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MEETING OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES March 7, 2020 UNIVERSITY OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS Administration and Conference Center ST. THOMAS CAMPUS 9:00A.M. MINUTES Regular Session MEMBERS PRESENT Attorney Henry C. Smock, Chair Ms. Oran C. Roebuck, Vice Chair Dr. David Hall, President and Secretary Mrs. Nisha Clavier, Alumni Trustee Mr. Alexander A. Moorhead (phone) Dr. Adam Parr, Faculty Trustee Ms. Raven Phillips, Student Trustee Dr. John A. Quelch Dr. Yvonne E. L. Thraen Rev. Dr. Wesley S. Williams, Jr. (phone) MEMBERS ABSENT Mrs. Racquel Berry-Benjamin Ms. Arah C. Lockhart OTHERS PRESENT Dr. Camille McKayle, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs (phone) Mr. Mitchell Neaves, VP Institutional Advancement Ms. Earlyn Casimir for VP Administration and Finance & CFO Attorney Marie ThomasGriffith, UVI Legal Counsel The Honorable Albert Bryan Jr, Governor of the Virgin Islands and Honorary Chair of the UVI Board of Trustees CALL TO ORDER The presence of a quorum having been determined, Chairman Henry C. Smock called the Regular Session of the meeting to order at 9:05am. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion was made by Trustee Williams, which was seconded by Trustee Quelch, to approve the minutes of the Regular Session of the Board Meeting held on November 2, 2019. The vote on the motion to approve the Regular Session minutes was unanimous by the members present. The minutes were therefore approved. APPROVAL OF THE CONSENT AGENDA A motion was made by Trustee Williams, which was seconded by Trustee Moorhead, to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. The vote on the motion to approve the Consent Agenda was unanimous by the members present. The consent agenda was therefore approved. PRESIDENT’S REPORT The President’s Report for this reporting period is organized into two sections. Part I provides highlights of new and ongoing presidential initiatives and institutional accomplishments since the last report. Part II highlights major accomplishments within the framework of Greatness Through Innovation, the University’s current strategic plan. This framework has been adopted to ensure that all Components and Departments across the University are focused on areas that the University has determined are critical to our future success. I continue to be extremely impressed with the productivity and commitment of our University’s students, faculty, staff and administrators. President Hall highlighted several University activities and achievements covered in his written report and provided updates to the report based on things that occurred since the written report was issued. His oral report included the following: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS ▪ The 19th Annual Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) Leadership Institute Conference was held in Washington, D.C. from October 16-20, 2019. Seventeen (17) TMCF Scholars were selected from across both campuses by the TMCF talent acquisition team and included Renell Agard, Iris Battiste, Kayla Francis, Sabreen Noubani, Alesha Petersen, Requel Petersen, and Kelvina Salters representing the Albert A. Sheen Campus. KymBre’Una Daniels, Sherkquan Henry, Christopher McDonald, Khaleilah Krall, Joshua Mitchell, Felicea Fontanelle, Ozzeisha Liburd, Roberto Tirado, Jair Smith, and Khefren Sackey represented the St. Thomas Campus. Students secured interviews and networking opportunities with various companies to include: Caterpillar, Altria, Koch Industries, Wells Fargo, Walmart E-Commerce, Walmart Merchandising, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), J.P Morgan and Chase, The Kellogg Company, Microsoft, Pfizer, Georgia Pacific, The Boeing Company, John Deer, Alliance Bernstein, United Airlines, Boez Allen, National Basketball Association (NBA), Linked- In and Eli Lilly. TMCF Scholars also participated in Power Networking events hosted by United Airlines and Eli Lilly where they were able to network directly with recruiters. ▪ Six students from the St. Thomas Campus participated in the National Student Exchange Program during the Fall 2019 semester. Outgoing UVI Students and their host schools include: o Jeraun Dolphin                    Western University      o Nicholas Durgaden Florida International University         o Xuxa Garroden University of Michigan-Flint o Samuel Gittens, Jr. Florida International University o Kevin King                       Southern University o Twyreh Nelson Cape Brenton University ▪ The St. Croix Golden Key Chapter’s Vice President Kelvina Salters, along with advisors and volunteers, hosted its annual Christmas Party for the Caribbean Boys and Girls Club on December 13 and December 16, 2019. Approximately 40 primary and middle school students attended the event. The group read to the children, hosted a mini-workshop on Excel, and engaged students in games and face-painting. ▪ Red Ribbon Week was celebrated at the Pearl B. Larsen elementary school. The UVI Residence Hall, VI Police Department, HIDTA Agency, Golden Key Honor Society, and UVI ROTC collaborated with the Health Center to promote a drug-free and violence-free community. A program was held which featured presentations including a speech by UVI ROTC Student Requel Petersen, who presented on “Why Stay in School.” UVI Senior Student Kelvina Salters presented a poem on being drug-free, HIDTA presented on Kiki Camarena, and VIPD K-9 introduced the crime-fighting dogs. Educational handouts and materials were distributed to 450 students at the event. Highlights from the written report also included; • Alumni Updates • Faculty and Staff Achievements • Publications and Papers • Grants and Special Projects Funded Significant Institutional Achievements • UVI Student Convocation with Loretta E. Lynch, former US Attorney General • UVI Passport to the World Ghana, Africa • UVI Commercials During 2020 Superbowl • Dean’s List Receptions • Employee Holiday Giveaways • National Speeches Recognizing the University’s Resilience & STEM Leadership • College of Science and Mathematics Offers First Certificate in Applies Computer Science Technology P RESIDENT’S AP PRECI ATION AWARD This period’s President’s Appreciation Award is presented to the following: 1) Leslyn Tonge – Ms. Leslyn Tonge serves as the coordinator for the UVI Passport to the World program. The UVI Passport to the World program provides an opportunity for constituent groups to experience other cultures through education, cultural immersive programming, recreational activities, and service-learning. It is built on four pillars: education, culture, recreation, and service. The travel learning program began in 2015 with the aim of exposing UVI constituent groups to the world through travel, learning, and service. It is an initiative out of the Office of the Provost and past programs have included China (2015), India (2016), South Africa (2018), and Peru (Summer 2019) . Ms. Tonge’s exceptional leadership of the most recent trip to Ghana provided stakeholders with an exciting, humbling and life- transformative experience. Her leadership ensured that the UVI group was safe and that the trip was meaningful and impactful. Through a partnership with World Strides, a leader in experiential learning for students, the UVI Passport to the World programs are well-planned and provide hands-on learning and experiential experiences that support the learning outcomes of travel and study abroad experiences. 2) Tamika Thomas-Williams and UVI Magazine, Eye on UVI – Ms. Tamika Thomas-Williams serves as Public Relations Director and was instrumental in relaunching the UVI Magazine. The re- imagined UVI magazine was launched on August 19, 2019. Eye on UVI features stories that highlight the University’s goals, achievements, students and faculty. The first issue was themed the “Innovation Issue,” to coincide with the release of the University’s new strategic plan, “Greatness Through Innovation.” With 15 stories and one video, the magazine delves into the heart of innovation at UVI. Ms. Thomas-Williams’ steadfast leadership ensured that the magazine, which was last published in 2011, was a reality for the institution. Eye on UVI is available in print and also online, a first in the history of the magazine. The magazine’s burgeoning popularity is also a critical piece of our branding initiative and philanthropic efforts in Institutional Advancement. A link to the magazine can be found at: https://magazine.uvi.edu/. Research and Technology Park Update Report The Board received an update report from Mr. Peter Chapman, Executive Director of the RTPark. He spoke about the vision and strategic priorities. He added that this past year, the RTPark assumed much more of a holistic and aggressive approach to facilitating growth and expansion of the tech cluster in the Virgin Islands. Chairman’s Comments Chairman Smock officially introduced the Honorable Albert Bryan Jr, Governor of the Virgin Islands . At the invitation of the Chair, the Governor provided remarks to the members of the UVI Board. Highlights from his remarks included an update on the current pandemic COVID-19 and it effect on the Virgins Islands both medically and economically. He offered suggestions in which the University may assist the community as we go through this unprecedented time in our history. BOARD COMMITTEE ITEMS FINANCE AND BUDGET COMMITTEE FY2021 Appropriation Budget Request The Finance and Budget Committee voted to recommend to the Board of Trustees that the University be authorized to request a FY2020-2021 appropriation of $40,227,788 to cover salaries, benefits, equipment, supplies, incidental expenses of the University for its operations and programs. A motion was made by Vice Chair Oran Roebuck which was seconded by Trustee Raven Phillips, to approve the FY2021 Appropriation Budget Request. The vote on the motion was unanimous. PLANNING COMMITTEE Key Performance Indicators/Greatness Through Innovation The Chair of the Committee reported that the ommittee received a report on the Key Performance Indicators as linked to the institution’s new Strategic Plan, Greatness through Innovation. The report focused primarily on the Retention, Graduation rates, Degrees Conferred, DFW rates, NSSE High Impact Practices, Financial Aid and, Development contributions from October 1, 2018 through May 10, 2019. EXECUTIVE SESSION At 10:38 a.m., a motion was made by Trustee Quelch, which was seconded by Trustee Williams, to go into Executive Session to address the following matters, which could be reasonably expected to result in the disclosure of information of personal nature wherein public disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, or premature disclosure that would seriously frustrate implementation of the proposed action(s), and for the Board to obtain legal advice on these matters: 1. Approve Minutes of the Executive Session of the last meeting of the BOT 2. Receive a report from the Executive Committee 3. Receive a report from the Planning Committee 4. Receive an update on Personnel Matters 5. Receive an Update on Legal Matters The Board took a short recess prior to the start of the Executive Session. The Executive Session convened at 10:45 a.m. RETURN TO REGULAR SESSION Upon return to the Regular Session of the Meeting at 12:34pm, the Chairman reported that while in Executive Session, the Board approved the following: • Minutes of the November 2, 2019 meeting of the Board • Approved the granting of an honorary degree to former U.S. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch • Approved for the UVI administration, to explore the possibility of UVI engaging in a contract with Scholarly to assist in recruiting students. • Authorized the President and Vice President of Administration and Finance to purchase the leasehold improvements of VI Finest Foods, LLC while awaiting the approval necessary to acquire the fee simple at a later date from the Virgin Islands Port Authority. • Approved a new risk assessment list. • Had a discussion with President regarding personnel matters • Received an update on legal matters from Legal Counsel • Approved a minor amendment to a Memorandum of Understanding with the Virgin Island Housing Finance Authority The Chairman thanked Board Members for their participation. ADJOURNMENT There being no other business to be considered in the Regular Session, the Chairman adjourned the meeting at 12:38 p.m.