The official minutes of the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees are maintained by the Secretary of the Board. Certified copies of minutes may be requested by contacting the Board of Trustees’ Office. Electronic or other copies of original minutes are not official Board of Trustees' documents.
Board of Trustees
August 4, 2000
The Board of Trustees of the University of South Carolina met Friday, August 4, 2000, at 2:00 p.m., in the former Senate Chamber of the Carolina Plaza.
Members present were: Mr. William C. Hubbard, Chairman; Mr. Herbert C. Adams; Mr. Arthur S. Bahnmuller; Mr. James Bradley; Mr. A. C. Fennell, III; Dr. C. Edward Floyd; Mr. Alexander English; Mr. Samuel R. Foster; Mrs. Helen C. Harvey; Mr. Toney J. Lister; Mr. Miles Loadholt; Mr. Robert N. McLellan; Mr. J. DuPre Miller; Mr. Michael J. Mungo; Mr. M. Wayne Staton; Mr. John C. von Lehe, Jr.; Mr. Mack I. Whittle, Jr.; and Mr. Othniel H. Wienges, Jr. Trustees absent were: Ms. Darla D. Moore and Mrs. Inez M. Tenenbaum. Faculty representative, Professor Caroline Strobel, was present, and student representative, Ms. Jotaka Eaddy, was absent.
Others present were: President John M. Palms; Secretary and Treasurer Thomas L. Stepp; Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Jerome D. Odom; Vice President and Chief Operating Officer J. Lyles Glenn; Vice President of Business and Finance John L. Finan; Vice President of Human Resources Jane M. Jameson; Vice President of Development Charles D. Phlegar; Executive Dean of Regional Campuses and Continuing Education Chris P. Plyler; General Counsel Walter (Terry) H. Parham; Interim Chancellor of USC Aiken Thomas L. Hallman; University Architect Charles G. Jeffcoat; Director of Athletics Michael B. McGee; Director of Enrollment Management Services Char Davis; Dean of the College of Liberal Arts Joan H. Stewart; Director of Business Affairs Richard D. Wertz; Director of Budgetary Systems Ralph B. Summer; Dean of the College of Library and Information Science Fred W. Roper; Dean of the College of Hospitality, Retail, and Sport Management Patricia G. Moody; Dean of the School of Public Health Harris Pastides; Dean of the College of Engineering Ralph E. White; Dean of the School of Music Jamal J. Rossi; Dean of USC Salkehatchie Ann Carmichael; Dean of USC Sumter Leslie C. Carpenter; USC Spartanburg Vice Chancellor of Business Affairs Robert Connelly; Associate Director of the Institute for Southern Studies Thorne H. Compton; USC PALM Minister Tom H.B. Wall; College of Science and Mathematics Professor John Carpenter; Vice President of Student Government Association Corey Ford; Director of Public Affairs Russell McKinney; representative from Media Relations Bond Nickels; and members of the media.
Chairman Hubbard stated that notice of the meeting had been posted and the press notified as required by the Freedom of Information Act; the agenda and supporting materials had been circulated to the members; and a quorum was present.
Chairman Hubbard welcomed everyone present and the newest member, Bubba Fennell, who was joining the University Board of Trustees as President of the USC Alumni Association. Mr. Nickels introduced the representatives from the press.
Mr. Mungo requested that the Board observe a moment of silence in memory of Mr. Cater Floyd who had been an outstanding member of the Board of Trustees. Mr. Mungo also requested that the Secretary of the Board prepare a proper citation for his family. Chairman Hubbard stated the Board would recognize Mr. Mungo's recommendation and there was no opposition expressed. A moment of silence was observed on behalf of Mr. Cater Floyd.
Chairman Hubbard introduced Dr. John Carpenter, Geological Sciences, College of Science and Mathematics, who retired June 30, 2000. Chairman Hubbard thanked Dr. Carpenter for his service to the University of South Carolina.
Chairman Hubbard stated that the Board of Trustees set aside valuable time to honor significant accomplishments that bring enormous credit to the University of South Carolina. Today, the University was pleased to honor one of the top coaches in the United States, USC Baseball Coach, Mr. Ray Tanner.
In the year 2000, Coach Tanner led South Carolina to its best season ever -- winning 56 games which was the best record in the nation and the first Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championship in the program's history. The Gamecocks were ranked #1 in all three national polls for five consecutive weeks during the yea r-- the first time Carolina had ever reached the #1 spot. Along the way, the Gamecocks had four All-America selections in 2000, including pitcher Kip Bouknight, who was chosen National Player of the Year by three different organizations.
For Coach Tanner's efforts he was named the SEC Coach of the Year for the second time in three years, and was named National Coach of the Year by the Baseball America magazine.
Next month, Coach Tanner would serve as an auxiliary coach for Team USA in the Sydney Olympics. Chairman Hubbard then welcomed Head Baseball Coach, Ray Tanner who made the following remarks:
We were fortunate, and thanks to Dr. McGee's efforts, we obtained a super-regional and regional in the atmosphere surrounding our program. The atmosphere around our program was unbelievable. I thought our kids did a tremendous job with the media and with the people; and we had a lot of fun. . . .
I'd like to thank you very much for your tremendous enthusiasm and support surrounding our program.
Chairman Hubbard thanked Coach Tanner and invited the members of the University family to introduce themselves. Chairman Hubbard welcomed Mr. Ford. Mr. Snyder introduced the media, and Reverend Tom Wall delivered the Invocation.
Chairman Hubbard especially welcomed the University's new Deans, Dr. Jamal Rossi of the School of Music and Dr. Ralph White of the College of Engineering, both of whom brought outstanding credentials to the University.
Chairman Hubbard stated there were contractual and personnel matters with respect to appointments for the Development Foundation, appointments to the Board of Visitors, an appointment with tenure, and a transfer of an academic appointment that were appropriate for Executive Session.
Mr. Bradley moved to enter Executive Session and Mr. Mungo seconded the motion. The vote was taken, and the motion carried.
The following persons were invited to remain: Dr. Palms, Mr. Stepp, Dr. Odom, Mr. Glenn, Mr. Finan, Ms. Jameson, Mr. Phlegar, Mr. Parham, Dr. Plyler, Dr. Stockwell, Dr. Hallman, Dr. Carmichael, Mr. McKinney, Ms. Jenkins, and Ms. Mayfield.
Executive Session
Return to Open Session
There were no additions, deletions, or corrections to the minutes. They stood approved as distributed.
(The Honorable William C. Hubbard reporting)
During the Executive Committee meeting held June 30, the Committee approved three indirect delivery contracts with Cullum Constructors, Inc.; Walker-White, Inc.; and W.O. Blackstone & Co., Inc.
The Executive Committee met earlier this day and approved nine additional indirect delivery contracts with Carolina Restoration & Waterproofing, Inc., Cullum Constructors, Inc.; Excel Construction Co., Inc.; Grant Construction Co., Inc.; Monteray Construction Co., Inc.; Penn Contracting, LLC.; Preferred Construction Co., Priority Construction Co., Inc.; and Smith Constructors and Engineers.
The Committee also approved a one year extension to lease 900 Assembly Street, extended the employment agreement for Coach Curtis Frye, and approved a concession contract with Volume Services for the Williams-Brice Stadium.
The Executive Committee assigned A.C. Fennell, III to serve on the following committees: the Fiscal Policy Committee, the Health Affairs Committee, and the Student-Trustee Liaison Committee.
The Committee considered several items which required approval by the Board:
Mr. von Lehe moved approval of the reappointment of Alan Medlin to the Development Foundation. Mr. Staton seconded the motion. The vote was taken, and the motion carried.
Mr. Adams moved approval of the appointment of Paul Goldsmith to the Development Foundation. Mrs. Harvey seconded the motion. The vote was taken, and the motion carried.
Mr. Staton moved approval of the list of recommendations for appointment to the Board of Visitors. Mr. McLellan seconded the motion. The vote was taken, and the motion carried.
Mrs. Harvey moved approval of the appointment with tenure for Dr. Buell. Dr. Floyd seconded the motion. The vote was taken, and the motion carried.
Mrs. Harvey moved approval of the transfer of the academic appointment for Dr. Davis Folsom. Mr. Staton seconded the motion. The vote was taken, and the motion carried.
The University's regional and senior campuses had submitted plans for using the funds, which were presented for approval. For the Columbia campus, the administration recommended approval of $75,000 for personnel expenses associated with 1) the treasurer's responsibility ($63,000) and 2) the Office of Internal Audit ($12,000).
It was reported in June that during the budget process the administration had received requests from operating units of the institution that totaled approximately $40 million. These academic and administrative needs were exclusive of capital projects. The University recommended investments in faculty, academics, research, personnel, and recruitment. Limited funding meant such investments left tremendous needs unmet, as indicated by the total unit budget requests brought to the administration.
Several important opportunities were pending with The Darla Moore School of Business and the College of Engineering and Information Technology, as well as for technology and capital investments. Further evaluation was required before the University could make a recommendation to the Board of Trustees. Within three months the administration would present recommendations to the Board of Trustees for its approval on the remaining portion of the $1.3 million.
Mr. Staton moved approval of the additional allocations for the University Budget Fiscal Year 2001 as presented. Mr. McLellan seconded the motion. The vote was taken, and the motion carried.
WHEREAS, the State of South Carolina has increasingly recognized the importance of a strong commitment to academic research; and
WHEREAS, it is recognized both nationally and internationally that successful research activity often involves collaboration between academic institutions and industry as exemplified by the Georgia Research Alliance; the North Carolina Research Triangle; the California Silicon Valley; and Austin, Texas; and
WHEREAS, South Carolina's three research universities, Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina, and the University of South Carolina have demonstrated success by producing significant achieve-ments through their longstanding commitment to research; and
WHEREAS, these research universities recognize that despite the historical commitment of our state to the mission of university research, South Carolina's initiatives have fallen behind those of other states which have increased support for academic research in both financial and policy dimensions; and
WHEREAS, this state's system of providing financial and policy support causes South Carolina's three research universities to compete at a disadvantage in the national and international research arena;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the three research universities call upon the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, the South Carolina General Assembly, and the Governor to respond favorably to proposals that will be made by these Universities which will enhance their ability to compete at a much higher level in the research arena and bring more capital investment and a more diverse and modern economy to the people of South Carolina; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the three research universities hereby pledge their joint cooperation to removing obstacles to research and to finding opportunities for collaborative research projects among themselves.
ADOPTED THIS 4TH DAY OF AUGUST, 2000
AT COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA
Mr. Adams moved approval of the Joint Resolution of the Board of Trustees of Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina, and the University of South Carolina. Mr. Miller seconded the motion. The vote was taken, and the motion carried.
Chairman Hubbard reported that the resolution was designed to put South Carolina in a more competitive posture for the receipt of federal research grants. There was clear recognition in the research arena that collaboration among institu-tions was considered very positive, and interdisciplinary cooperation for research was also an advantage to securing research grants. South Carolina research efforts were not up to speed with those outlined in this particular resolution. Some states had recognized this and made financial and policy commitments for research; the state could benefit greatly from not only research, but positive economic develop-ment that would occur in businesses and industries and the type of economy this Board would like for the State of South Carolina. It was known that South Carolina was behind other states in terms of capital investment and venture capital, and the joint research was a way for these institutions working together to be a catalyst for the progress of South Carolina. The Universities would be leaders in the development of ideas coming from the joint research. Collaboration would hopefully lead to a great deal of startup businesses and more entrepreneurial efforts. This would enhance the ability of all the institutions to attract top researchers from across the country in addition to providing assistance to those quality researchers that the University already had on campus as well as Clemson and MUSC.
Chairman Hubbard called on Dr. Palms and Dr. Odom for comments on the Joint Research Resolution.
Dr. Palms reiterated the importance of the Joint Boards Research Resolution. The research dollars coming into the state were behind the adjoining states. The University did not have a critical mass of scientists or engineers. Some of the most interesting problems were being defined as "multidisciplinary" in nature and collaboration. This was a strong incentive for the University when endorsed by the three Boards. The Clemson Board had already voted and the MUSC Board would vote next week. Dr. Palms complimented Chairman Hubbard on the time spent building trust with the Clemson and MUSC Boards and in making this triple resolution possible for the state.
Dr. Odom reported that the three provosts at the research universities had held extensive discussions concerning the research venture. The three universities made a joint presentation to the Legislature requesting a portion of the "tobacco money" for research that would be shared among the three Universities. The potential research among these universities was unlimited and offered a great advantage to the citizens of South Carolina.
I would like to thank everyone for having me at the meeting. I am as excited about the Bicentennial as Coach Tanner is about the baseball team.
A year ago, when the report was given to the Board, the University was just beginning to plan the Bicentennial. At this point, the University was ready to begin the implementation phase. The University had approved 65 of the events to take place over the Bicentennial year. In about two weeks, the Bicentennial Commission will meet again and approve another 25 to 30 events. I think there will be a little under 100 events that will occur during the Bicentennial year from a really exciting opening celebration of the University that will be on January 10th on the Horseshoe, through the University birthday which is December 19, 2001. The University has a lot of events that will occur. Some of them are international conferences that will be held here, symposia within a wide variety of disciplines. There are a number of public programs geared both at academic matters and non-academic matters as well as a number of special events. We have brought some special initiatives into the community. We are having, for instance, a program that will get USC involved in middle schools across South Carolina. The University hopes to leave a legacy when the Bicentennial is completed, not only about celebration, but about the continuing commitment of the University to the people of South Carolina.
All this process has gone on with very active planning of citizens, alumni, students, and faculty working together. It has been quite a remarkable process and it has happened under the leadership of The Honorable Othniel Wienges, who has been a remarkable leader for all of us.
I would like to take a couple of minutes to talk about some special projects that we've been working on and sort of bring you up to date with those for the rest of my report.
We have some projects that will be taking place for the Bicentennial year and other projects that will be around for many, many years. In the Spring of the Bicentennial year, the University will have a play about the first African-American faculty member, Richard Greener. Dr. Greener became a really remarkable, interesting, national figure after leaving the University. He was here during the reconstruction period of the University's history.
There will also be three books about the University. Robert Clark, whose book of Photographs of South Carolina had been a beautiful addition to a lot of coffee tables over the last year, will be doing a similar book on the University of South Carolina, titled: University of South Carolina, a Portrait, which will be out as early as 2001.
The second book by Carolina Matalene and Catherine Reynolds, two USC Faculty members, will be a book of letters, papers, diaries, and other kinds of writings from 200 years of students and others at the University. This will be really fascinating material. This included letters to a family in Aiken County from the President of the University in 1810 telling them that, no, their son would not be able to come back to the University because he had not completed his academic work. We've sent a number of those letters since then, but that might well have been the first. Letters had been received from students who were soldiers in the Civil War, in the trenches of World War I, in the foxholes in World War II, in the Delta in Vietnam, and students from around the world who attended the University.
The third book is the major history of the University in the modern era by Harry Lesesne, a history from 1940 to 1990. As most of you know, writing a history about a period in which most of the people are still alive, is a very difficult enterprise because there are a lot of different people who remember things in a lot of different ways.
John Thelin, who is one of the most distinguished institutional historians in America, has read the manuscript and he calls it a work of skill and integrity. He states that the final chapter is a model of historical writing about a very difficult and tumultuous period.
Harry Lesesne, the University Bicentennial historian, is also helping with a Bicentennial tour through time which would soon be on a CD-Rom. The tour would be of the Horseshoe and about a wide variety of eras. The purchase price for the CD Rom would be $15 and would be on sale in the Spring.
Chairman Hubbard thanked Dr. Compton, Mr. Wienges, and the Board for the excitement surrounding the upcoming Bicentennial Celebration.
I want to thank each Board member for the support of the Joint Resolution on Research. I think this is a significant accomplishment for higher education and the State of South Carolina.
Also, I want to advise you that I was invited to represent you and this University at a meeting convened by the Kettering Foundation in Washington, about five weeks ago, on the topic of the appropriate role of universities in promoting public dialogue and debate -- on trying to make sure that universities are doing their part to encourage people, especially young people, to be more engaged in civic affairs and civic discussions.
I think one of the things that stuck in my mind was the freshman report. Every year the Kettering Foundation reviews a profile of the freshman at UCLA to find out what young people are thinking in that particular age group. What we have seen is decline of interest on the part of young people for matters of public affairs and civic involvement. The topic of this particular session was ways that the universities in this country could become more involved in helping to influence young people to take leadership positions and be encouraged to participate in civic endeavors. I thought it was a very stimulating conference. We have, at the University, our policy institute which is affiliated with the Kettering Foundation and does promote involvement on campus.
The incoming Chairman, Mr. Whittle, has allowed me to be the program chair for the first campus meeting of the chairs and vice chairs of the Southeastern Conference, which will convene on the University campus in March of the year 2001. David Mathews, who is the Executive Director of the Kettering Foundation, has agreed to come to campus and be a luncheon speaker for that particular gathering of Board chairs and vice chairs. Dr. Mathews was formerly the President of the University of Alabama and later the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare during the Ford administration and, for over a decade, has been the executive director of the Kettering Foundation. He is very excited to accept our invitation. Dr. Mathews will speak on ways the universities can become leaders and stimulate more interest on the part of young people in civic engagement and civic involvement.
I want to call attention to three upcoming events, to put on your calendars, in addition to January 10, 2001. You have been invited to a conference sponsored by the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education. It is the South Carolina Conference on Trusteeship and is scheduled for Wednesday, September 6, at Clemson. You should have received an invitation in the mail, and I would encourage your participation in that particular conference. I have spoken with Mr. Stepp and his office would be glad to help coordinate the registration and complete all the necessary paperwork. I want to thank Mr. Stepp for his offer.
As you know Dr. Floyd instituted a grand tradition for this Board, to go to one away football game. I'm not sure we have seen many victories in our travels, but we have had a good time. This year the football trip will be the Alabama game. We will depart on September the 29th and return on October 1st, so please mark your calendars. I think Alabama is picked to be number one in the nation, and this may be the upset of the year when we go to Alabama.
Lastly, we have had discussions about the need for the Board to meet with just the key members of the administration. This would in-clude the Board without other people from other parts of the University, as we have in our larger joint boards retreats. We would talk very candidly about strategic initiatives and strategic planning for the University and try to understand in a deep way how far we have come in each college and school. We will try to understand where we need to go, and set specific goals and priorities in a more systematic and detailed way so that we can measure the progress of the institution.
I am very pleased to report that we have secured facilities at the Wampee Conference Center near Pinopolis, South Carolina, for Thursday, October 12, and Friday, October 13. All of you are strongly encouraged to participate in that planning session. It will not be the last planning conference under your new Chairman. I am sure we will continue this process. The University would like to get our baseline established and start moving toward developing a revised strategic plan for the institution. I wanted to call those dates to your attention and strongly encourage you to make a very strong effort to participate in the conference.
That concludes my report.
I want to thank Chairman Hubbard. Tonight we look forward to our dinner in honor of Jean Toal and tomorrow we hold our Summer Commencement. For your interest, we have 1441 students graduating tomorrow. It is never dull in the summertime. There are 84 associate degrees, 790 baccalaureate degrees, 567 masters degrees, 2 law degrees and 75 doctoral degrees for hooding in the morning.
At the same time, we welcome the new academic year which will soon begin. More than 4500 new students will be arriving on our campuses for the first time. The numbers are still being settled as these students make up their minds in the latter part of the summer.
Next week, USC Columbia has its new Student Convocation on Sunday, August 20th, and this introduces our students to new academic traditions. On Monday, August 21, they set the year off right with an academic experience -- the first year reading experience -- that has grown every year. The novel that 750 of them have read is a great piece of historical fiction about the civil war entitled The Killer Angels. It provided them an opportunity to get to know each other and begin their college life and talk about something a little more serious.
We are also going to be welcoming freshman scholars. We have maintained our quality of the highest profile scholarship programs and added five more cohorts to the McNair, which will bring in 50 McNair Scholars students. The tribute to increasing the reputation of this University is that we can attract the finer students, like the McNair and Carolina Scholars. The SAT for selection means that the students are in the top one percent. They have a grade point average above 4.0. The average SAT for the McNair Scholars is 1,465 this year. The new group of Carolina Scholars has an average SAT of 1,470 and for the entire baccalaureate class we expect the average SAT to be up as much as forty points and be in the middle 1,100s. So, we are making progress.
I want to thank all of you, many of whom have hosted dinners and receptions as you compete with each other to recruit the best. We have our very capable Admissions staff, who are all over the country today trying to find the very best students. Ms. Davis, we want to say hello to you, and give you a round of applause for working so hard and for the many years you have been at the University doing an outstanding job.
I am excited to start this new academic year. This is like a new beginning. We are not only celebrating the Bicentennial this year, we have significant announcements to make during the next couple of weeks about some of our achievements. We also have new leadership on the campus. We have a number of new deans and I think Jerry Odom holds the record now as far as finding the most deans in one year as a Provost. We have two vice presidents coming in as you know; one will be the Vice President of Research coming from Columbia University and one for information technology who is the second in command at MIT. Some of these deans have not yet arrived but a few of them are here and I would like to introduce them to you. First, is our new dean of the College of Engineering, although he is not new on this campus. He started here as an undergraduate and has a distinguished record here. He came here as the head of the Chemical Engineering Department, Dr. Ralph White.
Another college that is important to the State of South Carolina, where we love our music, and where we built a magnificent facility that is a pride of the University in many respects, the School of Music. A lot of other colleges wish they had a building like we have here on Assembly Street. I would like to introduce our new dean for the School of Music, Dean Jamal Rossi. He has a degree from Ithaca University, and the University of Michigan at the Eastern School of Music. He is an outstanding saxophonist and we may have him perform sometime for us if he has the time. That school is delighted to have him on board as well.
You have received this week a host of good news that gives us great momentum heading into this year and we will prepare documents and have special announcements on some of those. Good beginnings, good accomplishments and good things to come.
We are delighted with the new collaborative joint research with MUSC and Clemson. I think we are going to be very successful. We have had successes with research and I would like to have Provost Odom briefly describe those to you.
Provost Odom made the following remarks:
I want to report on a few highlights in respect to the University research this year and last year. By every indicator that we have, this past year has been the best year in research. Previous figures are now being gathered and we will make an announcement in the very near future with respect to our external funding. I think if the figures hold up, everybody, both you and the public, will be very impressed and pleased.
I feel, like the President, excited. We have new deans and two new vice presidents. About a week ago, I got together with our new Vice President for Research, Bill Harris, and with Bill Hogue, our new Chief Information Officer. We sat down and discussed some strategies for the University with respect to how those two individuals could work together. With respect to the conversation with Bill Harris, he will be here August 14. He will begin immediately visiting deans and departments and formulating a strategic plan for our research efforts in the future. He will have a research investment fund at his disposal that will receive leverage funds from the colleges as well as from the state and the federal government. All of this is working very well into the resolution that you passed today.
One of the new people working under Dr. Harris will be Dr. Richard Cox. We have reorganized our Office of Technology Transfer and renamed it the Office of Intellectual Property Management. Dick Cox comes to us from the National Technology Transfer Center in West Virginia and will be an excellent addition. We will soon see results from his efforts.
You are aware of the South Carolina Research Institute, but that organization is much like the Educational Foundation and the Development Foundation. It has been a wonderful stimulus for our research. We have some wonderful Board members. Ron Bell has been our Director and for many years the Executive Director for the Georgia Tech Research Institute. He has brought good ideas in and the Research Institute along with the Board of Directors has been a great help to our faculty and colleges.
One of the things I would like to mention very briefly that has been a vehicle for collaboration and cooperation among the research universities is a program called Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). EPSCoR is a national program. Every funding agency at the national level, the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and NASA have grant funds through the EPSCoR Program. We have collaborated with Clemson and MUSC for a long time through the EPSCoR Program. The state EPSCoR Office is on the campus here at the University. The Chairman of the State EPSCoR Committee is Dr. Chris Przirembel. A prominent member of the Executive Committee of EPSCoR is Dr. Rosalie Crouch, who is currently the Interim Provost at MUSC. These people meet regularly to have discussions and interaction about research. I think the EPSCoR model will serve as a very good way for us to move forward with respect to the details. The State of South Carolina Legislature has been very supportive of the EPSCoR Program this year. They provided $4 million that serves as matching funds for federal money. The EPSCoR program is really a partnership among research universities, the State of South Carolina, and the federal government. We leverage that $4 million very heavily. I can tell you that we bring in as a State between $25 and $30 million into the EPSCoR Program.
The State has also helped us this year with a NATO Science initiative at the University. They provided $1 million for us in that area. With respect to the resolution, we are getting ready to propose a very large sum of money through a science and technology center in the nano science area to the National Science Foundation. There will be a component to that center that comes from MUSC and Clemson. The three research universities are working more closely together.
Finally, when Bill Harris arrives, I would like to request that the Board invite him to make a presentation. I think you will find that he has a very strategic and creative mind.
Our incubator facilities, which we started in Engineering and on a small scale, quickly filled up the space with small companies, primarily software companies. We are renting a building in downtown Columbia right now. I talked with Joel Stevenson, who is the head of the incubator facilities, and he is currently looking at the business plan of a small company expected to participate. If they occupy the space, then we will be totally full; we will have no more space for these small companies. The incubator facility has been a wonderful idea and something I think we need to continue to expand.
Mr. Mungo interjected that when Jim Holderman was at Carolina for 13 years, the University increased research from $3 million to $35 million. In nine and one half years, Dr. Palms had taken that $35 million to approximately $100 million and accomplished that in an era when money was less available.
Dr. Palms continued his report:
I am happy to state that the growth of the University was performed by outstanding faculty.
There has been $80 million of construction. The new dormitory on Blossom Street is almost completed and totally magnificent. We have some new green spaces, Mr. Chairman, and I am sure you are pleased to see that. We are creating a living space where the students can come together and grow socially, intellectually, and morally, as well. We are looking forward to another exciting year. I want to thank you for your continued support.
Chairman Hubbard called for any further questions for the President. Chairman Hubbard said that one more important statistic was that in 1990, the endowment of the institution was $30 million, and it was now $300 million which was a significant improvement. Chairman Hubbard stated that the University was making progress and then he thanked everyone.
Mr. Bahnmuller moved that the name of Chief Justice Toal be removed from the table to receive an honorary degree. Messrs. Loadholt, Lister, Miller and von Lehe, Jr. seconded the motion. The vote was taken, and the motion carried.
Chairman Hubbard stated that there was an additional personnel matter appropriate for discussion in Executive Session. Upon the conclusion of the Executive Session, the meeting would adjourn.
Mr. Foster moved that the Board enter Executive Session. Mr. Adams seconded the motion. The vote was taken, and the motion carried.
Chairman Hubbard asked the following persons to remain: Dr. Palms, Mr. Stepp, Dr. Odom, Mr. Glenn, Mr. Finan, Ms. Jameson, Mr. Phlegar, Mr. Parham, Dr. Plyler, Dr. Hallman, Mr. McKinney, Ms. Jenkins, and Ms. Mayfield.
Return to Executive Session
Return to Open Session
Chairman Hubbard declared the meeting adjourned at 3:50 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Thomas L. Stepp
Secretary