April 3, 2007 |
2007-R-0301 | |
QUESTIONS FOR UCONN BOARD OF TRUSTEES NOMINEES | ||
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By: Rute Pinhel, Research Analyst | ||
• The board consists of 21 members.
• The governor appoints 12 members who serve staggered, six-year terms. Students elect two members, one undergraduate and one graduate, who serve staggered, two-year terms. Alumni elect two members to staggered, four-year terms.
• The governor; agriculture, economic and community development, and education commissioners; and the chairman of the UConn Health Center Board of Trustees are ex-officio members.
• One chamber confirms.
• The board makes rules for governing the university and develops a mission statement for it, including the role and scope of each branch campus. It establishes schools, colleges, divisions, and departments within the university. It oversees the financing and construction of UConn 2000. The board coordinates branch and institutional services and programs and makes recommendations on closing or merging campuses. It sets tuition and fees. It promotes fund raising and establishes gift policies for its foundation.
QUESTIONS FOR REAPPOINTED NOMINEES
1. What special skills or experience do you bring to the board that can help it fulfill its mission? Are there any areas of board activity in which you are particularly interested?
2. UConn is performing below its peers in licensing and patent activity. Should the university be doing more to promote innovation and commercialization? If so, what strategies should it pursue?
3. The proposed partnership between the university and Dubai was recently put on hold due to legal and jurisdictional issues. Do you think the proposed collaboration would be advantageous to the university? Would you support this type of project in the future?
4. Many research universities have developed close relationships with the corporate world. How does the university reap the benefits of corporate support and avoid the pitfalls of corporate control? Does the board have any policy in this area? Should it?
5. The 2007 higher education accountability report indicates that while four-year graduation rates for the UConn-Storrs campus have been steadily increasing, the four-year graduation rates for minority students at Storrs have been decreasing. What do you think is causing this growing differential? What is the university doing to address this problem?
6. What role does the board play in establishing the university's mission? How might it evaluate the extent to which the university is accomplishing that mission?
7. StemCONN 2007, an international symposium on stem cell research held last week in Hartford, included several UConn participants. What role do you see UConn playing in human stem cell development? Should the university be doing more to support the development of stem cell research?
8. What are the greatest challenges facing UConn today? How is the board addressing them?
9. The governor has recommended $ 25 million in additional student financial aid for both public and private colleges. Where should UConn target this aid? How might the board promote the efficient and effective use of the additional resources?
10. UConn's enrollment has grown substantially over the past 10 years while the number of full-time faculty has remained relatively flat. This suggests larger classes or more part-time faculty. How has this trend affected students and faculty? Are its effects more pronounced in some academic areas than others?
RP: ts