Curators discuss Floyd, scholarships
The Board of Curators will replace Floyd and have three new members in 2007.
Published Dec. 16, 2006
Outgoing UM system President Elson Floyd held a news conference to officially announce his resignation Thursday at 7:30 a.m. in the Reynolds Alumni Center.
"It's my deep moment of sadness to tell you that I have accepted the job as president of Washington State University," Floyd said.
Don Walsworth, UM system Board of Curators vice president, opened the meeting and introduced Floyd.
"This is a sad day for the university," he said.
Walsworth answered questions about the curators' plans to select a new president.
"We as a Board of Curators will begin a thoughtful process to find another great leader," Walsworth said.
He declined to discuss details of the process, including when a successor might be chosen.
Directly following the news conference in their last meeting of the year, the curators discussed the board's goals and Floyd's replacement.
The Board of Curators is the nine-member governing board of the UM system and controls much of the funding for each campus.
The curators discussed lowering the cost of tuition for all of the students in the four-campus system.
"Hopefully the legislature will take care of us," curator David Wasinger said.
He said many students leave the UM system heavily in debt, which prevents them from "doing something more altruistic."
The external affairs committee's external relations update recommends a four-year plan for the governor's consideration and that campuses focus on their "competitive grants program."
Curator John Carnahan said the system is "not (in) an enviable position" in terms of minority enrollment, and cited a Nov. 22 article in the Columbia Missourian about a study that gave MU a 'D' for minority issues.
Walsworth suggested targeting minorities with scholarships.
"I think that we have to be proactive to inform parents and students about scholarships," Walsworth said.
He said many scholarships go unclaimed and that should not happen.
Walsworth said academic preparedness and the expectation of going to college are also factors in low minority enrollment.
"The profile of college-bound students is becoming more ethnically diverse and female dominant," said Mel Tyler, UM-Kansas City interim vice chancellor for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management.
Tyler said enrollment is projected to drop between 2007 and 2012 for a variety of reasons, including a decline in Missouri high school graduates and a growing number of students who choose to attend two-year colleges.
Tyler presented ideas about increasing retention and graduation rates, increasing access to college through scholarships and expanding the market by attracting more out-of-state and transfer students.
After the presentations, the committee discussed whether online classes are a threat to the system's enrollment numbers.
Also, Walsworth reminded the other curators of the importance of reaching out to the Missouri General Assembly.
"I'd like to see how many people we are engaged with over the course of the year," he said.
The board also discussed the independence of the separate campuses.
Floyd said the campuses are "decentralized for academic purposes," but the administrative side works collectively.
Each curator told the board their perspective on the system's unity.
Chancellor Brady Deaton cited the "different markets" of the four campuses, and said because the programs and specialties are different at each campus, they are not competing for students.
Deaton said MU operates autonomously in terms of faculty and curriculums, but other schools are consulted when adopting curriculum.
UM-Rolla Chancellor John Carney said Rolla is facing other troubles with being part of the system.
"We want to stay part of the system," he said, but "we are seriously considering a name change for this institution."
The suggestion of better communication between the campuses and the curators was also brought up.
"I think we need to do a better job reporting to the board the details of what we do," Floyd said.
The meeting carried over into Friday as the board went into an executive session, so the "thoughtful process" that Walsworth mentioned will be conducted behind closed doors. It is believed the board discussed the selection process of finding a replacement for Floyd, as well as replacements for the three curators that are stepping down.
Curators Thomas Atkins and Anne Ream and President to the Board Angela Bennett will be replaced by Gov. Matt Blunt. Last week, Blunt appointed Judith Haggard, a Democrat from the 8th District and also an MU graduate, to replace Ream.
Blunt's appointments, including Haggard, are subject to approval by the state senate.