In its first meeting in the new Student Success Building on April 5, the Board of Trustees unanimously approved, “A Time of Transformation,” the strategic plan that will carry the College into the year 2017.

“One of the things we have going for us now,” President Stephen Jordan said in discussing the plan’s upcoming implementation, “is that we now have a history of accomplishing visionary things—to build buildings like this and build private-public partnerships. This has created a broad-based belief in what we are capable of doing. We have an exceptional opportunity to move this next plan forward in very significant ways.”

Revised budget

In addition to approving the new strategic plan, the Board examined an agenda filled with budgetary and academic issues. Trustees accepted the revised 2011-2012 operating and auxiliary budgets, which have been adjusted by $2 million to account for a 2.5 percent drop in enrollment and other revenue decreases. The shortfall caused by enrollment will be made up by the unallocated enrollment reserve from the previous fiscal year.

The board also approved parameters for the creation of 2012-2013 budget that includes a 13 percent undergraduate tuition increase as enumerated in the 2010 Financial Accountability Plan, a 13 percent tuition increase for the self-funding master’s programs, a proposed 2 percent compensation boost for faculty and administrators for reasons of equity and recruitment, as well as possible staffing and departmental budget increases. The details of the 2012-13 budget, using these parameters, will be reviewed and approved by the Finance Committee before being presented to the full board for finalization in June.

“This feels like a big catch-up year for the institution financially,” said Trustee Ellen Robinson, who chairs the board’s Finance Committee. “This really is the time to make our way back to what the true cost is of delivering the type of value we deliver.”

Higher-than-expected state revenues have made it possible for the JBC to restore much of the funding slashed from K-12 and state higher ed budgets for the coming year. In Metro State’s case, the College will likely receive the entire $1.6 million cut from early iterations of the 2012-13 state budget, plus a slight increase, because of a formula rewarding institutions with unfunded enrollment increases. Other higher education institutions, which have not enjoyed such strong enrollments, will see a percentage of their cuts restored.

Emeriti, tenure and sabbaticals

Turning to academic matters, the board listened while Provost Vicki Golich enthusiastically presented a roster of faculty up for tenure, promotions and other distinctions. Thirty-four faculty members were granted tenure in a unanimous vote by the Board. Ten faculty received the emeritus honorific and 11 were approved for sabbaticals.

A new major and new minor

The College codified two additional academic programs. Metro State now has a new major approved by the board: Social Science for Elementary Educators. The new Genders and Sexualities minor, a multidisciplinary program housed in the Institute for Women’s Studies and Services, was also approved.

Audio from the meeting and the board materials are available here.