Building cash reserves and an affirmation to the position Andrews holds on the Adventist Church’s doctrine of Creation were just some of the topics of discussion at this year’s Board of Trustees Meeting, held Oct. 27, 2009. Following the Board meeting, President Niels-Erik Andreasen held a faculty and staff briefing in the Seminary Chapel.
  
According to Andreasen, the Board reviewed an increase in the Andrews Partnership Scholarships (APS), to take effect the 2010-2011 school year. The increase raises the total award amount for incoming freshmen to a maximum of $40,000 over four years.
Provost Bill Richardson briefed the Board on the Office of the Provost’s plan of action in response to a requirement from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA) following its accreditation visit this spring that Andrews expand its approach to outcome assessment. The provost’s plans include inviting a consultant to meet with faculty to expand work in this arena.
  
Andreasen shared a financial report on behalf of Larry Schalk, vice president for financial administration. With the expected increase in enrollment of five percent over budgeted enrollment levels, Schalk projects additional generated revenue of $1.8 million, though there are also some unexpected expenses in the budget, ranging from student account write-offs, personnel costs and, most significantly, reduced milk revenue due to market changes. The unexpected expenses, which work against the anticipated increase in tuition revenue, leave an anticipated overall revenue increase of approximately $850,000.
  
Schalk also described a four year plan to build cash reserves by $9-$10 million. The plan comes in response to the Board’s response to the University’s limited cash reserve situation,, which included a Board action last June to dedicate 75 percent of any additional revenue to go toward building cash reserve; the other 25 percent will be used for supplementing existing budgets. The ultimate goal of focusing attention to the cash reserve is to fix the financial challenge the University faces each summer, which according to Andreasen, was more severe this past summer. After reviewing the challenge and Schalk’s proposal, the Board approved this plan.
  
The Buller-Nethery Hall project was once again on the Board’s agenda. The project, which would renovate and expand Nethery Hall and build Buller Hall into an undergraduate learning center, has been in discussion for several years. The Board voted to proceed with construction documents, with drawings and bids to be reviewed and voted at the March Board of Trustees meeting. If approved, ground breaking is tentatively scheduled to occur in April 2010.
  
The Board also reviewed the document, “Response to an Affirmation of Creation,” (http://www.adventist.org/beliefs/statements/main_stat54.html) which was voted by the General Conference Executive Committee at the Annual Council of 2004. Dr. Andreasen shared with the Board that each new employee of Andrews University, upon hire, makes a commitment to the Biblical teachings, and standards of the Seventh-day Adventist church and its educational mission. The Board affirmed the statement as the position of Andrews University on the doctrine of Creation and requested University administration to circulate the statement and the Board action to the faculty and staff.

The Board also approved a number of faculty and staff appointments:

Faculty Appointments
College of Arts & Sciences: Donald Barton, associate professor of clinical laboratory science; Patricia Dyett, assistant professor of food & nutrition; Elaine Navia, instructor of Portuguese/Spanish; Paul Petersen, professor of Hebrew; Kristen Witzel, interim instructor of communication
School of Business Administration: Richard White, instructor of accounting
Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary: Hyveth Williams, professor of Christian ministry.

Promotion-in-Rank and Continuous Appointments
College of Arts & Sciences: Ruben Munoz-Larrondo, chair, Department of Religion & Biblical Languages; Patricia Mutch, emeritus; Derrick Proctor, emeritus
College of Technology: Ronda Root, chair of art & design/digital media & photography; Dina Simmons, assistant professor
School of Education: Elvin Gabriel, full professor
Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary: Rudolph Maier, director of PhD in religion & ThD programs
Office of the Provost: William Richardson, interim provost.

Staff Appointments
Clarissa-Loy Andrews, health professions enrollment coordinator, Division of Enrollment Management; Qaisar Ayez, student financial advisor, Student Financial Services; Matthew Chuah, web developer, Information Technology Service; Philip Dwyer, associate director of food production, Dining Services; David Ferguson, director of undergraduate leadership development, Student Life; Helena Gregor, Seminary Office of Distance Learning, Seventh-day-Adventist Theological Seminary; Erno Gyeresi, business manager, Andrews University Press; Jeremy Halder, payroll supervisor, Human Resources; James Price, interim assistant dean of men, Men's Residence Halls; Benjamin Regoso, PC support specialist, Information Technology Services; Karen Robinson, purchasing/finance manager, Dining Services; Charlotte Smith, coordinator of social recreation, Student Life

Change in Position Title
Shelly Erhard, guest relations supervisor, Enrollment Management; Melinda Smith, director of Dining Services, Dining Services; Stephen Yeagley, associate dean of Student Life, Student Life.

Faculty Transfer between Department/Schools
Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary: Ranko Stefanovic, professor of New Testament

Joint Appointment
Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary: Terry Robertson, Seminary librarian 

-Written by Keri Suarez, media relations specialist, Office of Integrated Marketing & Communication