

EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

Chairman Hermes turned the meeting over to Regent O’Connor who called the meeting to order at 10:28 a.m. Regent O’Connor turned the meeting over to Grover Campbell who presented the next two items on the agenda. Both of these items were information only and are on file in the Board of Regents Office.

Review of Legislative Appropriations Request (LAR) – UH System

Review of University of Houston System 2007 Legislative Agenda

There being no further business to come before the committee, the meeting adjourned at 11:11 a.m.

ACADEMIC AND STUDENT AFFAIRS

Regent Gonzalez called the meeting to order at 11:12 a.m. and turned the meeting over to Dr. Foss.

Dr. Foss presented the following item for review by the committee:

Action:

UH Charter School Policies and Procedures – University of Houston
The UH Charter School and the Board of Regents must comply with IDEA 2004, federal and state statutes and rules regarding students with disabilities and those requiring special education. Compliance with federal and state law is necessary to receive state and federal funding for education of disabled children. Federal law requires a “local educational agency” that is, the UH Charter School, to submit a plan to the TEA that it has policies, procedures, and programs in effect for educating children with disabilities that are consistent with state policies and procedures required for federal aid under 20 U.S.C. § 1412. Federal law requires the Board to approve those policies and procedures.

Regent Wise moved approval of the action item as presented. Regent O’Connor seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.

Dr. Foss presented the following items for information:

University of Houston Scholarship Report – University of Houston
University of Houston Admissions Report – University of Houston
Update on FY’07 Honorary Degrees – University of Houston
Dr. Gogue presented this item. There are six candidates being considered. If anyone has an interest in seeing the recommendations, they are available in the Board of Regents Office. These recommendations will be presented at the November 16, 2006 meeting.

The University of Houston Scholarship Report and the University of Houston Admissions Report were distributed at the meeting and a copy of each is on file in the Board of Regents Office.

There being no further business to come before the committee, the meeting adjourned at 11:40 a.m.

UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT

Regent Golden called the meeting to order at 11:41 a.m. and turned the meeting over to Mr. Rierson.

Mr. Rierson presented the following two items for information:

Overview of Private Support – UH System
Advancement Update – UH System
A brief video presentation was given. Copies of the following documents were distributed at the meeting and are filed in the Board Office: 2006 President’s Report, Memorandum of Understanding, Institutional Advancement Annual Goals and Business Plan Fiscal Year 2007 Form, and Cougar e*link.

There being no further business to come before the committee, the meeting adjourned at 11:57 a.m.

The board reconvened at 11:58 a.m. Pursuant to Subchapter D of Chapter 551 of the Texas Government Code, which allows governing boards to meet in closed session, the Board of Regents went into Executive Session at 12:02 p.m. The Board reconvened the meeting at 1:10 p.m.

EXECUTIVE SESSION REPORT

Regent Hermes announced that the regents discussed property and personnel issues. There is no action as result of this Executive Session.

INFORMATION ONLY:

During the Chancellor’s Report, Dr. Gogue mentioned the following items:

10-year NCAA close-out session. Dr. Gogue announced the session went well and we should receive the report in a few weeks.
Graduate and professional housing project. Dr. Gogue felt this was a good idea.
Increase in graduation rates. Dr. Gogue complimented the regents on their continuous efforts and how their hard work has impacted our graduation rates by one-third since 1998.

In absence of further business, the Board adjourned at 1:10 p.m.

All documentation submitted to the Board in support of the foregoing action items, including but not limited to “Passed” agenda items and supporting documentation presented to the Board, is incorporated herein and made a part of these minutes for all purposes; however, this does not constitute a waiver of any privileges contained herein.

Others Present:
Jay Gogue Dona Hamilton Donald J. Foss John M. Rudley Elwyn C. Lee Grover Campbell Michael Rierson Max Castillo Tim Hudson William Staples Janis Newman Wayne Beran John Powell Wes Good (John Kirksey Assoc) Paul Lawson (Pepper-Lawson) Bob Richardson (Pepper-Lawson)	Wendy Adair Jim Anderson Elaine Charlson Don Guyton Jim McShan Craig Ness Raymond Bartlett Malcolm Davis Steven Craig Dennis Fouty Elizabeth Brock Andy Blank Tom Ehardt Lucy Limon Marquette Hobbs Gerry Mathisen	Molly Woods Michelle Dotter Dave Irvin Ed Hugetz Michelle Sabino David Bradley Dilip Anketel Diane Murphy Donald Birx Oscar Gutierrez Mike Emergy Javier Hildago David Bell