Board of Trustees to meet later in week

The Board of Trustees will discuss the University’s preliminary operating budget for the 2012-13 academic year when it convenes Thursday and Friday.

In the discussion, IU Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Neil Theobald will present how much money he believes the University will need to operate in the coming academic year, Associate Vice President of University Communications Mark Land said.

“(It) will include some assumptions about salary increases and other spending,” Land said in an email.

The facilities committee will also meet to discuss ongoing projects because there are no new items pertaining to the Bloomington campus.

Design approvals will be sought for several projects on the IU-Southeast New Albany and IU-Purdue University Indianapolis campuses, and project approval will be sought to renovate IU-Kokomo’s Health and Wellness Center.

Approval will also be sought to eliminate the IUK School of Arts and Sciences and replace it with two separate schools: the IUK School of Humanities and Social Sciences and the IUK School of Science.

The board will also vote on whether to approve appointments to the IUPUI Board of Advisors for three-year terms beginning July 1, 2012.

The Board of Trustees consists of nine members, five appointed by the governor, three elected by University alumni and one student delegate. The board meets every two months.

Dr. William Cast, a physician and the chair of the Board of Trustees, described the responsibilities of the board as managing University property as if it were its own for the citizens of Indiana. The board interacts with the University as a whole, IU Health and the IU Foundation. It works closely with IU President Michael McRobbie as well as other University executives.

— Kirsten Clark