UHS - Meeting Minutes

MINUTES OF THE MEETING
UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON SYSTEM
BOARD OF REGENTS MEETING

May 2, 2007

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

The University of Houston System Board of Regents convened in the Melcher Board Room 100B, Athletics/Alumni Building, 3100 Cullen Blvd., Houston, Texas on Wednesday, May 2, 2007. Noting the presence of a quorum, Chairman Hermes called the meeting to order at 8:10 a.m.

Chairman Hermes stated that due to some of the regents departing early from the meeting, the agenda would be taken out of order and the Board would go directly into Executive Session instead of at the end of the meeting.

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 8:10 a.m. The Board reconvened the meeting at 9:24 a.m.

EXECUTIVE SESSION REPORT

Chairman Hermes reconvened the Board meeting at 9:24 a.m. and stated that General Counsel, Dona Hamilton, gave a Litigation Status Report. There was no action taken by the Board as a result of Executive Session.

Chairman Hermes then presented the first item on the agenda, Approval of Minutes.

Action:

Calvin Stephens moved approval of the minutes from the following meeting:

April 3, 2007, Special Called Board of Regents Meeting

Regent O’Connor seconded the motion, and the minutes were passed as presented.

The next item on the agenda, Item D, List of Dates for Fiscal Year 2008 Board of Regents Meetings – UH System was presented by Chairman Hermes. These dates reflect the current meeting schedule, and will be placed on the May 17, 2007 agenda for consideration by the board. A complete calendar including deadlines will be distributed upon approval of the proposed dates.

At 9:25 a.m. Chairman Hermes recessed for the committee meetings. Once again, due to a scheduling conflict, the External Affairs Committee meeting will be taken out of order. Chairman Hermes then turned the meeting over to Regent O’Connor.

EXTERNAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

Regent O’Connor called the External Affairs Committee meeting to order at 9:26 a.m. and turned the meeting over to Grover Campbell to present the Update on State and Federal Agenda – UH System.

Mr. Campbell presented the Board with a listing of the Appropriation Priorities which included: Formula Funding, Research and Faculty Development, Higher Education Group Insurance, Financial Aid, Special Item Support, and Rider. Mr. Campbell briefed the Board on the above items. A copy of this item is on file in the Board office.

This item was for information only and required no action by the board.

There being no further business to come before the committee, the meeting adjourned at 9:35 a.m.

ACADEMIC AND STUDENT AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

Chairman Hermes called on Regent Rose, who in the absence of the chair, Regent Gonzalez, called the Academic and Student Affairs Committee meeting to order at 9:36 a.m. and turned the meeting over to Dr. Foss.

Dr. Foss presented the following action items for review by the committee:

Action Items:

Promotion in Academic Rank – UH System
Board approval is requested for faculty promotion recommendations to be effective September 1, 2007.

Faculty Emeriti Appointments – University of Houston, UH-Clear Lake, UH-Downtown
Board approval is requested for faculty emeriti appointments at the University of Houston, UH-Clear Lake, and UH-Downtown. When presenting this item, Dr. Foss noted a change for the record: Professor Wilford A. Weber (College of Education), University of Houston, was pulled from the list.

Establishment of a School of Nursing – UH-Victoria
Dr. Foss turned the meeting over to Dr. Suzanne LaBrecque, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at UH-Victoria. UH-Victoria proposes the establishment of a School of Nursing to house its current undergraduate and proposed graduate program in nursing. The academic programs at UHV are currently administered by three schools: the School of Business, the School of Arts and Sciences, and the School of Education and Human Development. The proposed School of Nursing would be the fourth such academic unit, and the other three, would be headed by a Dean. As a professional discipline, nursing has a set of unique characteristics including licensure, accreditation, and practice requirements that are not common to other UHV programs. It is possible that the School of Nursing may eventually grow to include other health related programs. The administrative costs of creating a new school would be minimal; and there would be no increase in personnel. This would also require Coordinating Board approval.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Degree in Pharmacy Administration – University of Houston
The University of Houston College of Pharmacy proposes the establishment of a Ph.D. degree in Pharmacy Administration. Similar programs exist in one other Texas university (UT) and twelve others nationwide. Pharmacy administration as a field of study encompasses various sub-areas including pharmaceutical outcomes management, pharmacy business administration, health policy development, information systems in healthcare, and pharmaceutical marketing. With this advanced degree, graduates would be equipped to evaluate drug therapy decisions by analyzing patient outcomes resulting in the improvement of access, effectiveness and quality of care. The program would build on the currently existing Master of Science degree in Pharmacy Administration and projects 25 students by the fifth year.

Regent Golden moved approval of the action items as presented. Regent Cemo seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.

Dr. Foss presented the following item for information:

Academic Presentation: KUHT TV and KUHF FM

Dr. Foss turned the meeting over to Ed Hugetz, who gave a brief overview of the item and introduced John Hesse, General Manager, KUHT-TV and John Proffitt, General Manager, KUHF-FM, who both provided the Board with an update of activities relating to the public television and radio stations, respectively. A copy of their presentations is on file in the Board office.

The items requiring approval will be placed on the May 17, 2007 agenda for consideration by the board.

There being no further business to come before the committee, the meeting adjourned at 10:46 a.m.

ADMINISTRATION AND STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITTEE

Regent Wise called the meeting to order at 10:46 a.m. In the essence of saving time, Regent Wise stated that two of the items on the agenda would be deferred to the May 17, 2007 Board of Regents meeting: Possession of Portion of Cullen Boulevard and Holman Street – UH System and the Framework Plan Update – University of Houston.

Regent Wise stated there were three approval items on the agenda today for consideration by the committee. He then turned the meeting over to Dr. Rudley to introduce the items.

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

Action Items:

Revision to Board of Regents Policies – UH System
Approval is requested for revisions to Board of Regents Policies which reflect the new committee structure approved on November 2, 2006.

Construction of a Lecture Hall and Academic Center – University of Houston
Approval is requested to proceed with the design and construction of a lecture hall and academic center near Melcher Hall and Calhoun Lofts. This multi-story building will have 33,000 gross square feet and will include a state-of-the-art lecture hall seating 450, as well as faculty offices, a lobby and two 70-seat classrooms. The building will also house three vital services for students: a satellite of the University’s Writing Center, a Testing Center and the Elizabeth D. Rockwell Career Services Center. The Academic Center will also be the home of the rapidly expanding Global Business Minor program and will ease the severe classroom shortage experience by the Bauer College of Business. The source of funds for this project are: $2.5 million – HEAF; $3.0 million Lead Gift and $3.5 million – Gifts.
Renderings and site maps are on file in the Board office.

Purchase of Property Located at 3004 Leek Street – UH System
Approval is requested to purchase the property located at 3004 Leek Street, described as Lot B, block 15, Melwith Manor. The acquisition is part of the University’s 10-year Asset Management Plan to acquire properties to expedite the expansion of student parking. The tract is adjacent to Parking Lot 16E and will add approximately 18 parking spaces. An April 2006 appraisal estimates the property value at a maximum of $54,000 or $9.00/sq. ft. To be purchased with parking and transportation funds.

Regent O’Connor moved approval of the action items as presented. Regent Wise seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. Let it be noted that Regent Cemo abstained from the vote.

The two deferred items and the items requiring approval will be placed on the May 17, 2007 agenda for consideration by the board.

There being no further business to come before the committee, the meeting adjourned at 10:58 a.m.

After the Administration and Strategic Planning Committee adjourned, Regent Hermes called for a 10 minute break.

At 11:08 a.m. Regent Hermes reconvened the committee meetings.

AUDIT COMMITTEE

Regent Stephens called the Audit Committee meeting to order at 11:08 a.m. and turned the meeting over to Don Guyton to introduce the three items on the agenda. These three items were for information only and are on file in the Board of Regents Office.

University of Houston System Excerpts of External Audit Report Texas State Auditor’s Office – Federal Portion of the Statewide Single Audit Report for the Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2006 – UH System

Internal Audit Report – Briefing Booklet – UH System

Institutional Compliance Status Report for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2007 – UH System

There being no further business to come before the committee, the meeting adjourned at 11:19 a.m.

UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT COMMITTEE

Regent Golden called the meeting to order at 11:20 a.m. and turned the meeting over to Mr. Rierson who will present one action item and one information item.

Mr. Rierson presented the following action item for consideration by the committee.

Action Item:

Naming of Michael J. Cemo Hall – University of Houston
Approval is requested, consistent with Board policy 33.02, of the naming of the Michael J. Cemo Hall, a classroom and auditorium building adjacent to the Melcher Hall at the University of Houston.
This new 33,000 sq. ft. structure will be the headquarters of the Global Business Minor Program, contain the state-of-the-art 450 seat auditorium, two large classrooms and faculty offices.

Regent O’Connor moved approval of the action item as presented. Regent Wise seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. Let it be noted that Regent Cemo abstained from the vote.

Mr. Rierson introduced the one information item:

Overview of Private Support – UH System

The item requiring board approval will be placed on the May 17, 2007 agenda for consideration by the board.

There being no further business to come before the committee, the meeting adjourned at 11:24 a.m.

In absence of further business, the Board adjourned at 11:24 a.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 Lee Michael Rierson Grover Campbell Suzanne LaBrecque Eric Bentley Diane Murphy Kelsie Hahn Beth Petty Gerry Mathisen	Don Guyton David Bell Wendy Adair Tim Hudson John Proffitt Oscar Gutierrez Ed Hugetz Russ Hoskins John Hesse David Bradley Janis Newman Lucy Limon	Wynne Chin Joe Kotarba Raymond Bartlett William Staples John Powell Dave Irvin Wayne Beran Molly Woods Jim McShan Michelle Sabino Desi Miller Marquette Hobbs