xt7wst7ds23t https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7wst7ds23t/data/mets.xml Lexington, Kentucky University of Kentucky 20040921 minutes English University of Kentucky Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Minutes of the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees Minutes of the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees, 2004-09-sep21. text Minutes of the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees, 2004-09-sep21. 2004 2011 true xt7wst7ds23t section xt7wst7ds23t 







                             MINUTES

                  Meeting of the Board of Trustees
                       University of Kentucky
                             1:00 P.M.
                        September 21, 2004
                  18th Floor Patterson Office Tower



Minutes

Schedule for Meetings for Board of Trustees - 2005

President's Report and Action Items
PR 1        President's Report to the Trustees
            A.    The Dream & the Challenge, Strategic Plan Progress Report
            B.    College of Agriculture Report
            C.    College of Dentistry Report
            D.    Preliminary Study - Establishment of a Continuous Care
                  Retirement Facility (CCRC) - Coldstream Farm
PR 2        Personnel Actions (Consent)
PR 3        Proposed Amendment to the Administrative Regulations
PR 4        Memorandum of Agreement between the University of Kentucky and
            Kentucky Community and Technical College System


Academic Affairs Committee Report
AACR 1     Candidates for Degrees - University System (Consent)
AACR 2     Candidates for Degrees - Community College System (Consent)
AACR 3     Change of Organizational Structure of the Tracy Farmer Center for the
            Environment
AACR 4     Change of Organizational Structure of the Graduate Center for Toxicology
AACR 5     Robinson Forest Timber Management



Audit Subcommittee Report

Finance Committee Report
FCR 1       Estate of Bernard R. Crouch (Consent)
FCR 2       Lexmark International, Inc. Pledge (Consent)
FCR 3       Kentucky Spinal Cord and Head Inoury Research Trust Gift (Consent)
FCR 4       Kentucky Medical Services Foundation Gift (Consent)
FCR 5       Gifts to UK Center for Research on Violence against Women (Consent)
FCR 6       Gifts and Pledges to the Earl Plat Slone Endowed Professorship in
            Pharmacy Practice and Science (Consent)
FCR 7       Gifts to Kevin Heidrich/Team 7 Endowment for ALS Patient Services
            (Consent)
FCR 8       Markey Cancer Center Foundation Gift (Consent)
FCR 9       Renaming Cardiology Associates Endowed Scholarship (Consent)
FCR 10     Renaming Four Gill Endowments (Consent)
FCR 11     Report of Lease (Consent)
FCR 12     Acceptance of Audit Report and the Report on Compliance and on Internal




 






            Control for the University of Kentucky for 2003-04
FCR 13     Patent Assignment Report
FCR 14     Quarterly Capital Construction Report
FCR 15     2004-05 Budget Revisions
FCR 16     Renovate and Expand the Boone Faculty Center
FCR 17     Renovate IRIS Proiect Facility
FCR 18     Replacement of the Court Lighting System at Memorial Coliseum and
            Intercollegiate Athletics Quasi-endowment Withdrawal
FCR 19     Electronic Access Rural Demonstration Proiect - Phase I
FCR 20     Authorization to Convey Property at Ashland Community College to the
            Kentucky Community and Technical College System
FCR 21     Authorization to Convey a 53.18 Acre Tract of Land in Perry County to the
            Hazard Independent College Foundation

Strategic Plan presentation




 








      Minutes of the Meeting of the Board of Trustees of the University of Kentucky, Tuesday,
September 21, 2004.

      The Board of Trustees of the University of Kentucky met at 1:00 p.m. (Lexington time)
on Tuesday, September 21, 2004, in the Board Room on the 1 8th Floor of Patterson Office
Tower.

      A.    Meeting Opened

      Mr. Steven S. Reed, Chair, called the meeting to order at 1:00 p.m., and Ms. Rachel
Watts gave the invocation.

      B.    Oath of Office

      Barbara Jones, General Counsel, administered the Oath of Office to the following
members:

      Mira S. Ball, appointed by Governor Ernie Fletcher to replace Elissa May Plattner, for a
term ending June 30, 2010.
      Stephen P. Branscum, appointed by Governor Ernie Fletcher to replace Robert P.
Meriwether, for a term ending June 30, 2010.
      Ann Brand Haney, appointed by Governor Ernie Fletcher as alumni representative to
replace Marian M. Sims, for a term ending June 30, 2010.
      Roy Moore, elected by the faculty to replace Davy Jones, for a term ending June 30,
2007.

      C.    Roll Call

        The following members of the Board of Trustees answered the call of the roll: Mira S.
Ball, Stephen P. Branscum, Marianne Smith Edge, Ann Brand Haney, James F. Hardymon,
Michael Kennedy, Pamela May, Billy Joe Miles, Roy Moore, Phillip Patton, Steven S. Reed
(Chair), Frank Shoop, Alice Sparks, Myra Leigh Tobin, Rachel Watts, JoEtta Y. Wickliffe, Billy
B. Wilcoxson, Russ Williams, Elaine A. Wilson, and Barbara S. Young. The University
administration was represented by President Lee T. Todd, Jr., Provost Michael Nietzel, Acting
Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Frank Butler, Executive Vice President
for Health Affairs Michael Karpf, Executive Vice President for Research Wendy Baldwin, and
General Counsel Barbara W. Jones.

        Following the roll call by Mr. Williams, he said that there were two people in new roles
in the University leadership and introduced Ernest Yanarella, Chair of the Senate Council, and
David Ellis, Chair of the Staff Senate.

        Members of the various news media were also in attendance. A quorum being present,
the Chair declared the meeting officially open for the conduct of business at 1:04 p.m.




 




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      D.    Resolution

      Mr. Reed said that the Board was going to deviate from the normal routine for a
resolution honoring a very special person, Tayshaun Prince, a graduate and former basketball
player at the University of Kentucky. He said that Coach Tubby Smith was on a recruiting trip
and regretted that he could not attend the Board meeting.

      Mr. Reed asked Mr. Prince to come forward and be recognized. Mr. Prince received a
round of applause as he entered the room. Mr. Reed said that the Board had watched Mr. Prince
on and off the basketball court and had been impressed with the manner in which he carries
himself. He said that Mr. Prince epitomizes class and honor and what everyone aspires to be as a
Kentuckian and a "Wildcat." He referred to articles that had been in newspapers about Mr.
Prince, especially the article that he read in Texas while attending a conference, and told Mr.
Prince that the Board wanted to present him with the following resolution:

      WHEREAS, Tayshaun Prince of the Detroit Pistons, who graduated from the University
      of Kentucky with a bachelor's degree in sociology in 2002, has brought great honor and
      distinction to his alma mater, and

      WHEREAS, Mr. Prince played a vital role in helping to lead the Pistons to the 2004 NBA
      World Championship over one of the most storied franchises in all of professional sports,
      the Los Angeles Lakers, and

      WHEREAS, Mr. Prince played in all 82 regular-season games, and started in all 23
      playoff games for the Pistons, making significant contributions to the Detroit cause both
      offensively and defensively, and

      WHEREAS, Mr. Prince has conducted himself with utmost dignity and class in dealing
      with the public and with the media, bringing great credit to his parents, his coaches, and
      other support staff at the University of Kentucky, and

      WHEREAS, Mr. Prince is an outstanding example of the positive role that intercollegiate
      athletics can play at UK and at other higher education institutions,

      NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the University of Kentucky Board of
      Trustees extends its heartiest congratulations and thanks to Tayshaun Prince for his
      outstanding career at UK and wishes him continued success at the highest level of
      professional basketball.

      Mr. Prince said it was an honor to receive the resolution, and it always feels good to
come home to the University of Kentucky. He said he would never regret the four years that he
spent at the University and was proud that he is a graduate of the University. They were the best
four years of his life. He thanked the Board for honoring him with the resolution and said he
really appreciated it. The Board gave Mr. Prince another round of applause.




 




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      E.    Nominating Committee Report

      Mr. Reed called upon Mr. Shoop, Chair of the Nominating Committee, for his report.

      Mr. Shoop reported that the Nominating Committee met that morning to consider the
nomination of officers of the Board and the members of the Executive Committee. On behalf of
the Nominating Committee, he submitted the following nominations for officers:

      Chair              James Hardymon
      Vice Chair         JoEtta Wickliffe
      Secretary          Elaine Wilson
      Assistant Secretary  Barbara Jones

      He moved approval of the nominations.

      Mr. Reed said the Board had heard the motion and asked for a second. Ms. Smith Edge
seconded the motion. He asked for any nominations from the floor, and there were none. He
called for a vote on the nominations and motion presented by Mr. Shoop. Mr. Wilcoxson
seconded the motion, and it carried without dissent.

      Mr. Reed said that the Committee report has passed and is now an order. He
congratulated Mr. Hardymon and asked him to please come forward and assume the position of
Chairman of the Board. Mr. Hardymon received a round of applause.

      Mr. Hardymon accepted the position and thanked the Board. He said he had watched
Ned Breathitt to Mr. Reed for seven years, and he hoped he had learned enough to do a good job.
He thanked Mr. Reed for his commitment, dedication, and accomplishments. The Board gave
Mr. Reed a round of applause. Mr. Hardymon asked Mr. Shoop to continue with his Nominating
Committee report.

      Mr. Shoop submitted the following nominations for members of the Executive
Committee from the Nominating Committee:

      James Hardymon, Chair
      Michael Kennedy
      Steve Reed
      JoEtta Wickliffe
      Billy Wilcoxson
      Elaine Wilson, ex officio

      He then moved approval of the nominations for the Executive Committee.

      Mr. Hardymon said that the Board had heard the Nominating Committee's submission on
the members of the Executive Committee. He asked for a second to Mr. Shoop's motion. Ms.
Wilson seconded the motion, and it carried without dissent.




 




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      Mr. Shoop congratulated Mr. Hardymon, the officers, and members of the Executive
Committee and said that completed his report.

      Mr. Hardymon said that he also wanted to congratulate Ms. Wickliffe and Ms. Wilson.
He said that he was looking forward to continuing to work with them as well as with President
Todd.

      Mr. Hardymon continued with the agenda. He noted that the Minutes are a consent item.
He noted that there was one action item that came out of the retreat. Ms. Wickliffe appointed a
committee to develop a format for protocol to deal with different issues and concerns. He said
that he is responsible for getting that committee together, and he will do that. He asked if anyone
had any comments or corrections to the Minutes. Since there were no comments or questions, he
said he assumed the Minutes are approved as written.

      Mr. Hardymon called attention to the Schedule for Meetings for 2005. He said they were
essentially the ones decided on in the second day of the retreat. He then called upon President
Todd for his report.

      President Todd began by thanking Mr. Reed for his service. He said that it takes an
inordinate amount of time to chair a board such as this, and there is nobody that has been chair
who has the passion for the institution that Steve Reed has. He said that he had a token of
appreciation for Mr. Reed; however, it was not ready at this time. It will be presented to Mr.
Reed at another appropriate time.

      F.    The Dream & the Challenge, Strategic Plan Progress Report

      President Todd said that he wanted to give the first annual update on the University's
Strategic Plan, The Dream & the Challenge. He began by thanking Dr. Connie Ray for the
tremendous job that she is doing in pulling the information together and measuring the
University's goals. There will be a document coming out called The Success which will be an
annual summary of how the University is doing against the goals that the Board approved and set
in the Strategic Plan.

      Through a series of slides, President Todd reviewed the University's six goals and
elaborated on each of them.

Goal I. Reach for National Prominence

      President Todd said that Goal I was to reach for national prominence. He reiterated what
he has said for some time, that the way the University is going to get to be a Top 20 organization
is one department at a time. A goal was raised from 10 to 15 top ranked academic programs.
The last time those were calculated was in 2001-02, which was an indication of what had been
achieved on the prior Strategic Plan. He said that he is pleased to say that they have picked up
three out of the additional five, and he applauded all of those for being in those categories. He
told the Board that he would keep them abreast as the University moves up that ladder.




 









      The second measure in Goal I is to increase clinical income to $452 million. He said that
he felt quite good about this goal having set down with Dr. Karpf and hearing what the clinical
revenues look like the last couple of months. He said that he thinks this goal will be exceeded.

      The third measure in Goal I is one that has to do with the endowment market value. At
some point in time, he said he hoped Mr. Wilcoxson could take the entire Board through some of
the innovative things that are taking place right now with the Investment Committee. He would
like for Mr. Wilcoxson to give them a report on how the University has been able to move some
money from some fund managers to new ones without costing the University what it would have
otherwise. He reported that the endowment market value goal will be exceeded. If the market
stays true as of today, the endowment is over $500 million. This is a remarkable thing going
from (this is a House Bill 1 deal and a "Bucks for Brains" deal) a $195 million endowment to
$500 million endowment during dot com, Enron, and 9-11. It is a great accomplishment, and
Mr. Mobley and his development staff are to be applauded as well as the faculty and the
administrators who have been vitally important to having the ability to show and to demonstrate
the confidence so that the investors will have the confidence in putting this kind of money up.

Goal II. Attract and Graduate Outstanding Students

      President Todd said that Goal II is to track and graduate outstanding students, and the
University is doing that. The numbers were reviewed for the entire state, and the University of
Kentucky had by far the largest number of new students in the freshman class of any institution
this year. UK got very close to 4,000 students. He said that the University has its hands on the
volume and quality knobs. The freshman class increased from 3,000 to 4,000. He talked about
the two ways to measure the ACT. Admissions measure it by taking components of the students'
score which is where they score the best and adding those together. However, the University
officially reports to the U.S. News and World Report the best score if the student takes multiple
tests. Different states do it different ways. When ACT reports their official numbers, they report
the last test the student takes. Our official measure is the most conservative way to present this
data. The University's goal is 23 to 28. He said that the administration thinks that it has the
strategies in place to reach that next year. If you look at the national average, which is 18 to 25,
and the Kentucky high school student average, which is 17 to 23, that gives you an impression of
what the freshman class quality really looks like because their average ACT scores are in the 22
to 27 range. UK is bringing in some tremendous students.

      The other thing is the enrollment number. UK has grown in undergraduate enrollment
significantly and also in professional enrollment. The transfer enrollment goal, however, has
been missed. It declined to 648 in 2003 where the goal was 680, but those are CPE goals. In
undergraduate enrollment and graduate/professional enrollment, UK has exceeded the CPE
goals.

      A part of the strategy to attract and graduate the students is to have some new
dormitories. Mr. Ben Crutcher had mentioned that, had the University had housing available this
year, UK might have hit 4,100 freshman this year. It has been an impediment possibly because
the University's waiting list got to be very large. He said that a new dorm would be located at




 




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the corner of Martin Luther King Boulevard and Euclid Avenue going toward downtown. The
new dorm will focus on the arts and by building that dorm and three others, the University will
be able to have very competitive housing on this campus.

       President Todd said that the first-or second-year retention rate is something that is taken
very seriously because if you are going to graduate them you have got to retain them that first
year. The first year is a hard time for a lot of students. The slide shows a rate measured for
those who have left the University. There is another rate that CPE considers, and that rate
considers if that student left UK but went to Lexington Community College, Eastern Kentucky
University, or Western Kentucky University. That number for UK is up in the mid 80's. This is
the number that just counts what happens with UK students. UK lost some last year, and Dr.
Ray and Mr. Roger Sugarman went through a survey of all the students that could be found who
left the University, and the Board will receive a summary of that report. He said that the
administration knows why a lot of the students left. One large component is they want to be
closer to home. He said that he believes that is a "Kentucky" thing. Some of them had academic
problems, but that information can be provided. The good news is that UK is back on track
because it has picked up a couple of points, almost what it lost the previous year. The goal was
83 percent retention, which will be the highest in the state.

       President Todd reported that there are standards that are measured by the National Survey
of Student Engagement (NSSE). What they do is look at the student information. They look at
several parameters, and they predict what students should achieve based on the parameters. UK
is the only university in the state that exceeded the average in all five of these, and hence Dr. Ray
has given a gold star on the slide for that. This is a survey of the types of things that the
University wants to measure to see whether student success is just about grades. It is about
learning ability or capacity. It is about faculty and student interaction. It is about the rich
educational experience, and this is the kind of thing that the University has got to invest in to try
to improve the experience the students have.

       President Todd said that the next slide shows six-year graduation rates. Goals were
established back in 2001 with CPE, with the ultimate goal being 60 percent. The past year UK
went over that reaching 61.1 percent. That again is the highest rate in the state. There are
several state universities that are in their 30's, their 40's, and maybe one or two others in the
50's. This is a very good measure, and it is something that to be excited about. If UK wants to
get up there with the top public universities, it needs to be in the 70's. He said that the
administration has strategies that it is working on. At the Board retreat, he and Provost Nietzel
talked about the Center for Undergraduate Excellence and about expanding the Honors Program.
Several of the academic goals that the Provost mentioned at the retreat are the kinds of things
that we think we can pay attention to here.

       President Todd talked about the four-year contract, which 13 departments now have in
place. He said he tells parents that the best way to keep the cost of college down is to get their
child out of college in four years. It cuts down the housing costs, and it puts them in the income
stream when they find a job. He said that it is imperative to do a self-diagnosis, and Dr.
Yanarella is helping the Senate review the undergraduate curriculum and the USP offerings to
look at what it will take to get students graduated before the 6-year rate.




 




7



Goal III. Attract, Develop, and Retain a Distinguished Faculty

       President Todd said that when you look at instructional faculty salaries, there is no gold
star. It looks like some headway was made when we went to 89 percent of the median of our
benchmarks, and that is the result of the 3 percent raise that was given a couple of years ago.
The chart does not yet reflect the 1 percent raise that was just given. He said that this year he did
not expect to do as well in this measure. This is an area that the administration has got to focus
on and make some headway. The faculty deserves it, and this will have to be made a very high
priority for the budget next year in order to retain the outstanding faculty that is here. This is one
goal that has not been met.

       President Todd said that when you look at attracting and developing distinguished
faculty, some initiatives have been done which, in his opinion, have helped the process. They
are things that will help in recruiting. You do not read about the ones recruited. You read more
about the ones that leave the University. A good set of faculty is being recruited, and through the
process, the administration has realized that there are some things that need to be done in order to
be more competitive in the market place, and they have been willing to make those changes.

Goal IV. Discover, Share, and Apply New Knowledge

       President Todd said that when you get into the area of discover, share, and apply new
knowledge, one of the measures of Goal IV is federal research dollars. These are the dollars that
are competitive dollars. These are not earmarked. These are not state funds. These are the
funds for which you have to go head to head with the top universities. Back in 2001, UK set its
CPE goals. Thanks to the faculty and the research administration, UK has exceeded those
numbers substantially by a $100 to $120 million. He said that the administration thinks that the
University is on track to get $140 million, and this is a real challenge for UK in that the NIH
budget is not going up like it was, and the NSF budget is not going up like it was. He noted that
Dr. Baldwin is measuring proposal output and trying to encourage faculty to go for the money
that pays the overhead. He thanked the congressional delegation for helping the University take
its federal earmarks from $5 million to $22.7 million in the last three or four years. That allows
UK to kick off initiatives that it otherwise would not be able to do. He said the University is
very indebted to that delegation.

       When you look at doctoral enrollment and degrees awarded, UK is behind in that goal.
There is work to do to get there. Doctoral enrollment is short about 175 students, and doctoral
enrollment has got to increase.

       President Todd reported that the measure for postdoctoral enrollment has already been
exceeded. The number really does follow federal research funding and other research funding
because hiring postdoctoral students is how to get research done and how to lay the groundwork
for writing the next proposals. Being able to track postdoctoral fellows is important, and UK
gets a gold star for that one.




 




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Goal V. Nurture Diversity of Thought, Culture, Gender, and Ethnicity

      President Todd said that Goal V is nurturing diversity of thought, culture, gender and
ethnicity. He reviewed the measures of progress, the decreases, and the constant. He pointed out
that with respect to the undergraduate enrollment, UK's target is 7 percent. UK was at 5.9
percent last year and 5.4 percent this year even though there was a 30 percent increase in
African-American freshmen last year and a 20 percent increase in African-American freshman
this year. Overall application rates are up 13 percent, but applications for African-Americans are
up 31 percent.

      He noted that undergraduate retention has gone up, and the six-year graduation rate has
gone up 6 percentage points. He applauded multicultural affairs, counseling advising, and
faculty members for the work that they have done in this arena. Such statistics are for the
student resident. That is how this goal is measured, and this is a set of data that has been put in
place for the "Kentucky" plan for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education. It is one that is
measured at CPE, and certain things happen if you do not make it. There is some accountability
on this one.

      President Todd reviewed the area of faculty and staff and said that UK has done
reasonably well in the female faculty, executive, administrator, and managerial categories. It has
not done well with African-American hiring. This is an area that must continue to be pursued.
Some funds to try to encourage recruiting and retention have been allotted for that measure.
There is work to do here.

Goal VI. Elevate the Quality of Life for Kentuckians

      President Todd said that Goal VI is to elevate the quality of life. One of the fundamental
premises of House Bill 1 was improving per captital income. The other thing was to try to
reduce the brain drain and to keep our own people. The University has had five new start-up
companies in 2003 and 2004. There was only one in 2002-03, three in 2001-02, and one in
2000-2001. He said that not only are participants allowed to get patents and get their companies
started, but UK is also trying to put funding mechanisms in place with the Lexington Venture
Club and the Bluegrass Angels. Some efforts in the venture capital arena need to be pursued.
These are exciting companies, and many of them are located in ASTeCC, an on-sight incubator
where companies can be started where their developers work and where the developers can hire
their students.

      President Todd said that one of the big things on the agenda for the quality of life
measure is the patient bed tower. Dr. Karpf and his team are working hard to put together a plan
that will be brought to the Board before the end of the year. If you go throughout Eastern
Kentucky, the importance of healthcare that comes out of the Medical Center is paramount to
many of those communities. The facility is needed.




 




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       Another measure is patent output, and the numbers are up. He said that there are some
very meaningful patents happening now, and he is glad to see that number up. It is well ahead of
the goal, and that goal may need to be readjusted.

       President Todd talked about public service expenditures. He said that extramural
competitive funding has gone up by about $32 million to $33 million. He called attention to the
total UK spent and said that these are categories being tracked. He mentioned that UK is up
$120 million in certain areas of public service.

       President Todd talked about a couple of exciting things that have happened this year.
One is the appointment of a joint faculty member between Dentistry and Agriculture. That
faculty member will be working with extension agents trying to improve oral health across
Kentucky. Another is a Fine Arts agent in the extension office in Pikeville. This is an area
where the University can reach out and help change the culture of some communities.

       All told, five of the key indicators have already been achieved. He said that he feels if
UK has already met a goal, it needs to set a new one. This is not a plan that has to be rigid for
three years. He said that he plans to revisit some of the goals.

       President Todd reported that the University made good progress on 17 of the measures.
There was little or no progress in 4 other categories. One of the categories measured in U.S.
News and World Report and other places is the number of faculty in the National Academy of
Science other national academies. UK has not made any progress there. The administration is
trying to put some strategies in place to focus on cultivating existing faculty so they can make it
into those higher echelons but is also considering how some distinguished faculty might be
recruited. That is something that is in the works.

       President Todd said that this report will be given to the Board each year. He said that he
would be glad to answer any questions.

       Mr. Wilcoxson asked if any kind of an indicator for class size goals could be set within
the plan with all the new students coming to the University.

       President Todd replied that it is measured. That is part of some of the other measures that
are out there.

       Mr. Wilcoxson asked if the information was available to the Board.

       President Todd said that it can be done. He mentioned a discussion at the recent
Governor's Trusteeship Conference. Higher education enrollments are going up across the
nation, and higher education budgets are going down. Some things that suffer are class size and
faculty salaries.

       President Todd reminded the Board of their suggestion at the Board retreat to invite the
deans to make a presentation at Board meetings and discuss their colleges' activities. He asked




 




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Deans Scott Smith, College of Agriculture, and Dean Sharon Turner, College of Dentistry, to
come forward and make their presentations.

       G.    College of Agriculture Report

       Dean Scott Smith thanked President Todd and said it was a pleasure to have an
opportunity to speak to the Board about the College of Agriculture. He said that he would love
to talk to the Board for two or three hours about the College, however he understood the time
constraints. He said that he would be brief and presented the following report about the College
of Agriculture:

       The College of Agriculture's recent Strategic Plan states that it will be recognized for
       fostering excellence in:
                 * Learning that changes lives,
                 * Discoveries that change the world, and
                 * Opportunities that shape the future.
       This is to be realized through the full integration of research, teaching, and extension that
       is unique to the College of Agriculture.

       The mission of the College is also directed and channeled by mandated programs both at
       the state and federal level. The Commonwealth of Kentucky mandates responsibilities
       and funding for the Cooperative Extension Service, the Agricultural Experiment Station,
       the Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center, and Regulatory Services. At the federal level a
       national network of agricultural research and extension, led by the USDA, imposes
       additional mandates on our College.

       The land-grant mission and the mandated programs give the College (and the University)
       a statewide presence, with Extension offices in all 120 counties and with multiple
       research stations.

       The advancement of the College's research stature is suggested by an increase in
       extramural funding from approximately $6 million in 1997 to over $23 million in 2004.
       Areas of research distinction or targets of opportunity include:
                 *  Plant sciences
                 *  Animal health and agrosecurity
                 *  Forage-livestock systems
                 *  Food systems
                 *  Natural resource sciences
                 *  Leadership and community development.

       Student enrollment has shown steady growth over the long term with considerable
       success achieved by innovative interdisciplinary majors like Agricultural Biotechnology
       and Natural Resource Conservation. The recent merger with Human Environmental
       Scie