Meeting Actions
Notification of Board of Trustees Actions
Additional meeting information is available by contacting the Board Office at ums.trustees@maine.edu.
September 15-16, 2019 Board of Trustees Meeting
At a Board of Trustees meeting on September 15-16, 2019 hosted by the University of Maine at Fort Kent, the Board approved the following action:
Acceptance of Minutes. The following meeting minutes were approved as presented:
July 15, 2019 – Board of Trustees Meeting
August 26, 2019 – Academic & Student Affairs Committee Meeting
August 26, 2019 – Human Resources & Labor Relations Committee Meeting
August 28, 2019 – Finance, Facilities, Technology Committee Meeting
August 29, 2019 – Investment Committee Meeting
August 30, 2019 – Executive Committee Meeting
Confirmation of Student Representative to the Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees approved the appointment of the following Student Representative to the Board of Trustees:
Student Representative:
Abigail Despres, UM – appointed for a two year term – September 2019 to September 2021
Tenure at Time of Hire, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, UM
The Board of Trustees accepted the recommendation of the Academic and Student Affairs Committee and approved tenure at the rank of Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Maine to Dr. Sharmila Mukhopadhyay, effective January 1, 2020, in accordance with Board Policy 310.
FY2020 Proposed Operating Budget Revision
The Board of Trustees accepted the recommendations of the Finance, Facilities and Technology Committee and approved the revised FY2020 Operating Budget for University of Maine and the System.
Unified Accreditation Recommendation
The Board of Trustees approved the following resolution as amended:
1. Accepted the Chancellor’s Unified Accreditation Report and Recommendation.
2. Authorized and directed the Chancellor, with input from System Presidents and campuses, to develop a process, plan, and timeline to seek unified accreditation from NECHE that could successfully transition UMS to a statewide accreditation model. The Chancellor is directed to present the plan to the Board at its November 2019 meeting for discussion of any necessary additional Board actions and to seek approval of the plan at a future Board of Trustees meeting.
3. Authorizes and directs the Chancellor to visit and engage with all UMS campuses to obtain appropriate input from all UMS stakeholders in developing the implementation plan called for by this Resolution.
4. Accepts and ratifies all UMS communications with NECHE and the U.S. Department of Education to date regarding the consideration of unified accreditation, and authorizes and directs the Chancellor to continue such communications as necessary so that the implementation plan called for by this Resolution takes full account of the perspectives and requirements of those organizations.
UMFK Presidential Search Criteria and Preferred Characteristics
The Board of Trustees approved the preferred characteristics and priorities for the University of Maine at Fort Kent Presidential search as discussed. When charging the committee, Chancellor Malloy will transmit the Board of Trustee’s preferred characteristics and priorities to the search committee and search consultant for use in describing the position and guiding the work of selecting the President.
Initial Actions – University of Maine School of Law
The University of Maine System Board of Trustees, acting pursuant to UMS Board Policy 309, approved the University of Maine School of Law’s reorganization to become a stand-alone unit of UMS, with budget independence from USM by FY2022, the Law School Dean reporting to the UMS Chancellor, and other terms as specified here, all effective immediately but subject to acquiescence from the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admission to the Bar.
USM Name Change
The Board of Trustees authorized the Chancellor and President Cummings, acting through the Office of Governmental Relations, to take such actions as are necessary before the Maine Legislature’s cloture date to preserve the ability to seek legislative approval in the January 2020 legislative session for a name change, while the Board of Trustees provides opportunities for appropriate USM, UMS, and public input on the action.
The Board of Trustees reviewed the following agenda items as forwarded by the Academic & Student Affairs Committee to the Consent Agenda from its meeting on August 26, 2019:
Approval of Academic Program Proposal: BS in Data Science at UMA
The Board of Trustees approved the recommendation of the Academic & Student Affairs Committee and authorized the creation of the Bachelor of Science Degree in Data Science for the University of Maine at Augusta.
The Board of Trustees reviewed the following agenda items as forwarded by the Finance, Facilities, & Technology Committee to the Consent Agenda from its meeting on August 28, 2019:
Darling Marine Center Waterfront Infrastructure Improvement, UM
The Board of Trustees accepted the recommendation of the Finance, Facilities and Technology Committee and authorized the University of Maine System acting through the University of Maine to expend up to $5,200,000 for the Darling Marine Center Waterfront Infrastructure Improvement project pending authorization from the EDA of additional grant funding and the University’s match.
Date of Next Meeting.
The next meeting of the Board of Trustees will be held on November 17-18, 2019 at the University of Maine at Farmington.
