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.

The Academic Affairs and Faculty Liaison Committee of the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees met on Monday, December 15, 2003, at 8:30 a.m. in the Carolina Plaza Board Room.

Members present were: Mr. Robert N. McLellan, Chairman; Mr. James Bradley; Mrs. Helen C. Harvey; Mr. William C. Hubbard; Mr. John C. von Lehe, Jr.; Mr. Othniel H. Wienges, Jr.; Mr. Mack I. Whittle, Jr., Board Chairman; and Mr. Herbert C. Adams, Board Vice Chairman. Members absent were: Mr. Samuel R. Foster, II; and Ms. Darla D. Moore. Other Trustees present were: Mr. Mark W. Buyck, Jr.; Dr. C. Edward Floyd; and Mr. James A. Shuford, III.
Faculty Liaison Committee members present were: Dr. James R. Augustine, Chair of the Faculty Senate; Dr. Peter Graham, Chair of the Faculty Welfare Committee; and Professor John Logue, USC Sumter, representative for the Regional Campuses. Members absent were: Dr. William Bearden, Chair of the Faculty Advisory Committee; and Dr. Warren Carson, USC Spartanburg, representative for the Senior Campuses.

Others present were: President Andrew A. Sorensen; Secretary Thomas L. Stepp; Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Jerome D. Odom; Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Richard W. Kelly; Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer William F. Hogue; Vice President for Human Resources Jane M. Jameson; Vice Provost and Executive Dean for Regional Campuses and Continuing Education Chris P. Plyler; Chancellor of USC Beaufort Jane T. Upshaw; Chancellor of USC Spartanburg John C. Stockwell; Dean of USC Lancaster John Catalano; General Counsel Walter (Terry) H. Parham; University Legislative Liaison John D. Gregory; Director of the Office of University Communications, Division of University Advancement, Russell McKinney, Jr.; and members of the media.

Chairman McLellan called the meeting to order and invited those present to introduce themselves. Mr. McKinney introduced members of the media who were in attendance. Chairman McLellan 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 Committee; and a quorum was present to conduct business.

Chairman McLellan stated that there was a personnel matter dealing with an appointment with tenure which was appropriate for discussion in Executive Session. Mr. Bradley so moved, and Mr. von Lehe seconded the motion. The vote was taken, and the motion carried.

The following persons were invited to remain: Dr. Sorensen, Mr. Stepp, Dr. Odom, Dr. Hogue, Mr. Kelly, Dr. Pruitt, Ms. Jameson, Dr. Stockwell, Dr. Upshaw, Mr. Parham, Mr. McKinney, Ms. Stone, and Ms. Tweedy.

Return to Open Session

1. Creation of a College of Arts and Sciences: Mr. McLellan called on Dr. Sorensen who presented a merger proposal for Board consideration. Initially, he expressed concern about two distinct trends in American research universities which, he believed, worked to the detriment of the ability of the University to prepare its students for the future. The two trends were:
   
   
   1. Preoccupation with Preparation for a Vocation and Profession.
      Parents of some freshman students had voiced concern about the fact that incoming freshman had not chosen a career by the time of admission. Dr. Sorensen expressed his belief that students should have the opportunity to develop goals as they grow.
      
      
   2. An Increasing Attack on the "General Education Curriculum" for Undergraduates.
      Dr. Sorensen stated that there had been criticisms from various individuals in academe that the curricula of higher education institutions were male centric or Eurocentric. In response to those criticisms, many universities had developed a "watered down," generalized curriculum in which there was no canon, or body of material, undergraduates were expected to master by the time they graduated.

Dr. Sorensen stated that the dean of Yale University had appointed a committee to address those issues and the committee had recently issued a report. Dr. Sorensen stated that the report had addressed some of his concerns. He read the three recommendations from the Yale University Committee Report while substituting "University of South Carolina" in place of "Yale University" in each instance.

"We are entering a century of change and uncertainty in which the thinking person with a liberal education enjoys an advantage and offers an advantage toward society to ensure both breadth of education and development of fundamental skills. The report proposes significant changes in the University of South Carolina's distribution requirements. Graduating from the University of South Carolina with knowledge in a wide range of disciplines was only one measure of a successful education. USC students must also develop a superior reasoning and writing skills they would use for a lifetime no matter what fields they enter. Specifically, USC need to develop a program to enhance the ability of our students to communicate effectively in reading and quantitative reasoning.

"Second, we are entering a century that will be dominated by science and technology in which every person must be scientifically literate. It is critical to make science more compelling and richly available to all our students. Non majors should have access to more rigorous courses that help them achieve a deeper understanding of scientific issues and scientific methods of thought. Science majors need better access to smaller laboratories classes and to the science faculty during their freshman and sophomore years.

"Third, we are entering a century of globalization in which every individual must have an appreciation of world health issues, world politics, world economies, foreign languages and cultures. Because our students live in an increasingly global society, first hand experience of foreign cultures should be an integral part of their education."

Dr. Sorensen stated he would appoint a committee, with the concurrence of Provost Odom, to review the University's curricula and address these issues and to make recommendations. He believed that an integrated College of Arts and Sciences could better facilitate this goal; therefore, he proposed integration of the two colleges.

Mr. Wienges moved approval of the creation of a College of Arts and Sciences. Mr. Adams seconded the motion. The vote was taken, and the motion carried.

2. Faculty Senate Resolution: Proposal for a Mid Year Salary Raise: Dr. Sorensen reported that the Faculty Welfare Committee had unanimously passed a Mid-Year Salary Raise Resolution. The Resolution stated that the faculty and staff had not received a cost-of living salary increase in more than three years; each employee had experienced increased out-of-pocket costs for health insurance benefits and increased costs of living. The failure of the University to pay adequate salaries to faculty members would have a long-term negative effect on future recruitment of high-quality scholars and researchers, which was essential to the University's goal of becoming a research institution of national repute.
   
   And, the Faculty Welfare Committee recommended that all full-time faculty and unclassified staff members in the USC System receive a three percent salary increase plus a $1,000 one-time bonus, and that all classified staff members in the System receive a $2,000 one-time bonus. The foregoing salary increase and bonus would become effective January 1, 2004 and would be funded through means deemed appropriate by the central administration and the Board of Trustees.
   
   Dr. Sorensen had informed Committee members that he would forward the Resolution to the Board of Trustees. Further, he had explained to them that the Budget and Control Board had estimated a 10-12 percent budget cut (approximately $15 million) for the upcoming fiscal year. Although he concurred with the Resolution, Dr. Sorensen believed that it was highly unlikely that the University would be able to accommodate the request at this time because of the anticipated budget cuts.
   
   Chairman McLellan stated that he had received calls from several constituents who had voiced concerns that, while they had not received a salary increase in three years, some University administrators had received a 10 percent salary increase. He had also received adverse comments from the Chairman of the House Education Committee; at the time, he had not been in a position to defend the University because of a lack of knowledge. Chairman McLellan requested that the Board be notified of pending salary increases in the future so that they could address calls of this nature.
   
   Dr. Odom responded that the University had paid several staff from federal research grants and from the retention fund which was established in the Educational Foundation Funds; no one had received raises from state appropriated funds. Mr. Whittle reiterated the value of research and requested that Dr. Odom differentiate the salary raises paid from research dollars versus those paid from state appropriated funds.
   
   Chairman McLellan stated that the Resolution was received as information.

There were no other matters to come before the Committee, and Chairman McLellan declared the meeting adjourned at 9:00 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Thomas L. Stepp
Secretary