The BGSU Board of Trustees met Friday for the first time this school year to discuss several issues that affect the University and its students, faculty and staff.

The board, which consists of nine voting members with one absent and two non-voting student members, passed the following five resolutions unanimously.

Personnel Changes

Since June, there have been several full-time faculty and administrative staff changes. More than 100 teaching staff have been appointed. The board approved re-appointments and changes in assignment, rank and salary within teaching staff. They also approved new appointments and changes in assignment, title and salary within the administrative staff.

Transfer of Intellectual Property

Geology professor Robert Vincent has developed technology to detect pollutants within algae in Lake Erie. The technology may be purchased if it shows good potential through a marketing study.

The Board of Trustees voted to transfer the intellectual property of the technology from the University to the BGSU Research Institute, a non-profit institute that was developed by the University to help students, faculty and staff to develop their research into marketable products.

The institute will do a marketing study to determine the institute’s potential for future negotiations with Blue Water Satellite, Inc.

Capital Plan

The Board of Trustees’ finance committee approved the six-year capital plan. The plan includes money allocated from the Ohio Board of Regents – $12.8 million divided up to be used bi-annually – to be used to renovate academic facilities. About $6.1 million will go toward the Wolfe Center, which will serve as the University’s fine arts center.

Study Abroad Fee

Members of the board voted to implement a $50 application fee for Education Abroad. This fee would set the University in the same price range for Education Abroad as the University of Akron and the University of Toledo. The University’s Education Abroad application fee is less than Kent State and Ohio University’s $150 fee.

Insurance Claims

Board members voted to allow President Ribeau and Sherideen Stoll, chief financial officer and vice president for finances, to execute an insurance pooling agreement with members of the Inter-University Council of Ohio. This would give Ribeau and Stoll the authority to submit and negotiate University claims with the Inter-University Council and its insurance carriers, and to negotiate, execute and deliver documents and instruments that are necessary to pursue the claims. It also gives them the authority to perform these actions on behalf of the University.

Discussions

The board also opened several topics for discussion during their committee meetings.

In the Student and Academic Affairs Committee meeting, the most lengthy topic of discussion was whether the University should change the language of its discrimination policy. Several governmental bodies on campus and other organizations have already shown their support to include gender identity and gender expression in the University’s anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies. Legally, these things are protected under the word “sex” in the policy. But some feel the wording should be more explicit. The board members will continue to discuss this issue.

The Student and Academic Affairs Committee also heard from Gary Swegan, director of undergraduate admission, who told the board about the admissions office’s new freshmen and transfer scholarship plan, which they hope will bring more students to BG next year after enrollment this fall was down.

The new scholarship plan offers less money to those in the highest GPA and ACT/SAT area and more money to those in lower areas. Swegan said early indicators are showing that enrollment should improve next year.

Trustee Michael Wilcox of Toledo said the new system will be an incentive for more students to come to BGSU.

“This is not an Ivy League school,” he said. “We want to be able to reward more students.”

Shirley Baugher, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs also read a possible revision to the University’s mission statement, and board members made suggestions for improvements. Baugher also discussed the University’s goal to develop a strategic planning and budgeting plan.

In the Financial Affairs and Facilities Committee meetings, the board members discussed for the Student Health Center’s building addition.

An architect firm has been chosen to design the building’s addition and should have bids together within the next six to 12 months. The University’s Debt Service Capacity was also talked about, as Founders’ debt will be paid off in 2008.