University Council
University Council MINUTES
August 12, 2020
8:30 AM – 10:00 AM
Via Webex
Members:
Waded Cruzado, Daniel Adams, Kenning Arlitsch, Sreekala Bajwa, Janelle Booth, Michael
Brody, Matt Caires, Jason Carter, Leon Costello, Chris Dobbs, Ariel Donohue, Tracy
Ellig, Chris Fastnow, Stephanie Gray, Jeannette Grey-Gilbert, Rolf Groseth, Brett
Gunnink, Alison Harmon, Deborah Haynes, Robert Hawks, Whitney Hinshaw, Yves Idzerda,
Chris Kearns, Greg Kegel, Chere LeClair, Ilse-Mari Lee, Terry Leist, Bob Mokwa, Chris
Murray, Kim Obbink, Craig Ogilvie, Kellie Peterson, Mark Ranalli, Sarah Shannon, Royce
Smith, Emily Stark, Dan Stevenson, Cody Stone, Michael Trotter, Michael Vasquez, Amber
Vestal, Susan Wolff
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
- Call to Order
President Waded Cruzado
President Cruzado called meeting order at 8:30am.
II. Approval of Minutes for March 4, 2020
Royce Smith moved to approve the minutes; Chris Fastnow seconded, and the minutes were approved unanimously.
III. University Wide Information/Announcements
President Cruzado welcomed ASMSU President Michael Vasques, All Staff Council Chair Whitney Hinshaw, Dean Yves Idzerda, Faculty Senate Chair Michael Brody and Interim MSU Billings Chancellor Rolf Groseth to their first University Council meeting. President Cruzado thanked Move-In Week volunteers for their outstanding assistance and commitment.
Provost Mokwa shared update on transition to fall semester and implementation plans at MSU.
President Cruzado shared a visual of the Clean ‘Cat Kits that have been distributed across campus.
Rolf Groseth welcomed his first grandchild two days ago. MSU Billings’ NWCCU accreditation going along well, enrollment looks like it will be down 8-10% this fall.
Susan Wolff shared Great Falls College campus update. They finished
the 8-week advantage in the spring well. The summer semester went
smoothly. They were able to bring the dental clinic back for students to get their
clinical hours in.
Greg Kegel shared the MSU Northern campus update. Faculty and staff
have been hard at work preparing classes and labs for this
fall.
MSU is celebrating ten-year anniversary of University Council. It was
implemented to establish policies and procedures across MSU
and our affiliate campuses.
IV. New Item
A. Procurement Policy Revision
Kellie Peterson, Legal Counsel
Leslie Taylor shared the policy is nearly the same. It’s been updated for purposes of clarity and changing a few names and for consistency purposes.
B. Public Participation Policy Revision
Kellie Peterson, Legal Counsel
Leslie shared this policy was updated to change the names to coincide with current practices and make clarifications of minutes.
Matt Caires asked question on open public hearing process.
C. Open Meeting Policy Revision
Kellie Peterson, Legal Counsel
Leslie updated the legal requirements. Public has access to
minutes and what actions took place.
Not every meeting is required to share this information. This
updated policy improved clarity of language in the policy.
President Cruzado thanked Leslie for her continued hard work
on policies and keeping everything up to date.
D. Undergraduate Academic Standing Policy Revision
Tamela Eitle, Vice Provost, Office of Academic Affairs
Tami recognized Chris Kearns, Chris Fastnow, James Broscheit,
Tony Campeau and Carina Beck on their efforts in the
past year and a half. This policy revised the suspension and probation policy to
be in better alignment with the Board of Regents policy.
V. Public Comment
Jason Carter acknowledged the Covid testing and all the researchers and individuals who are undertaking this effort. Their hard work and expertise have been an extraordinary effort.
Bob Hawks is hearing concerns from community and wondering if students have a proper guide so community knows the students are well informed and practices have been put in place at MSU. Matt Caires shared they developed a community concern website.
Chris Fastnow shared the amazing alignment in the Strategic Plan and the research and collaboration being done with transformational learning.
Brett Gunnink shared the efforts of the faculty over the summer who have went above and beyond to ensure the students have a positive experience this fall.
Chris Kearns acknowledged faculty and staff and shared the balance between individual rights and the public good. Students are modeling wearing of masks and practicing social distancing. This is a real educational opportunity.
NOTE: The next University Council meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, September 2, 2020, from 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM via WebEx.