Trustees approve building plans, degree offerings

On Thursday, IU Board of Trustees Vice Chairman Patrick Shoulders whistled the IU Fight Song.

Everyone in the Indiana Memorial Union Frangipani Room hustled to their seats — the
IU trustees September-October meeting was officially called to order.

In the span of two days, four different committees met to report, discuss and debate with the board about issues ranging from academic affairs to facilities.

All nine trustees were in attendance, although not necessarily physically — William Strong was present via intercom.

First to present Thursday was the Academic Affairs and University Policies Committee.

Vice President for University Regional Affairs John Applegate started by updating the board on IU enrollment numbers and percentages, after which Provost and Executive Vice President Karen Hanson spoke about IU’s undergraduate education profile.

Hanson also spoke about the Bloomington campus Task Force on Undergraduate Education, which was created in fall 2008 to discuss elements and strategic planning regarding undergraduate education.

“I charged them to make recommendations to enhance the excellence of the undergraduate experience on this campus,” Hanson said.

The task force made 13 different suggestions, but during the presentation Hanson focused on three.

The first was an academic road map to help students find their way through all the resources IU has to offer. Another was to address advising within a major and for students’ overall educational plan. The last was the idea that students should be able to know more about the 221 majors that IU offers.

“We want majors to be easy to declare, easy to get into and not hard to complete but challenging to complete,” Hanson said.

The board also heard a presentation Thursday about health care and health affairs.
One topic the board discussed was the decision of Clarian Health — a nonprofit organization that owns 20 hospitals and health centers in Indiana — to rename itself Indiana University Health.

The second session of the meeting started Friday with the Finance and Audit Committee reporting first. Nine different presentations and updates were presented during this session.

“IU’s balance sheet is incredibly strong,” said University Treasurer MaryFrances McCourt. “We’re running a $3 billion business, and we’re seeking to deliver competitive advantage over the long term.”

The Facilities Committee was next to talk about and review IU’s current construction projects and proposal ideas.

Tom Morrison, vice president for capital projects and facilities, presented renovation and building plans for all eight IU campuses.

Bloomington projects approved by the Board included the second phase of the Assembly Hall roof replacement, in which a new roof will be put on the north and south entrances of the building. The total estimated cost of this phase is $850,000.

Another project approved by the Board on Friday included the renovation to the Psychology Building room 100. The electrical, technical and mechanics of the room need to be upgraded, Morrison said, as well as a renovation to the aesthetics and function of the space. The total estimated cost is about $912,000.

“This space has been for a long time in desperate need of new seating and to be assessable,” Morrison said. “We will add an accessibility component, new lighting, new wall covering.”

Besides the construction projects, three new degrees were approved for the Bloomington campus, including a Ph.D. in environmental health, a Ph.D. in epidemiology and an M.S. in medical physics.

The next Board of Trustees meeting this semester will be  Dec. 9 and 10 at IU-East
Richmond.