April Board of Trustees Meeting Report
April 14, 2024
Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,
I write to report on the most recent Board of Trustees meetings, which took place here on campus on April 8-9.
Over the course of these two days, the Trustees met with senior administrators, and with our students, faculty, and staff through various committee meetings and events. Our Trustees continue to be critical partners in helping the university to plan for our ongoing success, and I’m grateful for their time and expertise.
The meeting’s plenary sessions focused on what we must do to create a thriving and sustainable Brandeis despite the headwinds facing higher education on the whole and our institution in particular. Provost Carol Fierke and I spoke at length with the Board about changes to our administrative and organizational structure to address such challenges. For example, we discussed the initial success of the Provost’s Finance Office and the Provost’s Advisory Council. The creation of a Provost’s Finance Office brings together senior financial managers from across the entire Academy into a single, unified team – demonstrating how important decision-making efficiencies can be realized while continuing to provide needed support to the schools by bringing together staff. The creation of the Provost’s Advisory Council is an important addition to the suite of stakeholder bodies on campus as we work with them to solicit advice and to communicate about plans.
We shared our plans of thinking broadly and into the future: implementing a 5-year hiring plan aligned with strategic growth areas, the critical goal of retaining talented faculty and staff, providing courses that appeal to students interested in preparing for their careers, and expanding experiential learning and summer learning options. We discussed at length the importance of improving the undergraduate student experience, including by developing a dean of the undergraduate college position, creating robust two-year residential communities, enhancing study abroad, and improving student retention and graduation rates. We talked about upcoming changes to graduate and professional education, including reviewing master’s programs to ensure we are meeting the needs of the marketplace, merging our two separate MBA programs into one based in the International Business School, and growing Brandeis Online to expand the reach of Brandeis beyond our campus. In addition, throughout all of the discussions, we spoke about breaking barriers to collaboration, whether this means collaboration among faculty in different disciplines, divisions, or schools, collaboration between Brandeis students and local companies, or among administrative offices with overlapping functions.
The Resources Committee met with the entire Board of Trustees rather than in a separate session. The Board reviewed the fiscal year 2024 forecast, which projects an operating deficit of $2M, and discussed the fiscal year 2025 budget. The Board voted to approve the FY2025 budget, including an increase in the endowment spend rate and the tuition, room and board rates (4.25%). With that budgetary guidance, the university can consider how to address its revenue projections. The Board also discussed progress on our plans for a new residence hall, our largest one ever. Currently, the university is in the process of identifying an architect and construction manager, with a selection committee headed by Vice President for Campus Planning and Operations Lois Stanley and Vice President of Student Affairs Andrea Dine. We will then move forward with a two-year construction phase. The expectation is that the building will be completed in advance of the Fall term of 2027. As part of this discussion, the Board approved the debt financing sufficient to pay for the building construction.
Dean of Admissions & Financial Aid Jennifer Walker presented on applications received and students admitted during this undergraduate admission cycle. She was able to share historical information about factors that influence applicants’ decisions for where to matriculate. As we are aware, the quality of our faculty and our academic reputation are positive factors for Brandeis. She provided information about trends in application volume at public vs private institutions, noting that public institutions have experienced the greatest application growth. She also shared information about market data pertaining to international applications and standardized tests.
I am pleased to share that the Board accepted the recommendations to grant the following faculty promotions and appointments:
- The promotion of Sarah Mayorga (Sociology) to the rank of Professor with tenure.
- The promotion of Raphael Schoenle (Economics) to the rank of Professor with Tenure.
- The promotion of Sheida Soleimani (Fine Arts) to the rank of Associate Professor with tenure.
- The promotion of Hannah Snyder (Psychology) to the rank of Associate Professor with tenure.
Please join me in congratulating Professors Mayorga, Schoenle, Soleimani, and Snyder. I am grateful for everything that these talented faculty members do for our community.
Highlights from the Board Committees
Academy Committee
At the Academy Committee meeting, Olga Papaemmanouil, Senior Associate Dean in the School of Arts and Sciences, shared an update on the ongoing review of the Brandeis Core. Thus far, the review committee has collected feedback through surveys and discussions with key stakeholders, and working groups will be convened over the next academic year to recommend changes to the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee and the faculty.
The Committee voted on recommendations for tenure and promotion to be voted on by the full Board.
The Committee also reviewed the faculty’s vote to update the Faculty Handbook so that all gender-specific pronouns in the handbook are replaced with gender-neutral pronouns. The Committee agreed that this was a grammatical change that does not require the approval of the full Board, and Carol Fierke was advised to share with the faculty that the change should move forward at once.
DEI Committee
The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee met on March 28. Vice President for Diversity Equity and Inclusion LeManuel Bitsóí shared information about the university’s current Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Principles.
He also shared a summary of the DEIS Impact Symposium, which brought together local, regional, and national scholars, practitioners, and the Brandeis community to explore the evolving narrative of “who is Jewish?” and how those within the greater Jewish diaspora, the Black community, and other communities can work together for social good.
The Committee discussed and voted on its mandate.
Investment Committee
The Investment Committee approved a commitment to a new private equity manager for the endowment. The Committee also discussed portfolio hedging strategies and approved a modification to the current strategy.
Institutional Advancement (IA) Committee
At the IA Committee meeting, Senior Vice President of Institutional Advancement Hannah Peters and Vice President of Development Stephen Rodriguez presented year-to-date fundraising results.
In short, fundraising remains strong and we are on target to exceed this year’s fundraising goal, set last spring. Brandeis has received three new endowed professorships, and achieved a four-year high for unrestricted cash giving, excluding Giving DEIS Day, which was postponed in October due to the October 7th attack on Israel. The comprehensive Campaign quiet phase is proceeding on schedule and fundraising is on track with projections to meet our goals.
Nominating and Governance Committee
The Nominating and Governance Committee reviewed and voted on renewal terms for trustees whose terms are expiring at Commencement, discussed trustee candidate recruitment, reviewed a number of trustee candidates, and engaged in a broad discussion on the current emeritus trustee system.
Risk Management and Audit Committee
The Risk Management and Audit Committee reviewed the audit plan from the university’s external auditor, RSM, and the multi-year audit plan from the university’s internal auditor, the Boston Consortium Internal Audit Group.
The internal audit team recently completed the annual review of senior management expenses and a departmental audit of the Student Financial Services function. Both audits were completed with no reportable issues.
The committee reviewed the IRS Form 990 focusing on a number of tax code related issues. The 990 will be filed on May 15th.
The committee also discussed technology issues, including cybersecurity initiatives and trustee email accounts. The group received an update from Chief Matt Rushton on security matters and an update on the decision to move forward with a new captive insurance program for Liability and Property insurance.
Student Life Committee
Vice President of Student Affairs Andrea Dine shared improvements that have been made to the housing selection process, including moving selection earlier in the semester, streamlining the accommodation process, and updating communication. In addition, she shared information about changes in Dining Services, which now features an all-access food plan, which has mitigated food insecurity for residential students. They also discussed additions to allergen identification and labeling, and Halal certification. Student feedback has been positive in these regards.
Addie Wyman, Director of the Brandeis Counseling Center (BCC), presented on trends in mental health challenges among college-age students and utilization of BCC services at Brandeis. She advised the committee on changes in services to support students. The BCC is working to address these challenges with several initiatives including: training programs for staff, faculty, and student leaders on mental health issues, suicide prevention, and restorative justice; developing close relationships with Newton Wellesley Hospital; and placing importance on training for BCC staff and campus partners.
Many thanks again to the Board members for their staunch commitment to Brandeis, and thanks, too, to our staff, faculty, and students for their critical perspectives on where our university is now, and where we should be headed.
Sincerely,
Ron Liebowitz