Oakland University’s Board of Trustees (BOT) held its first Winter 2024 semester meeting on Feb. 2.
The creation of a data science undergraduate program, the renovation of a nursing simulation laboratory and the distribution of almost $151 million raised were some of the topics covered.
OU President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz opened the meeting with a minute of silence in memory of Professor of Philosophy Mark Rigstad, who passed away on Jan. 17.
“He offered compelling perspectives on ethical issues related to armed conflict. Today, and every day, we remember Mark, as a loyal and trusted friend,” Pezcovitz said.
President’s Report
Pescovitz began the president’s report by celebrating many “OU moments of pride.” The first was the OU campus ranking as the safest college campus in Michigan and seventh in the U.S., thanks to increased security funding.
“We added, thanks to your support, $655,000 in additional security measures and this was such a significant accomplishment that the Detroit Free Press on January 18 reported this in a front-page article,” she said.
Pescovitz also updated on Honorary Degree Recipients during the Fall Commencement of 2023. Wendall A. White, Walt Young, Donna Young and Glenn Ellis were the Honorary Degree Recipients.
“We are really proud that at Oakland University we confer honorary degrees to people whose noteworthy accomplishments have made a major impact on their communities, on their industries and in making the world a better place,” she said.
Pescovitz set the stage for the Dean of the School of Nursing Christopher Lance Coleman who delivered a report on the School of Nursing.
With an increase in student enrollment in pre-nursing and nursing programs, Coleman gave an overview of metrics regarding all nursing programs.
“Three hundred accelerated second-degree BSN students attend class weekly at the West Campus,” Coleman said. “Our bachelor of science in nursing program is the largest state-funded program in Michigan and has over a 90% retention rate and in 2023, 464 BSN graduates entered the nursing workforce.”
He also celebrated OU’s Forensic Nursing program, the only graduate program in the world that meets the AACN recommendation of 500 practice hours while meeting the requirements for certification as an Advanced Forensic Nurse by the Forensic Nursing Certification Board.
Coleman also congratulated the diverse efforts at the School of Nursing to support and ensure student success and mental health.
“Unique to the School of Nursing is we have a dedicated faculty member [as a] student success coach who works with nursing students on specific content, as well as student success strategies to ensure retention rates are 90% or higher on the undergraduate programs,” he said.
Also highlighted were the community engagement programs that increase student retention, and preparedness while diversifying clinical experience and job placement. Oakland Community College, Henry Ford Health and Corewell Health were the three major partners.
“To help meet the critical demand for nurses in Michigan, we have partnered with community colleges and health systems,” Coleman said. “We proudly have 624 affiliation agreements with a variety of community and clinical agencies all over the region.”
Coleman closed his presentation by listing future initiatives at the School of Nursing. The establishment of a National Institutes of Health research portfolio, a nurse scholar speaker series and the fortification of administrative infrastructure and research training were prioritized.
Vice-president Micahel J. Westfall offered an overview of the “Aspire. Advance. Achieve.” fundraising campaign, which surpassed the campaign goal by raising more than $151 million in six months ahead of schedule.
Among the key milestones were the 25 principal gifts of $1 million or greater and the seven national “Prime Officer” award winners from OU.
“Each year, Blackbaud software provider analyzes data to recognize the top 15% of university fundraisers nationally,” Westfall said. “In fiscal year 23, the most recent year, we set a new OU record by having seven members of our director of philanthropy team honored with this national award.”
Westfall also listed some of the projects funded by specific donors. He explained that the Ted Lindsay Foundation’s donation would be used for Autism Outreach services, Corewell’s gift would be used for the nursing simulation lab expansion and money raised during Oakland University Fund Drive would be used to establish 42 endowments.
Westfall thanked donors, the BOT, faculty, staff and the University Advancement team for the coordinated effort in the successful campaign.
“This campaign journey has been long, has been winding and ultimately successful due to your individual and collective efforts,” Westfall said. “Your greatest gift has been your resilience, no matter the challenge, you have always, always risen to the occasion.”
Proposal to create a Data Science Bachelor of Science
The BOT unanimously approved the School of Engineering and Computer Science’s proposal to create a new Bachelor of Science degree in data science.
Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs Britt Rios-Ellis explained the need for such a program at the national level while highlighting the fact that there are no public institutions in Oakland and Macomb counties providing such a degree.
“The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates a nationwide surge of 35.8% in data science job opportunities over the next decade,” Rios-Ellis said. “The sixth highest rate of expansion among all professions, accompanied by a median annual wage of $101,000 for data scientists.”
Associate Professor Debatosh Debnath explained that the new four-year program would offer students the preparation for local entry-level job opportunities with flexible specializations and possible multi-disciplinary double major programs. For Oakland University, the first-year investment would also yield a higher net revenue, making it profitable.
“Our projection is that the university will make a profit from this program for its first year of operation,” Debnath said. “That demonstrates or highlights that this is not only a program that has academic viability, but also that it will be financially successful.”
School of Nursing Simulation Laboratory Expansion
The BOT unanimously approved the School of Nursing Simulation Laboratory expansion.
Coleman returned to the stage to explain the need for the renovation of an underutilized computer lab in the Human Health Building.
“The space will consist of approximately 1651 square feet, which houses three new simulation rooms, including an operating room lab, two multipurpose labs and a control room with two-way communication between the facilitator and the students,” Coleman said.
Coleman explained that such a facility would comply with the “competency-based education standard” in which state-of-the-art mannequins are used for nursing students to practice real-life scenarios.
“The expansion will ensure the [OU] School of Nursing remains the university of choice for nursing education across all academic programs, provide additional learning space, decrease reliance on external space and expand interdisciplinary learning,” Coleman said.
New Items for Consideration/Action
Graduate Assistant for the Gender and Sexuality Center Joey Colby requested to commend and recognize Professor Tanisha Moir, Dr. Betty Tonui, and Dr. Angineh Djavadghazaryans.
He also requested that the OU administration and BOT incorporate and establish initiatives for hiring professors of color.
“I ask that the Board of Trustees please make stronger efforts to employ women of color into tenure track positions as well as into the administrative cabinet. We can and we must do better.”
The meeting was adjourned without any further comments from the public.
