Meeting Summaries

Summary of Seattle University Board of Trustees Meeting September 15, 2022

September 16, 2022

The Board of Trustees conducted its annual fall meeting on September 15, 2022. The meeting was held in the Le Roux Room-Student Center 160. The following is a summary of the business conducted by the Board in general session.

University Representatives: The Board of Trustees welcomed Board of Regents representative, Mary Welch; Academic Assembly President Frank Shih; Staff Council President Kit Morse; SGSU President Braelyn Scheer; and GSC Chair Daniel Tamayo.

Welcome of New Trustee: The Board recognized new trustee Fr. Paul Fitzgerald, S.J., President of the University of San Francisco.

University Academic Leaders: The Board welcomed Dean Cynthia Dillard, College of Education; Dean Joe Phillips, Albers School of Business and Economics; Dean David Powers, College of Arts and Sciences; Dean Amit Shukla, College of Science and Engineering; Dean Kristen Swanson, College of Nursing; Dean Anthony Varona, School of Law; and Dean Sarah Watstein, Lemieux Library.

Mission Integration Committee: The Board engaged with Fr. Lucas Sharma, S.J., and Dr. Catherine Punsalan-Manlimos, VP for Mission Integration, on the process for the Mission Priority Examen in the coming year.

Advancement Committee: Committee Co-Chairs Maureen Brotherton and Brenda Christensen, along with VP for University Advancement, Edgar Gonzalez, engaged Trustees in a discussion around telling the story of Seattle University.

FY22 Results:  CFO Wilson Garone reported on the FY22 preliminary operating budget results.

FY23 Enrollment: CFO Wilson Garone and Melore Nielsen, VP for Enrollment Management, shared preliminary data on Fall ’22 enrollment and the FY23 operating budget.

Academic and Student Affairs Committee: Dr. Trish Henley, Associate Provost for Graduate, Online, and Professional Education, presented data and recommendations relating to the growth and development of graduate, professional, and online education at Seattle University.

Laudato Si’: Dr. Jeanette Rodriguez, Professor of Theology & Religious Studies, and Ms. Yolanda Cieters, Center for Environmental Justice and Sustainability, shared information about the University’s commitment and integration of Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si, which focuses on care for the natural environment and all people, as well as broader questions of the relationship between God, humans, and the Earth.

Following the meeting, several Trustees attended the Blessing and Dedication of 10:22 AM/The Four Girls by artist Hiawatha D., a gift made possible by a member of the Board of Trustees and their spouse.

The next meeting of the Board of Trustees is on November 17, 2022.