MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF VISITORS
OF VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY
April 18, 1974
A regular meeting of the Board of Visitors of Virginia Commonwealth
University was held on Thursday, April 18, 1974, at 9:00 a.m. in the
President's Dining Room.
Present were Drs. Blanton and Thornton; Messrs. Bradley, Dabney,
Norris, Obenshain, Scott, Seaborn, Sheffield, Shumate and Turnbull, and
Mrs. Stone. Dr. Gwathmey, Mr. McGehee and Miss Keyser were absent.
Also present were Drs. Brandt, Neal, Sparks, Willett, Wilson and Woods;
Messrs. Holmes, Imirie and Temple, and Miss Cosby.
Dr. Blanton called the meeting to order. On motion made and seconded,
the minutes of a Regular Meeting of the Board of Visitors, held March 21, 1974,
and of a Special Meeting of the Property Committee, held April 8, 1974, were
approved unanimously.
Dr. Blanton reported that the Hospital Quality Assurance Committee
met on April 18, 1974, at 7:30 a.m. and considered reports on inguinal hernias.
The Committee made three comments which will be taken back to the hospital
committee, but the study was approved as being a worthwhile study. The
Committee also took note of one death and approved the minutes of the prior
meetings.
Following the report of the President, the members of the Board were
invited to attend commencement on May 18 in the Coliseum.
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Dr. Blanton and Mr. Dabney will be attending the conference of the
Association of Governing Boards of Colleges and Universities in New Orleans
April 28-30. Other members of the Board were also invited to attend.
Dr. Blanton requested that there be an executive session of the Board
following the regular meeting.
The proposed tuition and student fees were presented by Dr. Brandt
who pointed out the Athletic Committee's desire to increase the athletic fees.
The athletic fees were changed as follows: full-time - $18.00; part-time -
$7.50; graduate - $9.00. On motion made and seconded, the proposed tuition
and student fees were approved unanimously as amended.
The report of the hospital accounts was approved unanimously on
motion made and seconded.
Dr. Woods, in response to a question, explained that the special
action on Page 3 of the Faculty Appointments is necessary because Ms.
Flowers was due for a merit increase last year but was overlooked. The
Faculty Appointments and Changes of Status were approved unanimously on
motion made and seconded.
Dr. Robert W. Jessee and Dr. Frederick J. Spencer joined the meeting
at this point to give a progress report on the planning for the Health Main-
tenance Organization. The major change that has taken place so far is the
addition of Richmond Memorial Hospital to work with the HMO. It was
agreed that the Virginia Medical Society and the Richmond Medical Association
would be notified, in addition to the Richmond Academy of Medicine. The
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VCU Public Relations Office will be asked to release publicity on the grant
application which will be submitted by May 1, 1974. Following discussion,
it was moved, seconded and approved, with Dr. Thornton dissenting, to
endorse the planning for the HMO with participation by Richmond Memorial
Hospital.
Dr. Paul D. Minton, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, then
gave a very detailed and comprehensive report on the growth and activities
within the School.
Dr. Neal introduced Mr. Nick E. Mackovak of the Visual Education
Department who has been working with Mr. Temple, Dr. Willett and Dr. Neal
on the implementation of the resolution dealing with the MCV component of
VCU. Several examples of proposed letterhead were shown to the Board, as
were the present diploma samples. Because of the desire to maintain the
identity of the University in addition to preserving the legally designated
name, the Medical College of Virginia, and to provide flexibility, the
following resolution was, on motion made and seconded, adopted unanimously:
RESOLVED, that in order to preserve the legally
designated name, the Medical College of Virginia,
it shall be used in all publications and communica-
tions issued for general distribution by the Health
Sciences Division of Virginia Commonwealth University.
In all such publications and communications, the name,
The Medical College of Virginia, shall appear ahead of
Virginia Commonwealth University in not more dominant
type.
On motion made and seconded, it was approved unanimously to
maintain the present diploma selection system.
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Mr. Bradley commented that VCU has a nationally regarded School of the Arts and, therefore, the design of the letterhead should convey excellence.
The Board then went into executive session, with Dr. Brandt remaining.
The meeting was adjourned at 12:40 p.m.
Report of the President to the Board of Visitors
April 18, 1974
Dr. Brandt reported that the campus has been very quiet since the
last Board meeting. Streaking probably is not gone forever, but it is a dead
issue as of this time.
The recruiting of potential faculty members, department chairmen, the
Assistant Vice-President for Research and Graduate Affairs, and the Vice-
President for Academic Affairs is taking a considerable amount of time right
now.
Classes will end in two weeks, with final examinations to follow.
Commencement will be held on May 18, 1974, with Governor Godwin as the
speaker.
The presentation regarding the M.A. degree program in English was
made to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia on April 2. The
meeting was open to the press. The Council does not vote until its next
meeting so we should expect to hear something the first or second week of
May.
The Judaic Studies Program began a couple of weeks ago with a pre-
sentation by Dr. Howard Sachar, a professor from George Washington Uni-
versity. Dr. Lyons has raised about $50,000 for this Fund, and we hope to
raise enough to fund a Chair in Judaic Studies sometime in the future.
The moves into Sanger Hall are beginning to take place. We still
are not legally cleared on the hospital project, and it is getting to the point
where it will begin to hold us up. Oliver Hall-Education building is moving
slowly but is on schedule, and the Library is coming along. The student
center and the dormitory are scheduled to have construction started in the
late summer or early fall. The buildings across from Bradley's on Main
Street will be demolished soon. The property acquisition for the student
center is progressing well, and we are moving to get all the property we do
not already own.
Dr. Blanton mentioned that Booz, Allen & Hamilton is reviewing the
financial feasibility for the hospital project bond issue and will be asked to
sign off on this. They are here to attest to our ability to perform in two
specific areas -- automated data processing and accounting mechanisms.
They anticipate having a report on the ADP capabilities by the middle of
next week and by mid-May on the accounting status. It was agreed that a
meeting of the Executive Committee would meet on this issue prior to the
next Board meeting.
