The Oakland University Board of Trustees held their final meeting for the 2014 year on Dec. 1. Several important agreements and budgets were approved along with presentations provided by President George Hynd and Dean of the School of Business Michael Mazzeo.

Check out the top seven takeaways from the meeting.

1. The approval of a real estate agreement and partnership between the Oakland University School of Nursing and Focus: HOPE. The agreement will allow programs within the school to be relocated to the Detroit based organization. The agreement presented by Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost James Lentini will provide an OU presence in Detroit along with valuable educational experiences.

Focus: HOPE is an organization that strives to provide “solutions to problems associated with hunger, economic disparity, inadequate education as well as racial divisiveness,” according to the partnership proposal.

2. Approval of an agreement between the university and the Oakland University Campus Maintenance and Trades (OUCMT) union. The three-year collective bargaining agreement was approved within the union by a vote of 57 to 54. OUCMT is comprised of skilled trades workers such as mechanics, painters, plumbers as well as different housing, grounds and facilities custodians and mail clerks.

3. Approval of Authorization for Residential and Retail Food Services on Campus through Compass Group North America-Chartwells. A New York based company, Chartwells will be serving the university for ten years and fund $7,820,000 in capital investment projects including renovations to the food court, a mobile food truck, updates to the Vandenberg cafeteria, a lower level dining facility and renovated coffee shop in the Oakland Center and renovations and updates to each satellite food operation.

4. Approval of the Meadow Brook Hall projected 2014 year-end budget performance and proposed budget for 2015. The projected museum revenue for 2014 is $493,000 and projected net revenue of $450,800.

5. Approval of the Golf and Learning Center Operating Budget. Some highlights of the 2014 year included 33,000 rounds of golf were played and 663 full status golf registrations.

6. President Hynd gave a presentation to the board. Hynd said he has been working on meeting with supporters of OU within and outside of the community. Upcoming meetings with alumni and recent meetings with local government officials from Rochester, Rochester Hills and Auburn Hills were included in the report.

Hynd stressed the importance of making connections with local constituents through internships for students in local government and local officials teaching at the university. OU will be part of a plan to revitalize downtown Pontiac. “Pontiac moving forward is the term for the initiative,” Hynd said.

7. Dean Mazzeo’s report to the board. Mazzeo cited some of the accomplished faculty within the School of Business Administration, including Mark Simon, Professor of the Year for the State of Michigan. He also said that the school has shown increases in undergraduate and graduate students and this year had, “the highest enrollment ever in the School of Business at 2,916 students.” Mazzeo noted that they are on track to continue these increases.