3:51 p.m., May 13, 2009----The University of Delaware's Board of Trustees approved a slate of new officers, preliminary work on a new science and engineering building, and other resolutions during its semiannual meeting held Tuesday, May 12, in the Trabant University Center.

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A. Gilchrist Sparks was unanimously approved to serve as the next chairman of the board after an announcement by current chairman, Howard E. Cosgrove, that he has decided to step down.

Cosgrove, who will serve as chairman of the board for Commencement on May 30, will continue to serve as a member of the Board of Trustees.

Joining Sparks as Board of Trustees officers for 2009-2010 will be John R. Cochran and Mary Jane Willis, as vice chairs, and Carey M. Koppenhaver will continue to serve as secretary-treasurer.

Chrysler property

Before conducting its regular meeting, the board held an executive session during which it approved a resolution authorizing an ad hoc committee composed of Cosgrove, Sparks, Bobby Fischer, Tom Burns, Chris Schell and Scott Green, to make an offer for the acquisition of the Chrysler Assembly Plant and adjoining MOPAR parts distribution center.

The resolution noted, “The Board finds this to be of great importance to the University and beneficial to the City of Newark and the State of Delaware.”

New science, engineering labs

The board also approved the spending of $7 million on preliminary planning for a new building that would house science and engineering laboratories. The overall expected construction cost is $130 million, which will come from UD operations and restricted gift support.

“The last lab building was built in 1993, and at the time a substantial amount of state support was there,” Cosgrove said. “With the current economic situation, we realize as an institution that we are not going to have that type of support.”

University President Patrick Harker said that the project must move forward regardless of the current economic situation.

“We're now taking this commitment to environmental leadership further, planning for the Delaware Environmental Institute, which will integrate environmental science, engineering and policy to meet our most pressing challenges,” Harker said. “It will be an interdisciplinary institute, involving the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Engineering, the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and the College of Earth, Ocean and Environment.”

The Delaware Environmental Institute will be housed in the new Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building, a 150,000-square-foot facility that the University hopes to have completed by the spring of 2013, Harker said.

“It makes sense that UD's renowned Energy Institute will join the Environmental Institute there,” Harker said. “Scientists, engineers, educators and policymakers in energy and the environment have to be close to one another, physically close, if we're going to fully capitalize on all the sustainability expertise we have residing at the University.”

Spring semester accomplishments

In his report to the board, Harker highlighted the University's accomplishments during the past semester, including dealing with the H1N1 flu that affected the University's Newark campus in April.

“The virus was diagnosed on campus rather early on, as national health and safety protocols were still being formulated,” Harker said. “The significant number of hours that the administration has dedicated to planning really paid off.”

By working as a team with the Centers for Disease Control, the Delaware Division of Public Health and Christiana Care, Harker said the University was able to make and communicate decisions and promptly provide needed information to students, faculty and staff.

Harker credited the University's ability to meet the H1N1 flu situation in a timely manner to a new administrative model in which deans and directors are empowered to identify the priorities for their colleges and units while meeting their own strategic goals as part of the larger goals outlined in the University's Path to Prominence^TM strategic plan.

“These are, undeniably, the best people, the best experts, to do this work,” Harker said. “Empowering leadership will enlarge a culture of responsibility at UD and drive our most important imperative -- to have an impact and achieve excellence in everything we do.”

Leadership in research

Helping the University to pursue its stated goals, Harker said, is the work of the Office of Economic Innovation & Partnerships (OEIP). Headed by David Weir, OEIP goals include getting more research out of the lab and more science on the street as it builds a bioscience hub with the potential to benefit the health and well-being of First State residents while securing the region's economic competitiveness.

“Last month, the National Institutes of Health announced the renewal of Delaware's IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) grant,” Harker said. “The five year, $17.4 million grant -- focusing on cancer, cardiovascular and neuroscience research -- seeds four new research centers, four new Ph.D. programs, 80 graduate students and 150 undergraduates statewide.”

Led by the Delaware Biotechnology Institute (DBI) at the University of Delaware, INBRE is one of the largest biomedical research programs in Delaware and will help UD and its partners -- Delaware State University, Delaware Technical and Community College, Nemours, Christiana Care and Wesley College -- expand the state's pipeline of biomedical personnel while strengthening its infrastructure, Harker said.

Another key element in the University's pursuit of its core mission, goals and competencies, Harker said, is to make UD a national and international resource for environmental research, technology, education and policy.

“We're now preparing to install solar panels on campus buildings,” Harker said. “It will be the world's largest university-based solar installation, and it is being made possible by the Class of 2009, which is continuing a tradition of generous giving to the sustainability cause.”

The announcement of a $17.5 million U.S. Department of Energy grant to develop catalytic technologies for converting biomass into chemicals, electricity and fuels will help the achieve it goals of becoming a leader in the field of sustainable energy development, Harker said.

Impact and engagement

Harker also told board members about the efforts of the University's Diversity Task Force and the formation of the Diversity Action Council to implement the provisions of its blueprint for enhancing and institutionalizing diversity on campus.

“The quality of UD rests entirely on the quality of its students, faculty and staff,” Harker said. “The University will never be greater than the people who compose it.”

Harker also noted pending changes in key academic and administrative positions, including:

• Michael Gamel-McCormick, as dean of the College of Education and Public Policy;
• Kathleen Matt, as the new dean of the College of Health Sciences; and
• Bernard Muir, who will serve as UD new athletic and recreation services director, effective July 1.

In announcing the new leadership positions, Harker thanked Edgar Johnson, who is stepping down as athletic director.

He also said he looks forward to working with Tom Apple, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, who will become provost on July 1 as Dan Rich returns to the faculty.

“I thank Edgar Johnson for a quarter-century of passionate leadership, and he was at the helm during sweeping program changes and unprecedented athletic success,” Harker said. “I welcome Tom Apple to the position of provost. He knows as well as anyone that he is taking over from one of the best [Dan Rich], but I know as well as anyone that he'll do an extraordinary job.”

A reception honoring Rich, who will return to the faculty as University Professor of Public Policy in the College of Education and Public Policy, was held in Clayton Hall after the adjournment of the board meeting.

Fee increases and approved resolutions

Also at the meeting, the Board of Trustees approved resolutions setting new rates for room and board and adding a housing fee for Winter Session.

For example, the cost of the 19-meal-a-week plan will go up $150 to $1,825 per semester, and the cost of a traditional multiple residence hall room will increase $338 to $5,466 for the year. New rates are effective with the fall 2009 semester. The board also approved a $500 fee for housing during Winter Session, effective January 2010.

Also approved were increases in the Student Health Service fee (up $9 per semester to $242), health fee increases for Winter Session (up $2 to $64) and Summer Session (up $3 to $87).

In other action, the board approved the following resolutions:

• Changing the name of the Department of Individual and Family Studies to the Department of Human Development and Family Studies;
• Granting permanent status to the Bachelor of Science in Health Studies degree, the Master of Science in Organizational Effectiveness Development and Change (OEDC) and the Master in Business Administration/Master of Science in OEDC, and the Bachelor of Science in Information Systems;
• Forming the new College of Earth, Ocean and Environment, from the merger of the Department of Geography and the College of Marine and Earth Studies;
• Authorizing the administration to proceed with the Gilbert Complex and Annex demolition project;
• Expressing gratitude for the generosity of Mrs. Wilhelmina Laird Craven, who created a charitable lead annuity trust for the University in the amount of $600,000;
• Expressing gratitude for the generosity of AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP for a gift of $150,000 in support of Healthy Hens, a program designed to meet the health and wellness needs of University of Delaware students;
• Amending the Audit Visiting Committee charter to reflect its current policies and procedures;
• Approving changes in the investment policy; and
• Authorizing the president to confer degrees at Commencement on May 30.

The board also approved the re-election of Dennis E. Klima to serve a six-year term to expire in 2015, and the election of Teagan R. Gregory, as a recent graduate trustee for a one-year term that will expire in May 2010.

Article by Jerry Rhodes
Photo by Kathy F. Atkinson