The Longwood University Board of Visitors during its meeting June 14-15 took the following actions:
- approved an Internal Operating Budget for fiscal 2007-08. Planned expenditures for the coming fiscal year are about $83.5 million.
- approved the 2008-2010 Biennium Budget operating requests. Among the requests are proposals to initiate a nursing program and a Master of Social Work program, fund 10 faculty positions, and fund four safety and security positions and implement emergency mass communications systems.
- approved allocating up to $400,000 from the General Auxiliary Reserve Fund to demolish South Tabb. A 2001 report found that it would cost far more to repair than to replace South Tabb, last used as a residence hall in spring 2006. Built in 1912 and once the infirmary, the building has never undergone a major renovation. Current plans call for the site to be landscaped as open space.
- approved making Longwood a tobacco-free campus by July 1, 2008.
- approved a description of Visiting Professorships. This is an effort to define titles given to one-year faculty appointees who have credentials that would normally qualify them for tenure-track positions.
- approved a resolution designating the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts as a permanent entity of Longwood University. A resolution of permanence is a prerequisite to accreditation from the American Association of Museums, the national professional accrediting body for all U.S. museums.
- approved an easement to the Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative (MBC) for its new fiber optic network through Southside Virginia. The network, which will consist of more than 700 miles, will traverse the Longwood campus. The MBC, of which Longwood is a founding member, is a not-for-profit group seeking to revitalize the regional economy of Southside Virginia.
- approved changes to the Faculty Senate Bylaws, the Student Handbook, and the Board of Visitors’ Bylaws.
- approved expanding the Board from 11 to 13 members. This proposal will be taken to the General Assembly and Governor for approval during the 2008 legislative session. The expansion is expected to provide more diversity and wider regional representation.
- elected Marge Connelly rector, Otis Brown vice rector, Susan Soza secretary and Dr. Helen Warriner-Burke at-large member of the Executive Committee.
