UW Board of Trustees Sets Agenda for March 22

Proposals to implement student academic program fees and reorganize the Office of Academic Affairs will come before the University of Wyoming Board of Trustees during its regular meeting Wednesday through Friday, March 22-24.

In addition, the board is scheduled to receive updates on a wide range of topics and tour the recently completed High Bay Research Facility.

The meeting will be held in Salons D and E of the Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center. Board meetings are open to the public, except for executive sessions.

Various committees of the board are scheduled to meet Wednesday morning beginning at 8 a.m. in the Gateway Center. The full board will convene at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday to hear reports from those committees, followed by updates on the College of Law and endowed funds. An executive session is scheduled at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The board will reconvene at 8 a.m. Thursday with a full day of agenda topics, including a legislative report; an update on the 2017-18 fiscal year budget reductions, including the Voluntary Separation Incentive Program for some faculty members; and updates on spring semester enrollment, strategic enrollment planning, university strategic planning and use of revenues from tuition increases. Public testimony will be accepted at 11:30 a.m. Thursday.

The planned reorganization of Academic Affairs, which requires board approval of changes to UW regulations, is scheduled to be discussed at 1 p.m. Thursday. Detailed here, the proposal aims to improve student enrollment, retention and completion by bringing campus units focused on student services together with the university’s academic functions. Additionally, in an effort to expand off-campus offerings, the plan calls for units of UW’s Outreach School to be assimilated into a new structure within Academic Affairs.

On the trustees’ agenda at 3:30 p.m. Thursday is a presentation on student program fees. Detailed here, the cost-based fees would directly help UW students through enhanced advising, career preparation, assurance of course availability and other student services. Ultimately, the proposal aims to improve retention, career readiness and time to graduation for UW students, while keeping the university’s tuition and fees among the lowest of public universities across the country. On average, the cost of tuition and fees for in-state students would rise by $738 annually.

Trustees are scheduled to tour the High Bay Research Facility at 8 a.m. Friday, then return to the Gateway Center at 9:45 a.m. for reports on the Honors Program, and American Indian student enrollment and support. The board’s business meeting, during which trustees take formal action on agenda items, is scheduled for 10:45 a.m. Friday.

The complete agenda, along with a report that includes background information on agenda items, is available at www.uwyo.edu/trustees/2017-meeting-materials/.