The Bear Ledger

Steven W. Runge was named Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs today during a special teleconference meeting of the UCA Board of Trustees. Runge had served as Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs since February 27, 2012.

The board unanimously approved a resolution making the appointment.

“It’s fun to know I’ll be able to continue working with these great people to continue to move the university forward,” Runge said.

In a brief presentation to the board, UCA President Tom Courtway spoke about Runge’s experience working at the university starting in the classroom as an assistant professor in 1991 and why he supports Runge’s appointment.

“For 367 days, he’s had a job interview. He’s performed the job as interim provost and vice president of academic affairs for that length of time. He’s done his job admirably, honestly and to the best of his ability, and I think he possesses all the qualifications that this university needs for the position of provost and vice president of academic affairs,” he stated. “In short, in my opinion, he has earned the job.”

Courtway said he consulted with the UCA Faculty Senate about his decision to make the recommendation to the board that Runge be appointed. That body concurred.

Kevin Browne, president of the UCA Faculty Senate, said during the meeting, “We widely and deeply appreciate the job that Dr. Runge has done.”

“It’s very humbling for me to be recognized by the faculty senate and by the president when there are so many other people doing great things at the university,” Runge said.

As provost and vice president for academic affairs, Runge now oversees each of the university’s six academic colleges, the graduate school, the Norbert O. Schedler Honors College, as well as other university divisions.

“I think it’s a really good opportunity for me to continue the work we have started over the last year,” Runge said pointing to the implementation of the new UCA general education core and the doctorate of nursing practice degree as examples.

Runge joined UCA as an assistant professor in the Department of Biology in 1991, earning the rank of associate professor in 1995 and the rank of professor in 2004. Runge was appointed interim chair of the Department of Biology in 2003, with a subsequent appointment to the chair in 2004. He served in this capacity until 2009 when he was appointed as interim dean of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and he assumed the position of dean of the college in July 2010.

Unrestricted cash in the Education and General (E&G) and Auxiliary fund is about $7.2 million more than at this time a year ago, as reported to the UCA Board of Trustees Friday, February 22, 2013.

In its first meeting of 2013, the Board of Trustees learned that the January 2013 E&G and Auxiliary fund recorded a balance of $41.8 million compared to January 2012 with $34.6 million. Diane Newton, vice president of finance and administration, reported the figures to the Board of Trustees.

In making the report, she said, “All indications are that we will have a healthy year end, and we’ll have opportunities to do some great things with these year-end funds.”

The unrestricted/unallocated reserves have consistently grown since the 2010 fiscal year. A UCA administrational goal was to rebuild these reserves after facing a financial crisis in 2008 that included an $8 million credit line, which was repaid in January 2010.

“I think it shows UCA moving in a positive direction,” said Victor Green, chair of the Board of Trustees. “We’re excited about what the future holds.”

Board members offered no questions about the financial report, citing its representation of a positive future for the institution.

“When I came aboard four years ago, we had no money. We had to take out a line of credit,” said Bobby Reynolds, member of the Board of Trustees. “This is wonderful. The best thing about it is we’ve gone from about a negative cash position to where we are now.”

The Board of Trustees also took the following actions:

• Approved naming the UCA Honors College as the Norbert O. Schedler Honors College. The honors college was founded in 1982 under the direction of Dr. Scheduler.

• Approved a resolution recognizing Bobby Reynolds for his service as chair of the Board of Trustees in 2012.

• Approved a fraud policy. The fraud policy provides guidelines for employees, vendors, or any person or entity associated with the university to report suspected fraud, as well as the investigation of the reported fraudulent act.

• Approved a room and board increase for 2013-2014 to $2,756 per semester, an overall increase of 2.98 percent. This increase will result in students paying an additional $80 per semester.

A significantly revised General Education Program will begin in Fall 2013. The UCA Board of Trustees were formally notified at their February 22, 2013 meeting.

The UCA Core employs a four-year plan to develop and assess the outcomes of critical inquiry, diversity, communication, and responsible living as students complete the four levels of the program: foundation, lower division core, upper-division core, and a capstone experience. The foundation and lower-division core will be fully implemented for new freshmen starting in Fall 2013, and the upper-division core and capstone experiences will be implemented by individual degree programs and departments over the next three academic years.

“None of this could have been accomplished without the outstanding work of the General Education Council led by Dr. Conrad Shumaker. The General Education Council took a proposal generated through the exceptional efforts of the General Education Task Force, led by Mr. Art Lichtenstein, and turned it into a functional plan that will enhance the education of our students and help us define what it is that makes UCA and a UCA education distinctive,” said Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Steve Runge in a January 18, 2013 campus email. “My sincerest thanks to each of them and to all of you who participated in the process and made this a true campus effort.”