The UCA Board of Trustees updated its contract policy to increase the specified amount for approval from $250,000 to $500,000 during its Dec. 2 meeting in Wingo Hall.
The updated policy requires board members to vote on the approval of contracts if they are over $500,000 compared to the previously lower threshold. The specified amount has not been updated since it was set in 2009.
The policy passed 6-1, with member Kay Hinkle as the only objector. “With all due respect, I’m still uncomfortable with it,” Hinkle said.
Additionally, the board renewed a contract with Watermark, an education insight consultant, which helps with academics, course evaluations and related software.
The board approved the October revised budget, which had a slight increase in income due to money from the UCA Foundation. The original fiscal year 2023 budget was $190,532,330 versus the October revised budget of $191,144,489.
The budget showed money being used for scholarships was below the projected amount. The original budget allocated $30,060,589 for scholarships and fee waivers, while the updated budget allocated less than half at $14,288,556. The original projection for cost was $27,802,657.
Interim Vice President of Finance and Administration Terry Canino said the decrease was due to a drop in enrollment.
“That is just due to enrollment decline. We have not changed our scholarships, we have not capped them … we’re just a little lower in enrollment.”
The maintenance and operation line of the budget was over budget by $2,595,960, which Canino said is because “it has just been a crazy year.”
President Houston Davis said, “We continue to wrestle with things like McAlister having to be re-roofed and the opportunities that come with redoing that building. Harrin having to be de-molded, de-moisturized and Burdick just having to be rethought.”
The board was notified by Patricia Poulter, dean of the honors college, of the deletion of the Master of Arts in history as well as the Graduate Certificate and Master of Arts program in Spanish.
“Deletion of long-standing academic programs is never a decision taken lightly,” Poulter said. “We’ve received many notes and some emails, there were several conversations over the course of several months to make this decision. But doing so never negates meaningful and transformational teaching and learning that has taken place.”
The chair of the board, Terry Fiddler, said, “When things like this happen, it’s not because of personal politics, it’s because we make this university a better place.”
Board member Robert ‘Bunny’ Adcock nominated new members for its 2023 term: Curtis Barnett, chairman; Amy Denton, vice chairman; and Michael Stanton, secretary.
“For everyone in the future — congratulations, condolences, one of those C-words,” Fiddler said.
The board passed a resolution of appreciation for Adcock, citing his work on the Integrated Health Sciences building, the Windgate Fine and Performing Arts Center, his time on the board and his work on the Lewis Science Center, among other things.
“Yes, Bunny was blessed financially, but there are a lot of people who are blessed financially that do not do anything to help others,” Fiddler said. “He’s not one of those. He and Carol have given and given and given.”
Two students were awarded with the Bear C.L.A.W.S. award, short for “celebrating the lofty achievements of our wonderful students.”
The students awarded the Bear C.L.A.W.S. awards were senior Ricardo Gonzalez Guevara, a health services administration major, and sophomore Trenton Rhodes, a double major in music education and music composition.
Finally, newly crowned Miss UCA Jada Simpson was honored.
“I am so very humbled and grateful to be serving as your Miss UCA this year,” Simpson said. “My plans are to share my social impact initiative in as many schools and community settings as possible while also representing the best university.”