President Niels-Erik Andreasen presented his Board Briefing on Oct. 30 to faculty and staff in the Newbold Auditorium of Buller Hall.

Among the consent items presented to the Board was a diversity report prepared annually by the Office of Human Resources. The report measures the percentages of students, staff and faculty belonging to different ethnic groups. Andreasen noted, “There was a distinct uptick among the Asian student population across the University and also in the Hispanic population in our graduate programs.”

Andreasen shared Provost Luxton’s board report of several measurements of University performance. One report related to first-year to second-year student retention rates. The retention rate at Andrews is around 75%, the expected rate nationally is just above 70%. “That’s based upon expectations and national norms for institutions that have admission policies like ours,” said Andreasen. Luxton also informed the board of a focused visit from the North Central Accreditation Association’s Higher Learning Commission in March 2013. They will take a closer look at Andrews’ assessment of off-campus programs, board operations and roles of senior administration.

The Finance Committee reported on the University’s financial operations since the beginning of the fiscal year, May 1, 2012. To date, the University is performing $100,000 behind budget. “Since the University’s overall operating budget is near $90 million, Larry Schalk, our chief financial officer, says we are pretty close to budget,” Andreasen explained.

A report from the Seminary Subcommittee shared the news of Denis Fortin’s decision to return to full-time teaching after serving as dean of the Seminary for the last six years. Andreasen will be chairing the search committee for a new Seminary dean.

Andrew von Maur, associate professor of architecture, and students from the Campus Design Studio class in the School of Architecture, Art & Design, presented an update on the new Campus Master Plan to the board. “They are finding it to be quite a formidable task,” said Andreasen. The new plan, which will set the path for the next 10 years of campus development, will be ready for presentation to the board in time for their March meeting.

The external audit report was presented to the audit committee of the Board, chaired by Dana Wales. He presented the report to the Board from the audit committee and it was a clean audit. Andreasen noted there were no corrections on the audit and appreciation was expressed to Larry Schalk and his team of accountants who prepared the reports.

A report from the President’s Council shared their affirmation of the health and wellness initiative at Andrews, which includes plans for a new health and wellness facility. Andreasen shared that three working groups have been formed and assigned tasks: a facility committee, chaired by Larry Schalk; a fundraising committee, chaired by Paul Stokstad and Chuck Randall; and a program committee, charged with enhancing the all-around health and wellness of Andrews University. The fundraising committee announced to President’s Council that approximately $8-$9 million in support of a new health and wellness facility has been identified. This represents slightly less than half of the total anticipated cost.

Preliminary budget assumptions for next year were also presented. One major goal is to slow up tuition increases. Last year, it decreased from 5% to 4.5%; this year the goal is to have a 3.5% expected gain and still make budget. There is also a 3.5% increase in operations, which is a Board mandated increase.

The Andrews Dairy report indicated that while the price of milk is up, the cost of feed has also increased, making any profit margins slim. Financial Administration is monitoring milk prices and selling on the futures market.

Financial support from the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists is expected to increase by 2%. The North American Division’s support, which is tied to wage increases, is expected to increase by 1.2%. The Board voted to authorize Andrews University to finalize the budget based on the expected increase, provided it does not exceed 4%. Tuition rates can then be established in early 2013, allowing Student Financial Services to inform prospective students about their available financial packages in advance of the March board meeting.

The report from the Governance Committee included the annual evaluation of the president of Andrews University. The Governance Committee also took a look at the way Andrews’ administration is structured. Andreasen shared charts showing the current reporting structure. The board will need to vote on the charts before Andrews can share them with the Higher Learning Commission during their upcoming visit.

The Academic Subcommittee chaired by Lisa Beardsley, reported authorization for the Department of Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology to introduce a master’s degree as soon as possible.

There were also a number of faculty and staff appointments:

Faculty Appointments

College of Arts & Sciences
Justina Clayburn, instructor of English, Department of English; Krista Cooper, assistant professor of social work, Department of Social Work; Vanessa Corredera, assistant professor of English, Department of English; Margaret Howell, assistant professor of social work, Department of Social Work; Pamela Litvak, assistant professor of biology, Department of Biology; Benjamin Navia, associate professor of biology, Department of Biology; Charles Reid, associate professor of music, Department of Music; Kristen Witzel, instructor of community & international development, Department of Behavioral Sciences

School of Architecture, Art & Design
Paul Kim, associate professor for documentary film, Department of Visual Art & Design

James White Library
Marianne Kordas, director, Music Materials Resource Center

Promotion-in-Rank & Other Appointments

College of Arts & Sciences
Bill Chobatar, professor of biology, emeritus, Department of Biology; Howard Thomas Goodwin, chair, Department of Biology; David Steen, professor of biology, emeritus, Department of Biology; John Stout, professor of biology, emeritus, Department of Biology; Dennis Woodland, professor of biology, emeritus, Department of Biology

School of Architecture, Art & Design
Carey Carscallen, dean, School of Architecture, Art & Design

James White Library
Norma Greenidge, head of bibliographic services, assistant professor, James White Library; Linda Mack, professor of library science, emerita, James White Library; Xiaoming Xu, instructor of library science, James White Library

Aviation
Darryl Penney, assistant professor of aviation, Department of Aviation

University Schools
Patricia Costa, instructor, Ruth Murdoch Elementary School; Brianna Perry, instructor, Ruth Murdoch Elementary School; Joyce Tatarchuk, instructor, Ruth Murdoch Elementary School

Staff Appointments
Juan Alvarez, student accounts manager, Griggs University; Cindy Bartlett, operations manager for job corps, Griggs University; Lance Clark, sous chef, Office of Dining Services; Laura Johnston, recruiter, School of Business Administration; Donald Keele, assistant dean of men, Meier Hall; Darryl Kotanko, Banner support specialist, ITS; A’Lisa Lashley, assistant dean of women, Lamson Hall; Elliscent Quinones, print communications manager, IMC; Lisa Rollins, assistant to the dean, College of Arts & Sciences; Nancy Ruiz, international student advisor, Office of International Student Services; Hebe Soares, senior development officer, Office of Development

Change in Position
Deborah Andvik, assistant to the dean, School of Health Professions; Christon Arthur, associate provost, dean of graduate studies and research, Office of the Provost; Marsha Beal, instructional designer, School of Distance Education; Graciela Gayton, office manager, registrar, Andrews Academy; Carolina Gomez-Jones, assistant dean, School of Distance Education; Rachel Keele, assistant dean, assistant director of guest and convention services, University Towers; Sarah Kimakwa, research integrity & compliance officer, School of Graduate Studies & Research; Maggie Mendoza, health professions recruiter, School of Health Professions; Lynn Merklin, assistant provost for institutional effectiveness, Office of the Provost; Stephen Payne, vice president, Division of Integrated Marketing & Communication; Jason Webster, director of strategic marketing and communication, IMC; Debbie Weithers, associate dean for student life, Division of Student Life; Dianne Wilson, assistant to the director for finance and resource management, Office of Dining Services; Monica Wringer, director, Office of Graduate Enrollment Management