The Board of Trustees threw its support wholeheartedly behind President Stephen Jordan at the Sept. 7 BOT meeting by unanimously passing each initiative that Jordan proposed, including a raise for adjunct faculty, the appointment of Sandra Haynes as permanent dean of the School of Professional Studies and amendments to the Handbook for Professional Personnel.

As Jordan had outlined in his President's Welcoming Ceremony address earlier that day (http://www.mscd.edu/%7Ecollcom/@metro/tw@metro_vol3/welcome_twv3090705.htm), key components of implementing his vision for Metro State include (1) recruit 60 new tenure-track faculty, with emphasis on faculty of color, (2) address the status and working conditions of adjunct faculty; and (3) authorize an adjustment to the budget to permit the acquisition of new equipment and technology and for renovation and remodeling of college offices on campus. The president made significant initial progress toward implementing these components at the BOT meeting.

Budget Changes
The revised fiscal year 2005-06 operating budget, presented by Interim Vice President for Administration and Finance Natalie Lutes, reflected significant changes from the most recent (June 1) version. The proposed changes, which were adopted by the BOT, included:

• spending $1.75 million to raise the average adjunct faculty salary from $788 to $960 per credit hour beginning next spring semester,
• funding five full-time FTE positions: two in Sponsored Programs that previously were funded in an IRC account; one IT professional I for the Web Team; one admissions counselor and one facilities planner
• spending $3.5 million on technology and $1.5 million on renovations and remodeling. Of that, $500,000 will go toward updating the first floor of the Central Classroom Building, which houses admissions and financial aid and is often the first place prospective students and their parents see. To see the full details of the budget changes go to http://www.mscd.edu/welcomectr/trustees/docs05_06/agenda09072005.pdf.

Referenda C and D
The board also discussed the impact on Metro State's budget if ballot initiatives referenda C and D were to fail. The two referenda propose to modify the conditions of the current TABOR expenditure limitations and propose areas to receive capital support through a series of revenue bonds. Lutes prepared, at the request of the Colorado Commission on Higher Education (CCHE), several "worst-case scenarios" showing how a 10 percent, 25 percent, or 50 percent stipend reduction would affect Metro State's budget for 2007 and the results were, in Lutes' words, "pretty grim." Jordan pointed out that the budget allocations and adjustments that he had proposed are contingent upon the passage of these referenda.

State Guaranteed Transfer Courses and Metro State's General Studies Curriculum
Linda Curran, interim associate vice president of academic affairs for curriculum and programs, made a presentation to the board on the college's general studies curriculum and the CCHE's new statewide guaranteed transfer program. Curran pointed out that the transfer of credits is particularly relevant to Metro State, because 60-65 percent of our students are transfers from other institutions and many also transfer out, and that our goal is to ensure that the number of Metro State general education courses accepted elsewhere is maximized. Curran posed to the board a dilemma created by dual limits of time and money as spelled out in the COF limits of state subsidy for tuition and the Students' Bill of Rights cap on the total credit hours required to complete a baccalaureate degree. These two factors effectively reduce the number of courses a student can afford to take, making it even more important for students to make the "right" decisions about all courses taken.

In other matters:

• The board unanimously approved proposed clarifications and other changes to the Handbook for Professional Personnel, presented by Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs Joan Foster, which had been reviewed by Academic Affairs for concurrence with the accreditation requirements.
• As part of its consent agenda, the board approved a series of personnel appointments, including that of Sandra Haynes as dean of the School of Professional Studies. The board agreed not to vote on sabbatical requests.
• The board was informed that student victims of Hurricane Katrina have contacted the college to enroll. After some discussion, Jordan said that his office will communicate with CCHE regarding the college's authority to work with these students, especially financially.