APPROVED 3-18 -9 Presidents Cabinet and Deans Council meeting minutes

President’s Cabinet & Deans’ Council UCOM 231 March 18, 2009 In attendance: Leader – Reynold Verret via phone, Tim Gilmour, Petra Carver, Jack Chielli, Paul Adams, Mike Wood, Maria Suar

President’s Cabinet & Deans’ Council (UCOM 231)

March 18, 2009

In attendance: Leader – Reynold Verret (via phone), Tim Gilmour, Petra Carver, Jack Chielli, Paul Adams, Mike Wood, Maria Suarez, John Stachacz,

Chip Prescott, Melanie Mickelson, Dale Bruns, Tom Baldino, Paul Browne

AGENDA ITEM DISCUSSION Action Items Bolded

UPDATE – MELANIE

MICKELSON

Ms Mickelson provided an update on enrollment She stated that financial aid packages were mailed a little over a week ago Recent reports indicate that we are in mid-range of our peers Freshman deposits are at 183, up from 166 a year ago However, this is an unfair comparison since last year’s packages were mailed at a later date The accept rate is down by 60 students as compared to last year

Ms Mickelson stated that we need to work on the yield through retention and that one of the best ways to do this is through personal contact Dr Adams explained that the primer will assist in raising awareness and will help direct people on ways to make personal contact Dr Adams will assume a leadership role, with assistance from Ms Carver and Ms Mickelson, in passing along the primer to the deans and other key people, including Ms Janine Becker and Mr Jerry Palmaioli The deans will forward the primer to the chairs for distribution to advisors

It was suggested that a global communication be crafted that provides information to faculty, staff, and administration outlining various ways they can help with recruitment and retention by interacting with both current and prospective students Dr Adams reported that a similar message has been crafted to advisors in the primer He added that the list of advisees currently sent to advisors does not indicate whether or not a student has a financial hold It was agreed that these holds can be reported to the advisors, as long as specific

information and/or balances are not revealed This will give the advisors a better opportunity to reach out to all students regardless of a hold on their account

that Dr Adams will take a leadership role, with assistance from Ms Carver and Ms Mickelson, in passing along the primer to the deans and other key people, including Ms Janine Becker and Mr Jerry Palmaioli

who have agreed to interview on campus

and The Commonwealth Medical College on March 25, 2009 at noon in the Henry Student Center, Savitz Lounge

UPDATE – TOM BALDINO Dr Baldino provided a report for the following Departments:

Communications

1 Dr Andrea Frantz nominated student Andrew Seaman as a National Collegiate Journalists of the Year, and he received this award Another student nominated by Prof Frantz, Gino Troiani, also received recognition for his work as a student journalist

2 Professors Frantz and Stine took six students to the College Media Advisors Conference in New York where they attended panels on the First Amendment

3 The department’s faculty is attending the Eastern Communications Conference in Philadelphia in late April Faculty members are making presentations on panels with students as co-authors of papers/research

Humanities

1 Several members of the English department traveled to Pittsburgh with a group of English majors for a national conference earlier this month Both faculty and students presented papers

Behavioral and Social Sciences

1 Criminology: Andrew Feldman, a major and a wrestler, was named an Academic All American

2 Dr Merryman will take his Model UN class to the UN to participate in the Model UN program with universities from across the country later this month

3 Political Science: Sigma Pi, the Wilkes chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honor society, presented a lecture by Prof Rogers Smith of the University of Pennsylvania on Thursday, March 19 The lecture was funded by a grant from Pi Sigma, the seventh straight year that the chapter received a grant through a competitive review process Department faculty and three of its majors will travel to Elizabethtown College later in March to attend the PA Political Science

Association meeting, where several of the faculty are participating on panels and hold leadership positions in the Association

4 Psychology: Eleven psychology majors attended the Eastern Psychological Association meeting in early March Four students presented their research Two psych majors recently were notified that their research papers were accepted for the

Undergraduate Research Symposium at Lebanon Valley College Anna McFadden, a junior, was selected to complete a research fellowship funded by the NSF at Clemson University this summer Four psych club students made a presentation to a group of Step-by-Step consumers in the Vocational program on March 4

5 Sociology: Students in Dr Stringer’s women and crime course completed survey work in the Lackawanna County prison that they will present at the Women’s Studies conference later in March Students in Dr Stringer’s Juvenile Delinquency course participated in Black History Month activities at the PA Child Care Center and served as volunteers to assist in preparing for the day Finally, Dr Stringer was accepted to the National Women’s Studies Association Spellman Summer Institute for junior faculty in Atlanta (It includes a grant that covers all her expenses.)

UPDATE – DALE BRUNS Dr Bruns announced that it was reported by the Times Leader on March 12, 2009 that Wilkes University’s Institute for Environmental

Science and Sustainability will be receiving a $1.2 million for electronic mapping systems used to capture, analyze and present data for agricultural purposes from the federal government These funds will be shared with 7 other research universities and will help to keep our GIS Center current in technology and data to support faculty and student research and projects

BUDGET ISSUES – PETRA

CARVER

Ms Carver announced that the 2010 budget consisting of 3 models has been drafted and was presented to the Finance Committee for approval It will be presented to the full Board on April 3rd She explained that various models are necessary in preparation for potential enrollment and revenue shortfalls to enable the University to act as quickly as possible if necessary She added that many questions and uncertainties have been surfacing and that she has scheduled two open forums for faculty and staff on March 20th and 24th to address these concerns and answer questions Additional budget information meetings will be scheduled to communicate detailed plans for the contingency models In June when preliminary enrollment numbers are available potential next steps will be communicated to the University community Dr Gilmour added that the President’s letter, scheduled to go out to the campus community following the April Board meeting, will also address concerns regarding the 2010 budget and outline what lies ahead

Ms Carver will schedule a meeting with Dr Verret and Dr Bruns to review capital equipment needs and track priority items for Science and Engineering

that Ms Carver schedule a meeting with Dr Verret and Dr Bruns to review capital equipment needs and track priority items for Science and Engineering

COMMENCEMENT ISSUES –

PAUL ADAMS

Dr Adams discussed the issue of graduates leaving the commencement ceremony early, particularly those receiving master and doctorate degrees It was decided to reverse the order in which diplomas are presented and for Dr Verret to make a statement at the beginning of the ceremony requesting everyone to stay for the entire ceremony Dr Adams will relay this information to Dr Speziale and Dr Graham

that Dr Adams inform Dr Graham and Dr Speziale that the order in which diplomas are presented will be reversed at this year’s commencement ceremony