President's Council Updates

The following are summaries of President's Council meeting. The group consists of the President, Vice Presidents, Faculty Assembly President, EAC President, Student Body President, and several other executive staff members. The group meets on the first and third Tuesdays. These summaries are just that, a summary of the meeting topics. Questions concerning any topics listed here should be addressed to your vice president or representative.

June 17, 2008

Physical Plant Update

• The student residence remodel is going very well. President will tour the site later today. The athletic department did a walk through and was impressed with the changes. It is on time and under budget. The location of new sand volleyball courts was discussed. The condition of the intramural fields needs to be addressed. Estimates are being collected.
• Parking lots are scheduled to be resurfaced beginning in July. A schedule for closed parking lots will be announced to campus.
• There is also a donor who will be paying for major overhaul of the track facilities. 

EAC Update

• There have been issues when an event is on campus and causing parking problems for employees. Follow up with Public Safety and scheduling.
• EAC is also concerned about campus announcements and campus public events calendar.

Student Life

• There is current discussion about how to handle transgendered students. There are some long-term policy implications that will impact residential life.
• After a bid process, Baptist Health has been chosen as our new student health provider. They have facilities close to campus, longer hours of operation and will save the university money due to a co-pay based system.

Athletics

• It was reported that three current searches for coaches (men’s lacrosse, golf and strength and conditioning) are progressing well.

Other

• Charlie Cannon, JU’s Washington D.C. Lobbyist has changed jobs. President is currently searching for a replacement firm.

Society of Trustees first meeting is Wednesday at noon. We have invited former Trustees to lunch to update them on the state of the University. There are 16 RSVPs and many others who wish they could attend.

Recap of the Fiscal Wake-Up Tour event on the 19th. The event went well with a good crowd and 11 trustees.

Dr. Joe McCann has accepted the Business Dean position and will begin working July 1.

The capital campaign consultant has been hired and will be coming to campus and visiting senior staff in July.

A RFP was sent out for a student healthcare service contract.

A new comptroller, Daniel Stephens will begin in June.

Enrollment numbers are tracking well and are up at least 8%.

Riverside School statistics were discussed and changes will be made to improve the services to these students.

Women’s Sports won the conference All-Sports trophy. This was the first-time ever to receive the award. Two years ago we were 8th and last year we were 2nd.

The NCAA Academic Progress Report system was explained and JU’s teams are much improved.

After three years, the Times Union has assigned a higher education reporter.

February 5, 2008

Introductions:
Artis Gilmore was introduced as the new Special Assistant to the President focusing on Community Relations.

United Way Campaign:
Ron Autry, United Way Chairman and vice-chair of the Board of Trustees, discussed the upcoming campus campaign. Mr. Autry delivered his pitch for JU’s continued commitment to helping the community raise $26 million that will stay in the community. The campus campaign will kick-off with the assistance of Jenny Oldham from the Advancement Office and Dr. Peter Moberg of the Communications Department.
The kick-off is Thursday at 3 p.m. in the Howard Lobby and will run through Feb. 27.

Physical Plant Update:
It was reported that the recent approval of the Legacy Funds use is underway. Contracts will be issued soon. Sidewalks are under construction now. Asphalt work will happen once school gets out in May. Williams complex renovation will begin soon.
 
They are also working on a recycling program with students and faculty. 

SACs Interim Report:
An update was given concerning the pending interim report and the work that is currently underway. 

Degree Audit:
There are training needs for Datatel as it pertains to Degree Audit. Having this system functioning impacts campus broadly. Additionally, with this tool, the campus approach to advising.

Other:
Open Gym: The students have requested hours for open-gym access. They are working with Athletics and Student Activities to get it done.
 
MovieFest happened this weekend. The quality was better than last year.
 
Spring sports have started. Both basketball teams are in first place. Next Friday (2/15) night is the JU vs. UNF game. James Ray, a former player who has life threatening health issues. He had successful dual-lung surgery yesterday.
 
Spring Spruce Up will happen on Leap Day. February 29.

January 15, 2008

Introductions:
The new Director of Public Safety and the new Policy Facilitator were introduced.
 
Policy Reviews:
James Williams reviewed the status of the creation of the policy manual. A summary was handed out and reviewed. New policies will be added to the web in the near future.
 
Enrollment Update:
Today is census date. Traditional Undergrad is lagging a bit, with other areas are doing well. A final enrollment report will be developed over the next few days. Over 100 transfer and first-time freshmen students are now attending.
 
Analysis of the students who were eligible but did not return shows 177 that owe over $500. Further outreach and analysis will be done.
 
Student Alliance Elections:
Elections will happen on January 23. Voting will be conducted online. There will be a debate on January 16.
 
Report on Use of Legacy Funds:
A report from the recent Trustees Committee meeting was made. The list of projects includes the following: athletic equipment, refurbishment of old dorms, paving, sidewalks, curbs, testing center, education lab, and Swisher Gym improvement.
 
Fifth-Year Interim SACS Report:
We are unsure the timeline for the Interim Report. SACS has not communicated deadlines to us. We are operating on a deadline of March. Academic Affairs is coordinating the on-gong efforts.
 
A brochure will be developed that illustrates the strategic directions.
 
Other:

• Friday, January 25, The MPS Group has “bought the house” at the JU Basketball ad. MPS is bringing 500 employees and participating in the night’s promotions.
• We have a new soccer coach.
• Basketball teams are doing well. Basketball is at UNF this Saturday at 2 and 4:30 p.m. (Alumni at Beef O’Bradys on Beach Blvd. at 2 p.m.)
• We will play Appalachian State for our opening football game in 2008.
• Commencement Chairs were discussed.
• EAC is pushing for campus recycling.
• Waves in Oak Hall is open and being used by many students.
• Advancement reported that over the last four years the number of donors, the number of donations, and the amount donated has increased each year.
• IT is currently evaluating seven bids for the wireless campus efforts.
• New student email system (Microsoft hosting) progress was presented

October 16, 2007

"Green Campus"
The students recommend that a "sustainability committee" be formed to address campus recycling and related activities in the effort to have a more environmentally campus. The effort has the support of the President's Council.

Student Governance
An update was given on the developments related to the restructuring of a representative student leadership.

Board of Trustees
A preview of the upcoming meeting of the Board of Trustees was discussed. The meeting will include a tour of Oak Hall.

Homecoming
Thanks were expressed to everyone who participated in the Homecoming events. Everything went well.

Tuition Payment
In an effort to have students pay their tuition bills on time, a new late fee will be instituted. Monthly billing statements will begin and  late tuition will be subject to an 18% annual charge. Additionally, the University will absorb the cost of paying tuition using a credit card.

Housing Deposit
The housing deposit was reviewed and changes will be recommended in the future.

October 2, 2007

President Romesburg welcomed George Scaduto the new vice president for Finance & Administration.

Physical Plant Update
Oak Hall has substantial completion and furniture delivery is scheduled. New lights have been installed and Swisher Gym lobby is in for improvement.

Parking Appeals Committee
Proposed changes to the appeals committee include getting three individual from each of the following groups: Faculty Assembly, EAC and Student Government. Those names will be made public. When appeals are heard, one representative from each group will make appeal decisions.

List of Committees
The faculty requests that a list of committees, their membership and their charges be made public. University Marketing will compile the list and make it available on the web.

Safety Walk Reviews
Students conducted a safety walk and submitted a list of concerns to the council. Physical Plant will work to address the issues.

Other:

• Plans are being made to broadcast JU sporting events in Nellies Sports Grill
• Payroll Audit was questioned and will be addressed
• Athletics reported that volleyball and both soccer teams won two games each this past weekend. Issues related to JV football games during the school day were discussed
• A large group of policies were handed out for the 90-day campus review period
• There are 1186 student living on campus this semester. The Meningitis shot requirement policy was reviewed
• There will be a general meeting of the EAC 10 a.m., Oct. 10 in Gooding Auditorium
• A large collection of mounted fowl was donated to JU

Scheduling of Classes
There is a great deal of pressure on food services to feed the students during the noon hour. Many students & parents have complained about the daily extended wait in line for food at all the food venues. The issue of scheduling classes during the noon hour will be discussed among the faculty, students & administration. The benefit of the open noon hour is a block of time that meetings can happen (clubs, faculty, student), however with campus growth come a demand on facilities and services.

Dress Code
Several faculty have complained about how some students have dressed when attending class. The faculty has the ability to include dress code statements in their syllabus. An assignment was made to see what other institutions do to address this issue.

Event Parking
Daily permits will be issued to off-campus visitors via the Scheduling office for parking in the Tennis Court Lot.

EAC
Maria Klitch was welcomed as the new EAC chair. There will be an open meeting at 10 a.m., Oct. 10 in Gooding Auditorium.

South Campus Parking
The number of South Campus permits matches the number of South Campus parking stalls available. Future growth in student numbers will need to be addressed. There are currently 41 students paying for parking in the garage.
Additionally, parking lot striping needs to be improved. Students also requested the implementation of an extended temporary permit.

Interim Student Governance
A group of students has been formed to write a new Student Government Constitution and to hold election this semester.

Policy Approval
New policies will be circulated to campus groups for review.

Additional 403B Options
Because of new federal rules, the University Lawyer has recommended that no additional 403B Funds be added. Adding new Funds increases the potential liabilities of the University.

Strategic Goals
President presented a draft outline of strategic directions for the University and asked that these be discussed and feedback provided.

September 4, 2007

Policies
President Romesburg discussed the status of the new policy manual and the required approval process. There will be many policies coming through for approval from the various groups.

Academic Programs
It was announced that the School of Education received work of State approval for the new elementary education and physical education programs.

Emergency Preparedness
Dr. Balog updated the council on the recent meeting of the Emergency Preparedness team in light of recent campus incidents. Additionally, he talked about the implementation of the new parking system. There is concern from the students concerning the parking garage on south campus.

Campus Projects
Joe Colman reported on the status of campus projects, including new lighting in parking areas.
Tom Hall reported that the University will buyout the campus phone system when the lease expires. We will save money by keeping the system, rather than bidding for a new provider.

Enrollment Update
Miriam King updated the group on enrollment. Undergrad is up nearly 7% and adult/graduate is up over 15%.

August 21, 2007

Policy Manual Update
Kara Samuels, a local law student, will be collecting current and new policies for the new campus policy manual. Also discussed was the procedure for getting policies approved.

Physical Plant Update
The current status of Oak Hall was discussed and what is needed to get students moved in. The Main entrance landscaping is complete, the fountains are operating and a general campus clean up will be completed for the start of school. The next project will be irrigation along University Blvd. We received a Certificate of Occupancy fort the rowing center and it will be dedicated during Homecoming.

Enrollment Update
As of yesterday there are 2047 undergrads and 2860 total students. We have the largest freshman class ever and the largest number of transfers ever. Also of note, we have a large number of “undecideds” and that is something we need to address through counseling and advising.

Housing Update
We have over 1200 students living on-campus. Oak Hall is full. The sororities have opted to remain in their current locations to take advantage for the private room option.

Parking
Signs are nearly all installed and public safety will be visiting departments to make the transition for employees easier. President will discuss parking at Faculty Assembly.

Other
Orientation schedule
Computer redeployment
Mayor’s Commission on Women Event at JU October 19