SRU’s Council of Trustees met in a quorum for their formal business meeting on Sept. 21 to vote upon motions within the academic and student affairs, finance and governance committees.
In academic and student affairs, the Council of Trustees voted to send two new programs, a master’s in accountancy and master’s in social work, to Harrisburg for approval. If approved by Chancellor Dan Greenstein, the two programs will be implemented in fall 2019.
Trustee Thomas Berth stated that SRU’s enrollment “continues to be steady,” despite SRU’s enrollment dropping down from 8,895 to 8,824 students this school year.
“We, as a university, continue to see very positive enrollment numbers,” Berth said.
In finance motions, the trustees approved the 2018-19 budget with a total revenue of $142,233,238. This revenue includes a projected $2.6 million increase from the 2017-18 budget, of which $1,759,343 is attributed to a tuition increase across PASSHE universities. The trustees also approved contracts, fixed assets and service and supply purchase orders.
During the finance committee’s meeting on Sept. 20, Amir Mohammadi, vice president of finance and administration, presented on parking at the Harrisville Building. According to Berth, additional parking has been arranged through leases with the American Legion and Harrisville United Methodist Church.
“There were options discussed about potentially creating additional parking, which would have been very expensive,” Berth said. “We appreciate everyone who’s worked with us and the efforts of everyone involved to come to a very cost-effective solution to a difficult problem.”
In governance action items, the trustees approved the order of succession for the university. Provost Philip Way and Mohammadi, respectively, will act on Behre’s behalf if he is absent. The trustees also approved the payment of Pennsylvania Association of Councils of Trustees (PACT) dues for $3,500.
The Council of Trustees met in an executive session on Sept. 21 at 9 a.m. for a legal matter. No report came from that session, and no action was voted upon concerning the session.
Jeffrey Smith, chairman of the Council of Trustees, said Friday’s formal meeting was a “meeting of celebration,” referring to the awards presented to SRU representatives. This includes the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, the highest honor the government awards employers for supporting those in the National Guard and Reserve. SRU was one of 15 recipients of the award this year. Smith and Gary Clark, a physical education/health professor who nominated SRU for the award, attended the awards ceremony on Aug. 24 at the Pentagon.
In athletic honors, the women’s field hockey team was recognized for receiving the highest cumulative GPA, 3.71, in the NCAA Division II during the 2017-18 year. Courtney McQuaide, who won the NCAA Division II national pole vault competition and earned first team, All-America honors, was also recognized.
The next set of quarterly Council of Trustees meetings will take place Dec. 6-7.
