Report on MSSM Board Mtg. Feb. 5, 2005 Adelphia, Augusta

Board Members Present:
Mike Edgecomb, David McCarthy, Nancy Violette, David King, Stanley Marshall, David Brown, Monroe Duboise, Joe Siddiqui, Ben Lofton, Absent: Peg Copelin, Bill Bergen, Danny Patterson (Chair Limestone School Committee), Paula Haddow, Susan Gendron (Commissioner, Dept. of Education), David Peterson

Observers:
Prospective Board Member: Sandy Goldman
Parents: David Haines, Sylvia Lowry, Steven Powell, Grace Bussey, Tamra Bergeron, Alice Chartrand
Alumni: Tom Giblin
Administration: Norma O'Keefe, Cathy Bowker, Nate Garner, Deb McGann
Staff: Linda Wilcox

(Note: items already covered in minutes of PAC meeting of Feb 5th will not be repeated here. In addition these notes are a mixture of official general board meeting proceedings and informal committee level discussions.)

Past minutes were reviewed by board and voted in.

Public Comment was held: Alice Chartrand asked that as monies become available/enrollment increases thought be put toward adding another humanities instructor position. Tom Giblin asked whether web posting for faculty positions could be broadened to include areas not presently vacant.

Executive director's report:

• Faculty/student recognition given
• Staffing:
  * Dr. Alice Bolstridge has returned as adjunct English Instructor
  * New Residential Director, Nicole Davis is an alumnus
  * MSSM Summer Camps 2005 will be codireted by Nate Gardner and Nicole Davis, with alumnus Tom Giblin as Academic Coordinator
  * Staffing needs: The following positions are being advertised so as to fill vacancies for existing job positions that will be vacant this fall: Executive Director, Dean of Residential Life, Dean of Admissions, Two full time English instructors , History Instructor, Residential Directors, Administrative Assistant to Executive Director
  * Alumnus and RD, TC Nguyen, is serving as temporary administrative assistant to Exec Director until new Ex Director is hired.
  
• Outreach:
  * Mr. David Dougan will hold a Chemical Safety Workshop with the EPA at MSSM March 8th. This will bring science teachers to the campus. * Mr. Pete Pederson has been running the East-West Math League, Question writing for Hancock Math League, and is training to be a state-wind mentor for AP Statistics Publicity:
• Publicity, Opportuniittes, and Activities listed and discussed
• Enrollment/Admissions Discussed: it was noted that fewer students are receiving financial aid and concern was expressed that possibly fewer students with financial need were applying

Committee Reports:

Academic/Residential Life: (Haines, Bussey, attended)

* Nancy Violette proposed faculty portfolios, which are used at Poland High School where she teaches.
* Nate Gardner will present a Residential Life policies draft by next meeting. Nate also said he was working on a book on MSSM's history- feels it's important to remember MSSM's heritage. David Haines offerred to help.
* Nate will contact Bruce Hancock for a copy of his school district's zero tolerance policy
* Concerns about college application process were brought up by students and discussed
* Alumnus Tom Giblin, currently writing his Ph. D. thesis in physics at Brown University, attended and described his visit to MSSM in October. He gave a lecture to the students on string theory. He also sat in on about 15 classes and met with students and faculty.

Finance Committee: (Lowry attended)

* Variance Report: a vent fan that was purchased and never used was sold to another school for several hundred dollars.Noted that many of the faculty perform activities beneficial for the MSSM without compensation/reimbursement.
* College counseling costs: concerns that cost per student is too high (annual budget amount is $50,021) and current program may not be producing desired results. Finance committee asked Mr. Siddiqui to conduct an independent evaluation of the college counseling program (spend up to $5,000 on it) and consider outsourcing the program. S. Marshall.recommended that evaluation begin with consulting the University of Maine which has resources in that area.. At the full board meeting the recommendation for a consultant was brought up by David McCarthy but no motion was made or passed.
* Concerns about attracting students with financial need.
* Contingencies: two sources of expenditures;about $2600 FROM old 941 (employers tax) report not filed. Tax was paid, penalties and interest are being contested. S. Marshall gave Linda W. an IRS contact in Augusta for help in getting that resolved. The other contingency expense was about $7000 from a grant that the previous director had applied for. Due to administration/staff turnover a required form was not filled out, so that MSSM was out of compliance and therefore not eligible to receive the federal grant dollars. This will be followed up on to see if there's any chance to recoup some of that grant.
* LCS has some complaints about the cost of the food service. M. Edgecomb to attend upcoming LCS Board meeing and is committed to retaining the present service.

* Insurance for off-campus May term participants is expensive. Students used to help pay for that (about $25 each), but finance committee thinks MSSM should cover all of it.

* Alumni events for a 10-year anniversary celebration: Rock Docs will play for free and also invite students to play with them. May possibly combine with graduation events.
* need for more grant and donation money, looking for someone within the MSSM community with grant writing skills.

External Relations: (Chartrand and Powell attended)

* Legislation was proposed by Paul Chartrand to free up constraints on Board seats (these might be seats now designated as Technology College, Un of Maine, ITV, making them general seats and thus easier to fill). There will be time for modification when this is in front of the educational committee. David McCarthy expressed reservations about designating a seat to go to a current parent.
* Not the best time to lobby for more funds. It will be helpful in the future for parents to let their senators and representatives know they want MSSM supported. Mike Edgecomb will let parents know when he wants help with this.

*Host family program needs a coordinator from Limestone area to be successful. D. King to look into asking Rotary to help sponsor. Nate feels athletic students needing to come for practice before school opens should be accomodated in the dorm.

Personnel: (Chartrand attended)

Chair wasn't present and there was no agenda. A faculty feedback form for evaluation of Exec Director was presented and discussed.

Executive Director Search Committee: see PAC minutes

Foundation Report

*MSSM newly formed student run Dormitory Council is to be given $2000 by the MSSM Foundation- less the roughtly $1,000 already spent for the Common Ground Fair (about $1,000) trip. When coupled with $2000 from the executive director's discretionary account the Dorm Council will have $4,000 to spend on behalf of the students.

*Stan Marshall encourages parents to use the MSSM Foundation for any donations so 1) donations can be tax deductible and 2) so the Foundation puts more money through it and looks better for outside funding agencies to see that we have a healthy Foundation to which parents are contributing. He will be sending a list of which subaccounts monies can be sent too (eg student activites, scholarships). He will also work on streamlining reimbursement of MSSMPG expenses by creating a voucher to be faxed along w/ receipts after approval by MSSMPG treasurer.

Parents' Advisory Group: David Haines thanked the Board for involving parents.

Next Meeting Date: Sat, April 9th, Limestone.