Board of Regents holds September committee meeting

Herald Staff

The Board of Regents met for their September committee meeting today in Mass Media & Technology Hall.

The finance and budget committee, academic affairs committee and executive committee all brought forth action items and information items.

SGA President Jay Todd Richey also took the oath of office to serve as Student Regent.

The finance and budget committee called for the approval of Action Item FB-1: Approval of Personnel Actions. The action was approved.

Actions items AA-1: Approval of Department of Physical Therapy and AA-2: Approval of Emeriti Appointments were also approved.

AA-1 requested approval to create a Department of Physical Therapy within the College of Health & Human Services effective July 1, 2016.

“It has been the university’s intention to create a Department of Physical Therapy within the College of Health & Human Services once a core group of faculty had been established and the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program had become fully accredited,” the item reads.

Action Item EX-1: Approval of Designated Rooms was approved. This item requested acceptance for naming the rooms/areas in honor of the contributions of donors for the Honors College-International Programs, Academic Complex, Gordon Ford College of Business and L.T. Smith Stadium.

Brian Meredith, chief enrollment and graduation officer, released the Fall 2015 Enrollment Report at the meeting.

According to the report, in Fall 2014 total enrollment was 20,174 and Fall 2015 total enrollment was 20,146. This indicates a loss of 32 students and a 0.2 percent difference.

“I would say that’s almost flat, I don’t know if it’d be a decline,” Meredith said.

Meredith said first-time freshman and transfer students are up. He said these two demographics are important for the growth of the university going forward.

“I think it enhances the diversity of our class, we’re receiving a very highly capable academically competitive class and they’re ready to hit the ground running,” he said.