A meeting of the Faculty, Staff and Student Affairs Committee of the Board of Regents was held on Thursday, December 12, 2002 at 9:30 a.m. in the East Committee Room, 600 McNamara Alumni Center.

Regents present: David Metzen, presiding; Robert Bergland, Dallas Bohnsack, William Hogan, Richard McNamara, and Maureen Reed.

Staff present: President Robert Bruininks; Chancellors Donald Sargeant and Samuel Schuman; Senior Vice President Frank Cerra; Vice Presidents Carol Carrier, and Robert Jones; Interim Vice Presidents Kathryn Brown and David Hamilton; Executive Director Ann Cieslak; Provost David Carl; and Associate Vice President Gail Klatt.

Student Representatives: Gretta Hanson and Allison Rhody.
 
 

A motion was made and seconded, and the committee voted unanimously to recommend approval of an amended Consent Report, which included the following:

• Appointment of Kathryn Brown as Vice President and Chief of Staff, effective December 16, 2002;

• Reappointment of Joseph A. Gibilisco, Arnold W. Bigbee, J.D. (Jim) Clausen, Marsha Hall, Carol Kamper, Ancy L. Morris, Marilyn D. Stewart, Don Sudor and George B. Thompson to the University of Minnesota Rochester Center Advisory Committee; and

• Amendments to Bylaws of the University of Minnesota Rochester Center Advisory Committee.

Interim Vice President Brown summarized the proposed amendments to the Board of Regents Policy: Awards, Honors, and Recognition, noting that the substantive changes were increased endowment levels for chairs and professorships, and a new endowment level for faculty fellows. She noted that a Board resolution was necessary to specify that the new endowment levels would not take effect until July 1, 2003, after the conclusion of the current capital campaign. The balance of the amendments would be effective upon adoption.

A motion was made and seconded, and the committee voted unanimously to recommend approval of the resolution, as presented in the docket.

Senior Vice President Cerra reviewed the proposed amendments to the following Board of Regents Policies:

• Private Practice: Medical School,
• Private Practice Plan: School of Dentistry, and
• Private Practice Plan: School of Nursing.

A motion was made and seconded and the committee voted unanimously to recommend approval of the amendments to the Board of Regents policies cited above.
 
 

Senior Vice President Cerra introduced Dean Richard Ziegler of the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) School of Medicine who summarized the proposed new policy, Board of Regents Policy: Private Professional Practice: UMD School of Medicine. Ziegler noted that although the policy applies to all professional practice engaged in by UMD faculty, including medical and education services, the policy is consistent with the private practice plan used for the Medical School on the Twin Cities campus.

Cerra added that the Academic Health Center is systematically reviewing all practice plans in order to effectively compete in the marketplace and develop new interdisciplinary educational practice models. The Board will be updated on this initiative as it progresses.

A motion was made and seconded, and the committee voted unanimously to recommend approval of Board of Regents Policy: Private Professional Practice: UMD School of Medicine.
 
 

Vice President Carrier reported that a collective bargaining agreement between the University and the Graphic Communication International Union, Local IB, has been reached and ratified by the Union. She introduced Patti Dion, Director of Employee Relations and Compensation, who presented the highlights of the agreement as described in the docket materials.

A motion was made and seconded, and the committee voted unanimously to recommend approval of the collective bargaining agreement with the Graphic Communication Union, Local 1B.
 
 

Senior Vice President Cerra reviewed a proposed new policy, Board of Regents Policy: Protection of Individual Health Information. The policy is necessary to comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and applies to all faculty, employees, trainees, students, and volunteers who have access to protected health information. Cerra noted that adequate compliance requires the adoption of a Board policy and the implementation of administrative policies and procedures, and education and training for those with access to protected health information.

Cerra explained that due to the increased electronic availability of health information, protecting the privacy of individual health information is critical. HIPAA addresses access, use, and content issues related to health information and will have ramifications for the University in the areas of education, research, and health benefit plan administration. The University is working with peer institutions to develop standards for compliance with HIPAA. Costs resulting from complying with HIPAA will be primarily absorbed by the University.

In response to Regent Hogan, Cerra stated that there are civil and criminal penalties for individuals and institutions that violate HIPAA. Cerra also suggested the Board receive updates regarding the administrative policies and procedures, the education and training programs implemented, as well as the associated risks to the University resulting from HIPAA.

In response to a question from Regent Bergland, there was a lengthy discussion regarding the connection between HIPAA and efforts to combat biological terrorism.

This policy will be presented for Board approval in February 2003.
 
 

Vice President Carrier introduced Vice Provost Craig Swan and Carol Gruber, Director of Academic Counseling and Student Services, who led the discussion. Swan noted that currently the NCAA only collects data on the academic progress of tendered student athletes (i.e., those who are offered a scholarship to attend the University and play a particular sport). Therefore, the statistics presented were for scholarship student athletes only. The NCAA is considering how to gather academic progress data on non-tendered student athletes.

Gruber presented recent data on the academic progress of Twin Cities campus student athletes, a copy of which is on file in the Board Office. She highlighted the following:

• The graduation rate for student athletes entering the University between Fall 1992 and Fall 1995 and graduating between Spring 1998 and Spring 2001 is 78 percent for females and 48 percent for males. The rate for all undergraduates is 50 percent.

• When compared to other schools in the Big Ten, the six-year graduation rate for female student athletes has improved from ninth to sixth in the last year. The University is one of three Big Ten institutions where student athletes graduate at a higher rate than the general student body.

• At the end of the Spring 2002 semester, nine of 12 womenís sports and one of 11 menís sports had a cumulative team GPA above the average for all undergraduates (3.04).

Gruber also identified the following policy questions for the Boardís consideration:

• What are the appropriate goals for the graduation rate of student athletes?

• What should the relationship be between graduation rate goals for student athletes and graduation rate goals for the broader student body?

In response to a question from Regent Bergland, Gruber responded that it is uncertain whether preventing student athletes from competing during their first year would improve graduation rates. She added that scholarship costs would increase because student athletes would remain on scholarship for at least five years, rather than four.

Regent Metzen expressed his support for Maturiís approach and observed that improving graduation rates will enhance student athlete recruitment.

Vice President Carrier introduced Vice President and Executive Vice Provost Jones, Interim Vice President Brown, and Ed Ehlinger, Director of Boynton Health Service. Brown prefaced the discussion by noting how student credit card use fits into the context of the student experience at the University. She observed that credit cards often allow students to meet monthly living expenses associated with attending the University.

Ehlinger presented data regarding credit card use among University students and students nationwide, a copy of which is on file in the Board Office. He observed that when compared to their peers nationally, University of Minnesota Twin Cities (UMTC) students possess fewer credit cards and have lower credit card balances. Students with excessive credit card debt may take longer to graduate, forgo certain educational experiences, such as non-paid internships or study abroad opportunities, and may face rejection by some graduate and professional schools that review the credit history of potential students. Ehlinger observed that the problems presented by credit cards result from the poor choices some students make regarding their use. He noted various initiatives underway to address excessive credit card debt among UMTC students, including offering financial counseling to students and educating parents and students about how to make responsible financial choices.

Jones commented on a number of institutional issues related to credit cards, such as increasing scholarships to ease financial burdens on students and considering the ramifications of allowing credit cards to be used as payment for tuition and fees. Approximately 60 percent of public Association of American Universities institutions allow tuition payment by credit card.

Regent Reed suggested that the University should consider reviewing the access credit card companies are given to students. She also questioned whether increased expectations (e.g., timely graduation, minimum course load) for students might result in more reliance on credit cards to pay for expenses. Ehlinger suggested that greater access to student loans is necessary to reduce student use of credit cards.
 
 

Vice President Carrier stated that University staff and faculty contributed more than $1 million to the Universityís Community Campaign Fund Drive, which benefits the United Way and affiliated organizations.
 
 

The meeting adjourned at 11:30 a.m.
 
 
 
 
 

ANN D. CIESLAK

Executive Director and

Corporate Secretary

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