Board of Supervisors Transition for Spring

On the second floor of the Hyatt Regency in New Orleans, Louisiana, the twelfth board meeting of 2016 approved a host of ambitious raises, appointments and measures that many students will come to see throughout the year.
On November 25, the Board of Supervisors meeting began at 9 AM with its routine call to order, roll call, and adoption of the agenda.
Afterwards, the meeting was opened for public comments and several students and faculty members approached the podium in support of Dr. Lisa Mims-Devezin as the Chancellor of Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO).
President of the faculty senate at SUNO, Dr. Cynthia Ramirez spoke on behalf of the faculty senate and stated that a letter was written in support of Mims becoming the new Chancellor.
The floor was then opened for presentations, one of which consisted of the Commissioner of the Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control. The commissioner was present to thank the board for its cooperation in efforts of allowing alcohol to be served at different University sporting events.
The meeting proceeded as Dr. Tarver announced that his tenure as the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors was coming to an end.
After serving for two years, Tarver thanked everyone present for allowing him to fulfill the position.
“It’s been an extraordinary opportunity once again to have served my University. Its been a great pleasure and a great challenge to serve with my colleagues, the public, students, and also the state and the nation,” said Tarver.
The board also participated in electing its officers for 2017.
Mrs. Ann Smith was nominated and chosen as the Chairman of the board for 2017.
“I did ask you to allow me to become your servant as the chair of the board and you’ve afforded me that opportunity, so now I am requesting your continued support so that we, together, can move this great system of Southern University to a higher level,” said Smith.
Along with Smith assuming the new position, Reverend Donald Ray Henry was nominated as the Vice Chairman of the board in the new year.
“Southern University is waiting on everyone in this room,” Henry began.
“Examine yourself and ask yourself are you really fully participating on the high calling of representing Southern University,” Henry went on to say.
The Board of Supervisors then proceeded to vote on several action items on the agenda.
Those items included the approval of three endowed professorships; The Joy Clemens Endowed Clinical Professorship, The Louisiana Outside Counsel Louis A. Berry Endowed Professorship, and The Louisiana Outside Counsel Judge Freddie L. Pitcher, Jr. Endowed Professorship.
All professorships, which consist of a position permanently paid for with the proceeds from a donation, were approved.
In addition, it was approved to award an Honorary Doctoral Degree of Humane Letters to Xernona Clayton. Clayton is a broadcast executive and civil rights leader with a plethora of achievements and contributions to the world.
The certification of SUBR candidates for the Fall 2016 graduating class was approved in addition to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) and the Southern University Law Center (SULC) for the SULC Study Away in the Caribbean Program.
The approval to use prior year funds at SUBR for new community use washing and drying machines in residential halls and apartments, the installation of new air conditioning units in Boley Hall and the installation of new air conditioning units in the University apartments was passed in a memorandum penned by Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, Dr. Brandon K. Dumas, to President-Chancellor, Dr. Ray L. Belton.
Lastly, the request to improve the sidewalks, pavement and potholes along E.C. Harrison Street as a part of the Small Capitol Project was passed.
In the second portion of the meeting, the Board of Supervisors voted on new appointments and replacements to the positions of Dean of College of Humanities and Interdisciplinary Studies (COH) , Sciences and Engineering and Government and Social Sciences.
The Board appointed Dr. Cynthia Bryant as the new Dean of the COH and Dr. Patrick Carriere as the Dean of College of Sciences and Engineering.
The appointment of Dr. Carriere was met with some pushback by board members after being confronted with what some saw as a pay increase.
When it came to the appointment of Dr. Damien Ejigiri, the board entered into executive session to discuss the appointment before subsequently approving it.
“As it relates to the current dean salary was it adjusted upward?” asked board member Myron K. Lawson, “Or is this consistent with what the previous Dean was making?”
The Dean of the College of Engineering has a salary of 127,398 dollars while the Dean of Science rakes in 103,000 dollars.
Provost and Executive Vice-President for Academic Affairs, Dr. M. Christopher Brown II, agreed that this was a cost saving measure as the new Dean over both the engineering and science schools would be making only 7,000 more a year.
Southern University Baton Rouge President-Chancellor, Dr. Ray L. Belton, defended the salary increase stating, “We’re asking them to assume more responsibility in that regard so this salary does reflect an adjustment.”
This led board member Tony M. Clayton to warn Brown about his statement.
“You guys got to be careful when you say that,” said board member Tony Clayton, “In fact that’s not, right?”
According to chair, Dr. Leon Tarver II, the current Dean of the College of Engineering would step down. A decision about whether to maintain his current salary has yet to be made.
“So, it’s not a hundred thousand dollars savings as Mr. Brown is shaking his head as if it were,” said Clayton.
Lastly, Dr. Verjanis Peoples was appointed as the new Director of the School of Education, coming as a surprise to some of those in attendance.
Peoples, who is Grambling alumni and former Dean of the College of Education, had initially applied to the position of Dean of Humanities and Interdisciplinary Studies.
In a memorandum sent from chair of the Humanities and Interdisciplinary Search Committee, Dr. Damien Ejigiri, Peoples scored the least amount of points with weaknesses in the areas of vision, management and resolving conflicts.
The board meeting ended with an overview of information items and updates on the NCAA, Priority Projects, President’s report and campus reports.
Interim Athletic Director and head basketball coach, Roman Banks, presented to the board an update on the state of Southern University’s Baton Rouge campus athletics and the progress that’s been made.
The Board of Supervisors’ last meeting of the year will be held in December. A definitive date has not yet been determined.

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