MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF VISITORS OF
VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY
HELD ON JULY 31, 1969
A regular meeting of the Board of Visitors of Virginia
Commonwealth University was held on the 31st day of July, 1969 at 10:00 o clock in the forenoon in the President's Dining Room of the Hibbs Building at the Academic Center of the University in the City of Richmond, Virginia, pursuant to due notice.
at 10:00 o clock in the forenoon in the President's Dining Room of the Hibbs Building at the Academic Center of the University in the City of Richmond, Virginia, pursuant to due notice.
of the Hibbs Building at the Academic Center of the University in the City of Richmond, Virginia, pursuant to due notice.
in the City of Richmond, Virginia, pursuant to due notice.
Present were all members of the Board of Visitors except
Mrs. Bullard and Messrs. Scott, Temple and Timmons.
Present by invitation were Drs. Brandt, Brooke, Lodge;
Messrs. Edwards, Heil, Nelson, Holmes, Ware, and Miss Wilkinson. Mr. Dabney served as Chairman of the meeting and Mr.
. Mr. Dabney served as Chairman of the meeting and Mr.
Brent as Secretary thereof.
On motion duly made, seconded and unanimously carried,
the minutes of the regular meeting of the Board of Visitors
held on May 29, 1969 were approved as distributed.
Dr. Brandt, at the request of the Chairman, thereupon
presented his report as follows:
1. He stated that the search for the required four
Vice Presidents was continuing and that an offer was now out-
standing to Dr. J. Winston Martin for employment as Vice
President of Student Affairs, but to date no reply had been
received. A candidate had been selected, he said, for Vice
President of Health Sciences but that he has requested that his name remain confidential for the present time. Continuing in
name remain confidential for the present time. Continuing in
this connection, Dr. Brandt said that Dr. Roger L. Smith,
candidate for Vice President of Planning and Operations, is
visiting the University on this date and that the Committee had
selected one candidate, Mr. Greathouse, for Vice President of
University Hospitals, who appears to be extremely well qualified.
He stated that he would continue to press the matter with a view
to securing all four Vice Presidents at the earliest possible date
2. Dr. Brandt thereupon stated that he was giving
consideration to the method of presenting salary scales with a
view to bringing the same more closely in line with those of
comparable Institutions.
3. With respect to property acquisition, Dr. Brandt
explained that it appeared highly desirable to him for the
University to be authorized to purchase from time to time parcels
which might for one reason or another be available at attractive
prices and this in advance of the time the property might actually
be required. He said that he had discussed the matter with the
State Budget Office and that he was hopeful that this procedure
would be approved in the near future.
4. In connection with the Hospital Budget, he stated
that in future budgets he hoped to be able to identify indigent
patient cost as a separate cost item so that it might be dis-
associated from the actual expense of operating the Hospital.
This, he indicated, might materially assist in the solving of
the difficult problem associated with indigent patient expense.
5. The possible location of a new Veterans
Administration Hospital facility in the Health Sciences Complex
had again become quite active, Dr. Brandt said, and that the site
presently being discussed was the area contiguous to the Northern
Hospital facility.
6. With respect to the improvement of Leigh Street,
Dr. Brandt pointed out that this was presently being held up
pending further engineering work in order to determine the grade
and other related engineering characteristics.
7. Dr. Brandt thereupon explained that consideration
had been given to the employment of several firms which might
undertake the Master Plan work and that at the present time it
appeared that a British firm in association with a local Richmond
Architectural firm had the most outstanding capabilities and
that he would report further in this connection in the near future
8. In conclusion, Dr. Brandt then stated that the
students were again advancing a request for authorization to
organize Fraternities and Sororities on the campus but that he was
hopeful that this could be delayed until the new Vice President
for Student Affairs had arrived.
Moving to Item 2 on the Agenda, the Chairman then
called on Dr. Brooke who then presented a paper entitled
"A proposal for Reorganization of Instructional Units Academic
Division, Virginia Commonwealth University" which he reviewed
and explained. A general discussion then followed, after which
on motion duly made, seconded and unanimously carried, the
proposed reorganization was approved with the Administration being
_
given authority to modify the proposed name "School of Arts
and Sciences
Colonel Heil thereupon presented a proposal with
respect to the establishment of a School for Nurse Anesthetists
which on motion duly made, seconded and unanimously carried, was
approved with the observation being made that the program was
badly needed.
Mr. Holmes then presented the report of the Hospital
Accounts Committee and recommended approval of the "write-offs"
therein set forth which on motion duly made, seconded and
unanimously carried were approved.
Dr. Brandt thereupon distributed proposed budgets for
the fiscal year 1969-70 for the Health Sciences Division, the
Academic Division and the University's Hospital which were reviewed
and discussed, and on motion duly made, seconded and unanimously
carried, approved.
Turning to the budgets for the biennium 1970-72,
Dr. Brandt distributed proposed budgets for the Academic Division
for such period; the Health Sciences Division and the University
Hospital. The budgets were carefully reviewed, with the
Administration explaining that the large increase which was being
requested resulted largely from the fact that the University
was in a period of catching up with other comparable Universities
and that on balance, he felt that the requests were entirely
reasonable.
After further consideration, on motion duly made,
seconded and unanimously carried, the proposed budgets for the
biennium 1970-72 were approved subject to approval of definitive
drafts by the Executive Committee.
Dr. Lodge, Dean of the School of Social Work, then
presented an interesting report with respect to his School, and
Dean Nelson reported that a Department of Family Practice would
be developed in the near future as heretofore authorized.
Dr. Mullen then indicated that the proposed affiliation
of the Virginia Institute for Scientific Research with the
University would probably not be consummated in view of recent
developments at the University of Richmond, with which all of
the Visitors were doubtless familiar.
On motion duly made, seconded and unanimously carried,
the list of Gifts and Grants for the month of May, 1969 and the
eleven months ended May 31, 1969 were approved and authorized.
Attention was then directed to the list of Faculty
appointments and changes of status to which list Dr. Brooke
added the promotion of George G. Longest from Instructor to
Assistant Professor of English with an increase of salary from
9,300 to 9,600. The list as amended, on motion duly made,
seconded and unanimously carried, was then approved.
For the information of the Visitors, the Chairman
then read to the meeting a letter received from Theresa Pollack
expressing her appreciation for her appointment as Professor
Emeritus of the University.
Mr. Dabney then announced that for reasons which he
outlined he felt compelled to resign as Rector of the University.
He continued and said that he had appointed a Nominating Committee
consisting of Mr. Turnbull, Chairman, Mrs. Bullard, Mr. McGehee
and Dr. Michaux, whereupon he called upon Mr. Turnbull for the
report of the Committee. Mr. Turnbull first expressed the
appreciation of the Board for the splendid leadership rendered by
Mr. Dabney during the organizational phase of the University and
the regret felt by all that he felt it necessary to resign.
Continuing, Mr. Turnbull then stated that the
Nominating Committee was happy to place in nomination the name of
Mr. Eppa Hunton, IV for the position of Rector and that of Mr.
Robert A. Wilson for the position of Vice Rector. He also stated
that the Committee recommended that the structure of the
Executive Committee be modified with the membership of the
Committee to be increased from six Visitors to seven Visitors, with
the Rector and Vice Rector to be included as Ex-Officio members
with the right to vote. The nomination of Messrs. Hunton and
Wilson was then seconded and unanimously carried, following
which Mr. Hunton assumed the Chair.
Thereupon, in order to give effect to the recommendation
of the Nominating Committee, Mr. Brent presented the following
resolution:
BE IT RESOLVED, that Paragraph 4.01(a)
of the By-laws of Virginia Commonwealth
University be, and they hereby are, amended by
striking the same and by substituting in lieu
thereof the following:
(a) Number and Election. The Executive
Committee shall consist of seven Visitors with
the Rector and Vice Rector to serve as ex-officio
members thereof during their term of office, with
the right to vote. At each annual meeting, the
Board shall elect the five remaining members. The
Rector shall serve as its Chairman. Vacancies
shall be filled by election by the Board for the
unexpired portion of the term.
Mr. Brent then moved the adoption of the resolution as
presented which motion was seconded and unanimously carried.
The Nominating Committee then placed in nomination the
names of Mr. Dabney and Dr. Michaux for appointment to the
Executive Committee which motion was seconded and unanimously
adopted.
Thereupon, on motion duly made, seconded and unanimously
carried, the meeting adjourned with a rising vote of thanks to
Mr. Dabney for his services as Rector.
