Board of trustees strategize at retreat
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McNamara
The MSU budget and the future of state appropriations dominated the Board of Trustees’ discussion during its annual retreat this week.
Bill Beekman, secretary of the Board of Trustees, said the board talked about all aspects of the budget while it was in Holland, Mich., from Sunday until Tuesday.
“There (was) a lot of strategizing about how we shift and adjust within the university to free up resources,” Beekman said. “We walked through the various options like being more efficient about using buildings and how to reduce health care.”
All of the trustees attended the retreat, along with Beekman, President Lou Anna K. Simon, Provost Kim Wilcox, Vice President for Finance and Operations Fred Poston and Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel Bob Noto. Bob Groves, vice president for University Advancement, attended the retreat to give a presentation, but didn’t stay in Holland, according to information from Beekman’s office.
Trustee Colleen McNamara said almost everything the board discussed was related to the budget.
“What we focused on almost completely was the really dire situation with the economy and how that’s affecting MSU and how the revenue from state appropriations will continue … to dwindle and how at the university we intend to deal with that while maintaining excellence,” she said.
Trustee Donald Nugent said the board combed through all areas of the budget, from purchasing to transportation costs and focused on some key questions.
“What do we have to do to maintain a quality education at the least possible cost?” Nugent said. “What kind of cuts do we have to make to not damage MSU and still be financially stable?”
Despite the discussions, Nugent said more time would be needed to plan for the future.
“It’ll take more than one or two days to get it all taken care of,” he said.
The board also toured the MSU Bioeconomy Institute, a facility that was given to MSU by Pfizer in 2007. Wilcox and Poston didn’t tour the plant since they had done so before. They left Holland on Monday night and the others stayed for Simon’s evaluation Tuesday, Beekman said.
Beekman had no comment on the evaluation and said it is a personnel matter.
McNamara said the facility in Holland was “terrific.”
“It was a place for us to do research and for them to be entrepreneurial,” she said. “It’s a beautiful facility, we’re lucky to have it. There’s very motivated community people who want to make this work, they worked with us to get there and they have a stake in making sure it succeeds.”
McNamara said the coming challenges would be tough.
“This was probably one of the most sobering retreats I’ve been at,” she said. “We have big challenges — the president wanted to make sure we understood. There will be hard things happening this year.”
Commentary
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Benjamin Campbell
(07/30/09 1:45pm)Report
they are trying to find money via being “more efficient about using buildings and how to reduce health care.” While wasting money and time on a Holland retreat? Are you kidding me?
Benjamin Campbell
(07/30/09 1:55pm)Report
one more thing, speaking as a “Boss” when its time to tighten your business’s collective belt, you should first tighten up your own. Looking for ways to cut money while on a Holland retreat just makes you look like giant buttholes.
ps If the job you took is so stressful that you think you have to take working retreats, I would submit to you that this may not be best job for yourself.
Health Care monopoly
(07/31/09 12:31am)Report
Let me break it down. Spectrum Hospitals of Grand Rapids and the wealthy conservative Amway families are using their muscle and money to bring msu’s medical school to Grand Rapids. Spectrum runs a very profitable non-profit and they don’t seem to even flinch with michigan’s economic depression a reality for almost everyone else in the state (except those employed in public or higher education or state government).
Expect to see more West michigan meetings related to the Secchia Center and the medical school because medical schools are huge money makers. They artificially keep the supply of lucrative licensed physicians low therefore they can charge monopoly like tuition fees at the medical school. Capital costs are likely overstated.
Benjamin Campbell
(07/31/09 10:04am)Report
It looks like this country is doomed. Its being killed by it own greed.
Click here for sanity confirmation
DJ
(08/01/09 12:45pm)Report
Joel Ferguson is involved in a Faustian bargain with the state government. The construction of the new michigan state police HQ is completely unnecessary, and will gouge the state for tens of millions of dollars to enrich mr. ferguson. As chairman of the Board of Trustees, he’s threatening to raze the current state police HQ to the ground to force out the state troopers. We have to lay off 100 state troopers we’re so broke. Resign mr. ferguson, resign before a conflict of interest lawsuit tears you dollar from wallet.
Zeke
(08/03/09 5:12pm)Report
At last we know who to blame for MSU’s budget woes: you. yes, you the voter. All of these imbeciles on the Board of Trustees feel entitled to take a luxurious vacation from the brutal confines of East Lansing so they can “plan” and “discuss” – basically, avoid doing any real work. And every one of them was voted in by voters from around the state.
Remember this well come next election. Vote out the idiots who spend money on gas, lodging, meals, and “business expenses” to meet somewhere OTHER than their jurisdiction – and then struggle to understand concepts like efficiency and fiscal responsibility.