Sonoma State University

March 8, 2019 Minutes SSE Board of Directors

Minutes

SONOMA STATE ENTERPRISES, INC.
Minutes
March 8, 2019

MEMBERS PRESENT:

Ms. Grace Anderson
Ms. Carley Chatterley
Ms. Christina Gamboa
Ms. Joanie Ly
Mr. Neil Markley, Ex-Officio
Mr. Fernando Mendoza
Ms. Amanda Visser, Ex-Officio
Ms. Joyce Lopes
Ms. Megan Varnadore
Dr. Lisa Vollendorf
Dr. Paula Lane
Dr. John Urbanski
Dr. Wm. Gregory Sawyer
Mr. Gordon McDougall

MEMBERS ABSENT:

Mr. Yale AbramsDr. Kyuho Lee
Dr. Judy K. Sakaki

OTHERS PRESENT:

Ms. Jessica Way
Ms. Nancy Keller

18.28 Call to Order Ms. Lopes

Ms. Joyce Lopes called the meeting to order at 2:05 p.m.

18.29 Approval of the December 14, 2018 Minutes Ms. Lopes

The minutes from December 14 were provided to the Board via email prior to the meeting. Dr. Vollendorf moved to approve the December 14 minutes and Ms. Megan Varnadore seconded the motion. The minutes were approved unanimously with no changes.

18.30 Approval of the February 18, 2019 Minutes Ms. Lopes

The minutes from February 18 were provided to the Board via email prior to the meeting. Ms. Megan Varnadore moved to approve the February 18 minutes and Ms. Grace Anderson seconded the motion. The minutes were approved unanimously with no changes.

18.32 Chief Academic Officer/Provost Report Dr. Vollendorf

Dr. Vollendorf reported that Sonoma State University is currently number one in the CSU system for transfer graduation rates. Sonoma State is going to begin accepting Spring and lower-division transfer students.

18.33 Vice President for Student Affairs Report Dr. Wm. Gregory Sawyer

Dr. Wm. Gregory Sawyer shared that the Student Affairs division of the university received recognition as a promising place to work in Student Affairs. He also noted that the Black Student Union will be meeting with himself and the Provost about the needs of students.

18.34 Associated Students Report Ms. Carley Chatterley

Ms. Carley Chatterley reported that two separate elections will take place for the Associated Students organization – one for executive officers and the other for senator positions. The Associated Students will be attending the California Higher Education Student Summit where they will share a number of policy changes they are currently working to complete. The students are part of a discussion to add a winter commencement.

18.35 Report from SSU Vice President for Administration and Finance/Chief Financial Officer and Chair of SSE Board of Directors Ms. Lopes

Ms. Lopes shared that the President will be signing the 2nd Nature Climate Contract. She also noted that we are in the process of hiring a new AVP for HR, the Petaluma apartments will be available soon, and new campus freshman residences are being discussed.

18.36 Chief Operating Officer’s Report Mr. Markley

  1. The Finance Committee is working to create a multi-year budget.
  2. Spring enrollment at Sonoma State is down and Fall is not looking promising. Enrollment impacts sales and, therefore, SSE’s budget.
  3. The loss of Tech High, which is leaving to make room for the Stevenson renovation, will also impact sales, about $175,000.
  4. After implementing our BPI recommendations, we are working with facilities to bring the Charlie Brown’s Café renovation cost down.
  5. We will be conducting tests to see if wait times have been improved at Charlie Brown’s.
  6. To assist in combatting food insecurity, food punch card donation boxes are now available at a number of venues.
  7. We are working on adding additional value to the meal plan. The Dining Advisory Group, made up of students, faculty, and staff, are providing suggestions to Culinary.
  8. A number of notable events in Culinary Services have taken place recently or are upcoming, such as the Mardi Gras lunch, Pi Day with the math club, and Sushi Surprise.
  9. We have launched the creation of end of year contribution report process for 2018/2019.
  10. We are looking into a cost recovery model in conjunction with EO1000 which will cause a $200,000 savings over five years. These savings, however, may be impacted by additional facilities expenses.
  11. A service-level agreement with facilities is being created. There will be a special addendum for Enterprises.
  12. After discussing how SSE can align itself with the University’s strategic plan at the February retreat, suggestions will be condensed and tactics will be created.
  13. A portion of our $75,000 gift to the campus will go towards enrollment conversion. A card with dining dollars will be provided to new students who placed early deposits.

18.37 Chief Financial Officer’s Report Ms. Visser

Ms. Visser reported that the Audit Committee met recently and discussed the audit process and timeline with Aldrich. The final CSU audit report will be shared once it is released. She also shared that our revenue was particularly robust this year, due to a large amount of conference revenue generated during the summer. She noted that Dr. Paula Lane is a new member of the Finance Committee.

18.38 Other Non-Action Items Ms. Lopes

None.

Meeting was adjourned at 2:55 p.m.