A Busy Week

There is a lot going on at CSU this week before Spring Break. The Board of Trustees meets all day in a series of meetings on campus on Monday. CEO Watson has called a meeting of the workers in a "Faculty" Town Hall in the SUB Rotunda on Tuesday (12.30-2 p.m.)and members of the College of Arts and Sciences can attend an all-College Assembly on Thursday.

If you haven't had a chance to familiarize yourself with the CSU "Self-Study Transparency" document that was sent out, have a look especially at p. 24 which takes a very subjective view (some might say it lies) about "shared governance" on the campus: "The University fully embraces shared governance at all levels—department, college and university. Issues related to governance are fully described in the Institutional Profile." (the detailed follow-up link is unavailable); pp. 59 & 113 cheer on CEO Watson's "CSU Renaissance" I guess his promise to the HLC will become power; p. 80 "Communications" explains the need to spend $145,000 on flatscreen monitors in the buildings--clearly an urgent need, just like lipstick on a pig (btw have you noticed the info on many of the screens is still listing events in February?); p. 99 describes Administrative support for faculty and staff "professional development" but only as they see it, i.e. teaching, not much on real research support unless you are in the money-making sciences, remember travel moneys have been cut, there are no sabbaticals for next year, and research cues have not been awarded in any way but by CEO fiat ("shared governance," yeah, right).

No one can afford to keep their head in the sand about what is going on around campus so try to attend some of these meetings or keep abreast by talking to those who will go.


FYI The Schedule of the Board of Trustees' Monday meetings follows. The last board meeting at the end of the day will include the full board --public comments there will be interesting.

Board of Trustees Meeting
Academic and Student Affairs Committee Meeting
Academic Library Auditorium, Room 415
March 8, 2010
7:30 a.m.
1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call
3. Verification of Meeting Notice
4. Action Item
a. Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes
5. Information Items
a. Academic and Student Affairs Update
1. Action Items
Tenure Recommendations
Emeritus Dean
2. Higher Learning Commission Accreditation Update
3. Child Care Center and Charter School Updates
4. College of Pharmacy Update
b. Update on Enrollment and Retention
6. Other Matters
a. Public and Employee Comments
7. Adjournment

Board of Trustees Meeting
Finance and Audit Committee Meeting
Academic Library Auditorium, Room 415
March 8, 2010
9:30 a.m.
1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call
3. Verification of Meeting Notice
4. Action Item
a. Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes
5. Information Items
a. Financial Update
Action Items
1. FY 2011 Tuition Increase
2. Anti-Fraud Policy
3. Amended U-Pass
b. Internal Auditor Report
Action Item
1. Auditor's Charter
c. Office of Sponsored Programs
Action Items
1. Contracts over $250,000
a. MRI-R2: Acquisition of a 400 MHz NMR Spectrometer at CSU
b. Minority Biomedical Research Support - SCORE Program
c. Minority Biomedical Research Support - RISE Program
d. Library Services
Action Item
1. Contracts over $250,000
a. Yankee Book Peddler Library Service
e. Technology Information Update
Action Item
1. Contracts over $250,000
a. Data Storage
f. Enrollment and Retention
Action Item
1. Professional Service Contracts over $100,000
a. Marketing and Communication and Public Relations Plan
g. Athletics Business Plan
6. Other Matters
a. Public and Employee Comments
7. Adjournment

Board of Trustees Meeting
Facilities Committee Meeting
Academic Library Auditorium, Room 415
March 8, 2010
11:30 a.m.
1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call
3. Verification of Meeting Notice
4. Facilities Update
1. Action Items
a. Language Change for Capital Improvements
b. Residence Hall Development
2. Information Items
a. Aquaponics Initiative
5. Other Matters
a. Public and Employee Comments
6. Adjournment

Board of Trustees Meeting
Legislative and Personnel Committee Meeting
Academic Library Auditorium, Room 415
March 8, 2010
2:15 p.m.
1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call
3. Verification of Meeting Notice
4. Information Items
a. Legislative Update
b. Personnel Update
5. Other Matters
a. Public and Employee Comments
6. Adjournment

Board of Trustees Meetings
Full Board Meeting
Academic Library Auditorium, Room 415
March 8, 2010
3:45 p.m.
1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call
3. Verification of Meeting Notice
4. Action Item
a. Previous Meeting Minutes
5. President's Report
6. Reports
a. Academic and Student Affairs
1. Action Items
Tenure Recommendations
Emeritus Dean
2. Higher Learning Commission Accreditation
b. Finance and Audit
Action Items
1. Auditor's Charter
2. Anti-Fraud Policy
3. Amended U-Pass
4. FY 2011 Tuition Increase
5. Professional Service Contracts over $100,000
a. Marketing and Communication and Public Relations Plan
6. Contracts over $250,000
a. MRI-R2: Acquisition of a 400 MHz NMR Spectrometer at CSU
b. Minority Biomedical Research Support - SCORE Program
c. Minority Biomedical Research Support - RISE Program
d. Yankee Book Peddler Library Service
e. Data Storage
c. Facilities
Action Item
1. Language Change for Capital Improvements
2. Residence Hall Development
d. Legislative and Personnel
e. Civil Service Merit Board
f. Foundation
g. Student Trustee
7. Recess into Executive Session Pursuant to The Illinois Open Meetings Act
a. Employment Matters
b. Legal Matters
c. Collective Bargaining Matters
8. Reconvene into Open Session
9. Other Matters
a. Public and Employee Comments
10. Adjournment