2018-19

The Board of Trustees held its spring meeting from May 15-17 on the Lawrence University campus in Appleton, WI. Ahead of the meeting, the Board was provided with materials to prepare for conversations on campus. Included in the materials were administrative reports from the president’s cabinet and the observers representing the Faculty Governance Committee, the Lawrence University Community Council (LUCC) and Lawrence University Alumni Association (LUAA).

The meeting began with a reception and dinner with students on Wednesday, May 15. The topic of the discussion was “belonging”. Vice President for Student Life Chris Card kicked off the conversation by sharing that belonging might be defined as students’ perceived social support on campus, a feeling of being connected or feeling cared about, accepted, respected and valued by the group. Students in attendance shared the places where they felt that they did and did
not belong. The group also discussed strategies that may help to increase students’ sense of belonging at Lawrence. It was noted that diversity and inclusion efforts on campus were appreciated, that more could be done to incentivize interactions between student groups (including politics, religion, College and Conservatory, etc.) and that formal mentorship programs could be beneficial. In attendance were students from a range of class years and affiliations, trustees, and members of the President’s Cabinet.

During the meeting, reports were delivered from the President and the Chair of the Board. Trustees and the president’s cabinet revisited the university’s strategic plan, Veritas est Lux, and advised on priority areas for the next academic year. At the meeting, the Finance Committee endorsed the proposed FY20 budget, including a special endowment draw. The Board also approved a Real Estate Transaction Policy.

In the course of the meeting, the Board:

• Approved the election of Mei Xian Gong ’11 as a Recent Graduate Trustee
• Approved the election of Frederick Fisher as a Term Trustee
• Approved the election of Cheryl Wilson Kopecky ’72 as a Term Trustee
• Approved the election of Jon M. Stellmacher as a Term Trustee
• Approved the appointment of Michael Cisler ’78 as a Non-Trustee Committee Member of the Buildings and Grounds Committee
• Approved the appointment of Steven Mech ’93 as a Non-Trustee Committee Member of the Buildings and Grounds Committee
• Approved the promotion of Scott Corry to Professor (Mathematics)
• Approved the promotion of Andrew Knudsen to Professor (Geology)
• Approved the promotion of David McGlynn to Professor (English)
• Approved the promotion of Rob Neilson to Professor (Art)
• Approved the promotion of Arnold Shober to Professor (Government)
• Approved the granting of an honorary degree for the 2020 Commencement speaker to be announced in early 2020.

The next meeting of the Board is scheduled for October 30-November 1, 2019 at Björklunden.

The Board of Trustees held its winter meeting from February 13-15 on the Lawrence University campus in Appleton, WI. Ahead of the meeting, the Board was provided with materials to prepare for conversations on campus. Included in the materials were administrative reports from the president’s cabinet and observers representing the Faculty Governance Committee and the Lawrence University Community Council (LUCC).

The meeting began with a Diversity and Inclusion workshop on Wednesday, February 13 followed by a dinner with facilitated discussion. The workshop and dinner were led by consultant Tanya Odom. Central to these discussions was the idea of equity and the
extent to which all members of the university community, regardless of background, are provided an equal opportunity for success.

During the meeting, reports were delivered from the President and Chair of the Board. The Board reviewed the overarching strategic goals outlined in the university’s strategic plan, Veritas est Lux. Discussion was focused on decreasing operating costs while
maintaining efficiency and quality of service. The Finance Committee discussed the cessation of the Perkins loan program and recommended that the Board use Lawrence’s share of Perkins loan repayments through Fiscal Year 21 be used to fund supplemental grants for students originally qualified for Perkins funds. The Academic and Student Affairs Committee gave a report on the results of the campus climate survey administered in spring of 2018. Key concerns were pedestrian safety, especially on College Avenue, and a lack of acceptance of multiple perspectives on campus. Issues of campus climate have been made a priority on campus and future Board meetings.

At dinner on Thursday, February 14, the President introduced new staff members including the new Riaz Waraich Dean for the Center for Career, Life and Community Engagement, Title IX coordinator, and the Assistant Dean of Students and the Director of the Diversity and Intercultural Center. They were also joined by newly tenured faculty.

In the course of the meeting, the Board:

• Approved the granting of an honorary degree for the Report to the Community
• 2019
• Approved the promotion of Allison Fleshman to the rank of Associate Professor
• Approved the promotion of Alyssa Hakes to the rank of Associate Professor
• Approved the promotion of Brian Piasecki to the rank of Associate Professor

The next meeting of the Board is scheduled for May 15-17, 2017 on the Lawrence University campus in Appleton, WI.

The Board of Trustees held its fall meeting from November 1-3 on the Lawrence University campus in Appleton, WI. Ahead of the meeting, the Board was provided with materials to prepare for conversations on campus. Included in the materials were administrative reports from the president’s cabinet and the observers representing the Faculty Governance Committee and the Lawrence University Community Council.

The meeting began with a reception and dinner with students on Thursday, November 1. The topic of the discussion was the Center for Spiritual and Religious Life. The university’s Center for Spiritual and Religious Life is entering its third year and the dinner conversation sought to gauge the impact of the Center and its mission on the lives of students. Most students reported coming to Lawrence with a variety of religious experiences. Students reported that places where spiritual encounters happen range widely across campus from places like Sabin House, local houses of worship, nature, music spaces, and Björklunden. Though most students reported they felt open about sharing their religious identities, it was recognized that tensions can sometimes arise. Sabin House is a critical space for a variety of conversations around spirituality and
religion on campus. Students cite that their spiritual identity has been greatly enhanced since coming to Lawrence and that they have developed connections to wellness and wellbeing through spiritual exploration.

During the meeting, reports were delivered from the President and Chair of the Board. The Board reviewed the President’s priorities for the academic year as well as a summary of results from the Campus Climate Survey administered in spring of 2018. Survey findings suggest that there is an overall feeling that the campus is committed to becoming more inclusive but there are concerns about lack of respect for differing social and cultural perspectives, difficulties communicating across differences and an overall stressful culture. Pedestrian Safety was the focus of the Buildings and Grounds Committee. Lawrence continues to work with the City of Appleton to make crosswalk and lighting improvements. The Enrollment Committee celebrated a strong incoming first-year class of 400 students. Lawrence continues to make progress towards
achieving a graduation rate of 85% through work with a recruiting consultant in addition to analyzing why students choose to leave Lawrence. The Finance Committee continues to consider program enhancements that can lead to increased auxiliary revenue as well as expense reduction measures to achieve a balanced budget.

In the course of the meeting, the Board:
• Approved the granting of an honorary degree during 2019 Commencement

The next meeting of the Board is scheduled for February 13-15, 2019 on the Lawrence University campus in Appleton, WI.