Curators condense business for game

The Board of Curators named new chairwoman.

By Elliot Njus

Published Nov. 30, 2007

In its regular meeting, the UM system Board of Curators compressed its business into one day to accommodate those attending Saturday's Big 12 Championship in San Antonio.

In his opening comments, interim UM system President Gordon Lamb, a former interim chancellor at UM-Kansas City, said the UMKC men's basketball team would be playing University of Texas at San Antonio that evening.

"We've kind of got San Antonio surrounded," he said.

The board went on to consider a number of changes for the UM system and its campuses.

Each of the UM system chancellors offered presentations on their campus's centers and institutes, including the financial return generated by each campus.

Chancellor Brady Deaton said he had served in a number of centers in his academic career.

"Centers serve a very interesting and unique purpose because they're very much the way business is done in major ways at major universities because they give you the ability to pool together affiliated faculty who are working in core areas of importance," he said.

Deaton said the university had studied its 853 centers on the campus and considered both adding new centers and eliminating some. He said the university considers whether the center's work is worth the investment of faculty and funding.

Deaton said the university had eliminated eight centers since May, which he said allowed the reallocation of $300,000.

Nikki Krawitz, UM system vice president of Finance and Administration, presented the UM system's financial status report. Chairman Don Walsworth said he was concerned that the university's investments would be affected by an economic downturn.

Right now, we've got to be the most conservative guy on the block," Walsworth said. "We want to take no risk, invest in no hedge funds."

Krawitz said her office is watching the situation.

"We have worked hard to make sure that we're monitoring this," Krawitz said.

The curators also voted to approve the schematics for the planned renovation of Hudson and Gillett residence halls and Rollins Commons. The plans had already been presented to the board and passed unanimously.

For the first time, the UM system Web site streamed live audio from the meeting. UM system staff recorded the sound.

At its regular meeting Thursday, the Board of Curators approved new leaders for its 2008 term and honored two system administrators who are retiring.

In an 8-0 vote, the Board of Curators voted for Cheryl Walker of St. Louis to be the board's chairwoman in 2008. Curator Bo Fraser of Columbia will be the board's vice chairman. He was approved in a 7-0 vote, and Fraser himself abstained. Curator David Wasinger was absent from the meeting.

Board of Curators Chairman Don Walsworth nominated Walker for the position.

"Not only do I admire her for her academic accomplishments, but I admire her for her business sense and particularly I admire her for being a mother and wife," he said.

Walsworth said Walker had overcome personal obstacles without missing a board meeting, a committee meeting or a conference call.

"I think if you had to draw a profile of what a committee chair should be, and I'm certainly not that, I would have to say that Cheryl has the proper protocol," he said.

Walker was appointed to the board in 2003 and currently serves as vice chairwoman. She earned a bachelor's degree in engineering from UM-Rolla in 1986.

Curator Marion Cairns, who said she had known Walker for 25 years through Walker's mother, seconded the nomination.

"I don't have a daughter, but if I had one, I'd like her to be like you," Cairns said.

The board also voted to honor retiring General Counsel Bunky Wright and retiring Vice President for Human Resources Ken Hutchinson with emeritus status.

Wright's resolution praised his "candid, straightforward legal advice delivered without harsh words or condescension and frequently communicated along with a slice of self-deprecating humor."

Walsworth thanked Wright for his services to the university before calling for the curators to vote on the resolution.

"Don, are you taking for granted that this will pass?" Wright said.

Hutchinson's resolution praised his work in improving benefits for UM system employees and his advocacy for retired university employees.