8/2/04 Administrative Council Meeting Minutes

 

In attendance: Dr. Claudia Limbert, Dr. Sam Gingerich, Nora Miller, Dr. Bucky Wesley, Dr. Mark Bean, Mary Margaret Roberts, Dr. Lea Helen Evans, and Dr. Narem Reddy.

 

Absent: Scott Rawles, Perry Sansing, Patsy McDaniel, Anika Perkins, Susan Sobley, and Dana Vaughn.

Dr. Claudia Limbert called the meeting to order.

The minutes from 6/23/04 were approved.

Items from President’s Cabinet:

1.                  Front gate coverage - In Perry Sansing’s absence, Nora Miller announced that the front gate now has 24-hour coverage. Sherry Honsinger in the Police Department should be notified of expected visitors so information can be available for them at the gate. Also, parking passes should be sent to visitors in advance or let the Police Department know to have them at the gate because this will save the Police Department from writing tickets that later will need to be voided.

 

2.                  Visits with new IHL Board members - Dr. Limbert said she has met with the four new members in their hometowns, and she has invited them to visit campus. She is impressed with them. She also mentioned that her recent trip to Washington, D.C., went well. She had meetings with Mississippi’s congressmen, had lunch with some alumni, and presented Marie Charlotte Stark with her honorary doctorate.

 

3.                  Advanced Connections - Ms. Miller said the President Cabinet members have identified the recommendations that they will be working on. At today’s President’s Cabinet meeting, they will review these and schedule implementation dates. Periodic updates on implementation will be sent to campus.

 

4.                  Staff Classification Scale - Ms. Miller noted that unit managers were given a draft of the classification definitions and were asked to classify their employees. The process was to identify possible problem areas and definitions that will need clarifying. Human Resources is still in the process of collecting this information. Once employees are classified, then salary ranges can be developed.

 

5.                  Construction report - Ms. Miller mentioned several items in her report.

 

·                      Temporary gym - The stud walls are up. The electricians and plumbers are roughing in. The sheet rock work should begin soon. The floor installation is scheduled to begin August 9, and the air handlers are due August 16.

·                      Martin Hall - Some high voltage lines running through the foundation for the new stairs and a difference in the height of a beam have been discovered. These issues are being resolved without delay to the project.

·                      Fine Arts Building - The contractor has started the demolition and is due to complete it September 21. The renovation phase should be ready to bid on September 21.

·                      South Callaway - The project is approximately 20% complete. The contractor has torn out all interior walls, and the foundation has been poured. The contractor will start installing the steel structure for the interior of the building during the month of August.

·                      Temporary parking lot - The contractor will start hauling in slag some time next week, and Physical Plant is getting prices for concrete to make access to the parking lot from the city street. The entire project will be completed by August 20.

·                      Pohl Building and Recreation Center - The design development documents have been approved, and the contract documents will be prepared and submitted for approval at the September IHL Board meeting. Contract documents also will be submitted to FEMA/MEMA at this time for approval to advertise for bid.

·                      R&R visit - MUW had its annual legislative R&R visit. Buildings and Grounds Committee members visit all state agencies to review bond requests. MUW discussed requests from the FY 2004 regular session, which are $1 million to furnish and equip Martin Hall, $550,000 to furnish and equip South Callaway, and funding for Poindexter. These may be discussed in a special session to be called this fall. For the 2005 legislative requests, MUW’s main projects are Poindexter and the library expansion for archives, a cyber café, and meeting rooms. During pre-planning, the architects developed three possible schemes for Poindexter. The one plan that has received approval from Archives and History is not the plan that we want, which is basically just a paint and band-aid plan. MUW received positive feedback from the legislative committee members about the plan that the university wishes to pursue. A programming architect has been working with Pat Matthes on plans for the library expansion. This programming will assist design architects with this project.

 

General Updates:

 

Mary Margaret Roberts mentioned that both Foundation cars are being replaced with Nissan vehicles. One is in, and the other has been ordered. It will be made in Canton. Welty Weekend is set for October 14-16. Dr. Bridget Pieschel has all the authors lined up for the Welty Symposium. Daniel Wallace, who wrote “Big Fish,” will be the opening speaker. The speaker for the Book and Author Dinner will be Bill Bradley, a former senator and presidential candidate. This year’s Book and Author Dinner will be held in the Hogarth Banquet Room rather than the Columbus Convention Center. The MUW Foundation is donating some money to help spruce up the Hogarth Banquet Room. By having this event on campus, more students will be able to attend. An office building owned by an alumna recently was sold, and the MUW Foundation was given $154,000 from the sale. A group of young alumnae are setting up a scholarship fund in honor of alumna Cookie Bosarge who was fatally struck by a passing car while trying to help someone.