Board of Directors Meeting Board Meeting Minutes.… · DRBU Board Meeting Minutes March 29, 2014 at BBM Page 3 of 5 dorms, classrooms, commercial kitchen, dining, gym, maintenance

Board of Directors Meeting March 29, 2014, 1:00 – 5:00 PM Berkeley Buddhist Monastery

Members Present

1. DM Jin Yan2. DM Jin Fan3. DM Jin Chuan4. DM Heng Chih, PhD5. DM Heng Liang6. DM Gwei7. DM Shr8. DM Heng Yin9. DM Je*

10. DM Heng Jiao11. John Chu12. Franklyn Wu13. Cynthia Chang, CPA14. Terri Nicolson15. Barbara Waugh*16. Yu-Chang (Jennifer) Chang, PhD17. Stacy Chen, PhD

Members absent 1. DM Heng Sure, PhD2. Ming-Lu Huang, MD

Ex-officio, Honorary & Guests Present 1. DM Hsien, PhD (Honorary Trustees)*2. Snjezana Akpinar, PhD (ex-officio, University President)3. Doug Powers (ex-officio, Provost)4. Wayne Chen5. Angela Justice

*Attended via Skype

Vice Chair conducting the meeting on behalf of DM Chih: Cynthia Chang

Minutes Recorded by: Heng Yin

Agenda:

1. Approve meeting minutes2. Schedule next Board meeting3. University report (30 min)4. WASC Action Letter (20 min)5. Budget for 2014-15 (30 min)6. Formation of Trusteeship Committee (15 min)7. Annual Board members election (15 min)8. Adjournment

Meeting Minutes

1. Approval of previous meeting minutes from November 16, 2013a. MOTION: To approve the minutes from November 16, 2013 meeting:

! Motioned by Heng Yin and seconded by Terri Nicholson! Unanimously approved

2. Scheduling next Board Meeting

Attachment 8.19 Board Meeting Minutes

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DRBU Board Meeting Minutes March 29, 2014 at BBM

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Next meeting date: August 16, 2014

3. University Reporta. Recruiting Update [Angela Justice]

i. Our University Relations effort is 80% focused on recruiting students, especiallylocal students. There are 76 high schools within 3 hours of DRBU = 20,000juniors/seniors. In last few weeks, Angela visited 18 high schools in Mendocino & Sonoma counties, meeting guidance counselors and teachers. DRBU has a 12 month plan to target sophomores/juniors who are still exploring, to follow up with interested students, to maximize personal direct contact with teachers, counselors, students, parents. Given that there are 38 million in California, DRBU will focus on West Coast and attend college fairs, build email list (detailed follow up tailored to students in different grades) and online presence.

ii. Our attraction: Liberal arts, broad based education, develop minds, small school,serene, easy to focus, direct contact with professors and classmates, activelyengage in classes, sense of community and academic rigor.

iii. Graduate students – adults not on tight timeline, harder to target, so DRBU willfocus more on building online presence,. Those interested in Buddhist studiesare interested in doing good in the world, so we plan to reach out to nonprofit organizations engaged in service and practice communities, Invite them to retreats and start follow up process. DM Chih suggested exploring Jewish and service organizations.

iv. Southern Cal tour – talks by DRBU faculty at UCLA, CalTech, Pasadena CityCollege, branch monasteries

v. Recruiting targets1. 2014 – 15 undergrads, 10 MA2. 2015 – 15 undergrads, 10 MA

vi. In 6 months plan to reach out to 100,000 high school students, narrow to pool of100 people; create feeder schools with counselors/teachers who know aboutDRBU and spot potential students

b. Taiwan delegation in Nov 2013i. A DRBU delegation visited Buddhist universities and monasteries in Taiwan;

strengthened relations with universities. “Buddhist Beyond Borders:Reanimating the Teachings” – Master Hua’s teaching essence of Dharma in the West, bringing it to life in the West. Taiwanese universities were quite interested in this alternative in between complete capitalism and traditional conservatism. Delegation was well received; dialogue about future of education in terms of virtue; liberal arts education is becoming rarer– our professors and theirs will continue the dialogue. Chinese traditional culture is still coherent in Taiwan – should not easily give it up. They did not understand the baggage of Western concepts e.g. productivity. Maintaining liberal arts in Taiwan important for Taiwan culture and society.

c. Women’s dorm renovation [DM Liang]i. Need to create a space for DRBU students to have a positive student life

experience and benefit from their program. It will be ready for fall incomingstudents. One wing is for 16 students, including other two wings it will house 40 women. Also includes basic common living areas.

d. Former Trinity school propertyi. DRBA Board property – Former Trinity property in West Ukiah (in escrow,

obtaining use permit). DRBU will likely assume management and programs forTrinity. Men’s housing – 40 or 50. Campus to hold extension program classes, retreats for beginning Buddhists (orientation) as a stepping stone to CTTB. Has

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dorms, classrooms, commercial kitchen, dining, gym, maintenance shop, baseball field. Originally a school for troubled kids started by Dominican sisters. Interface with local community important.

e. Lewis & Clark College and Eckerd College visit i. 36 college students came for spring break service retreat; became excited and

serious about cultivation; one applied to DRBU, one to SLTP. In general probably at least 1 out of 100 of those participating in such retreats would apply to DRBU; or SLTP or volunteer program. Kien, Jason, and DM Yi did the heavy lifting taking care of these students.

ii. Discussion: Extension program is very important – flexible and shorter programs allow potential students to spend time on campus before making decision to apply for degree program.

iii. We could possibly develop a for-credit “semester within” (vs semester abroad) or exchange program with other universities to experience Buddhist practice in a monastery.

f. Other announcements i. Major progress on University Health Services – together with schools hired nurse

practitioner Donna Farmer, 8 am - 5 pm 4 days/week at renovated CTTB clinic, to ensure health care and insurance for students, faculty/staff, and CTTB residents. She can make diagnoses and can prescribe medications and treatments. She is a great liaison with local public health and medical community.

ii. Posters on sessions are being designed to attract young adult audience iii. Chinese classics translation seminar to be held in August iv. Spike Morelli on board for tech infrastructure v. Cynthia Chang – applauded DRBU team for making the program a reality

4. WASC Action Letter [Franklyn Wu]

a. During a conference call, the WASC VP gave the preliminary result. Now DRBU has received a letter WASC action letter recognizing the work we have done, commending our application, and granting eligibility. DRBU has until Fall 2017 to achieve candidacy (hard deadline). The four criteria DRBU must satisfy are:

i. Transition from a Board with 12 of 19 associated members to a Board with a majority of independent Board members.

ii. Develop measurable learning outcomes iii. Expand beyond traditional classics to include exposure to contemporary scholars. iv. Achieve greater self-sufficiency

b. DRBU must submit letter of intent – Fall 2015 (latest) – giving our plan for compliance to WASC standards. Prepare for two WASC site visits – Fall 2016 (latest), Fall 2017 (candidacy)

c. For MAs who graduate in Fall 2015 (before we reach candidacy), we can do a small procedure to give them a degree with candidacy status. Pros of applying now – it is easier to be admitted now, as pioneer, than in 4 years; also no financial debt because we do not do student loans.

d. Need to be accredited to issue I-20s and get .edu website.

5. Budget for 2014-15 [Wayne Chen] a. See chart of budgeted & actual expenditures for 3 years b. General donations $455,784 this year includes

i. $200,000 anonymous donation ii. $1.4 million donation to DRBU over 7 years = $200K this year,

iii. $30K donation from elder laywoman in Seattle iv. $20K

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c. Development activity i. Culture foundation established in 2013 in Taiwan. A $5000 donation to the

Development Fund was successfully transferred to US without any deductions en route this year.

ii. 2014-15 DRBU pledges to bring in $602,560 d. Areas of budget increase

i. Payroll 1. New positions – director of Univ Relations, Health Services

Administrator, Professor and Assistant Professor (Skt), language instructor and writing tutors, several payroll adjustments

2. Rationale: a. Building out teaching capacity (since Bachelors program starting

next year) - MA – four classes now ; 1st year MA, 2nd year MA, 1st year BA – total 15 classes to staff.

b. 20% of program is language; language instructor will be teaching and creating program.

c. How are rates determined? Equality – everyone paid minimal amount, salaries mostly not raised

d. Majority of BA classes not developed – professor needs to take time to develop; senior professors also training younger faculty members

e. So first few years – need higher capacity in relation to student numbers; language instructors, writing tutors – need to assist professors who are also administrators, and to support extension/legacy program. Budget proposed by departments and reviewed by administrative council. Each faculty filled out questionnaire of their duties; salary dependent on 4 points (teach 4 classes or equivalent administrative duty or planning).

ii. Recruiting 1. this year’s major focus (last year was healthcare and IT (SIS, networking

upgrade)) 2. college fairs, travel cost, publicity materials, postage (to ensure we have

students by 2016 on campus) e. MOTION: to approve the budget

i. Approved DRBU annual budget 2014 to 2015 with total expenses US$1,406,135 (approved.)

6. Formation of Trusteeship Committee (15 min) [DM Chih delegates Franklyn to present]

a. attachment: DRBU Bylaws b. see article 2 section 9 (pg 4-5) on nomination and qualification of members); article 4

section 1 (pg 10) on general overview of standing committees; article 4 section 5 (pg 11-12) on committee on Trusteeship

c. WASC findings – Bylaws are in compliance. 12 of 19 are also members of DRBA Board (not in compliance with our bylaws and WASC policy). DRBU made commitment that in 3-5 years that a majority will not also be members of DRBA Board.

d. Any Board member can suggest a new member; Trusteeship Committee will investigate. e. Trustee requirements – majority must be unaffiliated (i.e. not an employee, not a family

member of university officer, not have financial interest) f. In the next year will be searching for appropriate new Trustees to make Board compliant

with bylaws; letter of intent in Fall 2015 will outline plan.

7. Annual Board members election (15 min)

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a. Current Trusteeship committee met and re-nominated everyone whose term is about to expire, for a new term [3 years]. (unanimously approved)

ii. Officers – Chair – DM Chih iii. Vice Chair – Cynthia Chang iv. Secretary - DM Liang

8. Transference and Adjournment

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Board of Directors Meeting September 13, 2014, 1:00 – 5:00 PM Berkeley Buddhist Monastery Members Present

1. DM Jin Yan 2. DM Jin Fan 3. DM Jin Chuan 4. DM Heng Chih, PhD* 5. DM Heng Liang 6. DM Heng Yin 7. DM Heng Je* 8. DM Heng Jiao

9. Terri Nicolson 10. Barbara Waugh 11. John Chu 12. Franklyn Wu 13. Yu-Chang (Jennifer) Chang, PhD* 14. Cynthia Chang, CPA 15. Stacy Chen, PhD

Ex-officio, Honorary, Staff & Guests Present

1. DM Hsien, PhD (Honorary Trustees)* 2. Snjezana Akpinar, PhD (ex-officio, University President) 3. Martin Verhoeven, PhD 4. Wayne Chen, Staff

Members absent

1. DM Heng Sure, PhD 2. Doug Powers (ex-officio, Provost) 3. Ming-Lu Huang, MD

*Attended via Skype Vice Chair conducting the meeting on behalf of DM Chih: Cynthia Chang Minutes Recorded by: Jin Jing Agenda:

1. Approve previous meeting minutes [5 min] 2. Schedule next Board meeting [10 min] 3. Appointment of University President [15 min] 4. Approve 2013-2014 Audit Report [15 min] 5. Renewal of 3-year Auditor Contract [15 min] 6. University Report [45 min] 7. Adjournment [2 min]

Meeting Minutes

1. Approval of previous meeting minutes from March 29th, 2014 a. MOTION: To approve the minutes from March 29th, 2014:

i. Motioned by Terri Nicolson and seconded by Heng Yin ii. Unanimously approved

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DRBU Board Meeting Minutes September 13, 2014 at BBM

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2. Scheduling next Board Meetinga. Next meeting dates: March 14, 2015 (Saturday at BBM); May 23rd, 2015 (Saturday

at CTTB) (May 22nd is the graduation); October 3rd, 2015 (Saturday at BBM).

3. Appointment of University Presidenta. Nomination from the Trustees Presidential Nominating Committee [DM Jin Fan]

i. Dr. Akpinar has retired as the University President. The Chair of the Boardappointed Dr. Rounds as the interim president. The TPNC has met andnominated Dr. Rounds as the new president for the University.

ii. TPNC consists of DM Fan, DM Yin, Terri Nicolson and Cynthia Chang and Dr.Huang, who was absent.

iii. Dr. Akpinar expressed her delight to have Dr. Rounds join the university asPresident, saying she is very qualified and will lead the university in the rightdirection. Dr. Akpinar will still be active as a faculty member.

iv. Cynthia Chang, on behalf of the Board, expressed the gratitude toward Dr.Akpinar for her many years of hard work and dedication to the University.

b. MOTION: To accept the nomination from TPNC and approve Dr. Rounds as thenew University President.

i. Motioned by DM Jin Fan and seconded by DM Heng Liangii. Unanimously approved

4. WASC Report [Franklyn Wu]a. New WASC Accreditation Process.

i. Letter received from WASC informing DRBU that it has until Fall 2017 toapply and be qualified for candidacy. In April 2014, DRBU was apprised of anew process of accreditation effective July, 2014. The timeline for a site visithas changed to 2 years since October 2013, when DRBU was grantedeligibility. The possible outcomes after the site visit are accreditation,candidacy, or rejection.

ii. Under the old process, the earliest time DRBU could become accredited is2019. Under the new process, DRBU could attain candidacy as early asDecember 2015 and full accreditation by 2017.

iii. During the site visit, the WASC site visit team will speak to Trustees on thefirst day, and the Board will be notified of the visit 6 months ahead of time.

iv. Discussions will be held and training materials will be provided to help Boardmembers better understand their role of governance.

v. Franklyn suggested that a committee be formed from the Board level to helpcoordinate the training and preparation for the site visit.

vi. MOTION: To approve DRBU to proceed and submit an application forWASC accreditationi. Motioned by Franklyn Wu; seconded by Terri Nicolson.

ii. Unanimously approved

5. Approve 2013-2014 Audit Reporta. Approval of the audit report [DM Jiao]

i. Wayne Chen recommends the approval of the 2013-2014 audit report. Cynthiasuggested that "IWR" is spelled out in the audit report. DRBU started the newMA program with 6 students this fall. Students are currently taking 3 classes:Buddhist classics (Sixth Patriarch’s Sutra), Language, and Hermeneutics.

ii. MOTION: To approve the 2013-2014 Audit Report1. Motioned by Cynthia Chang; seconded by DM Heng Liang.2. Unanimously approved

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6. Renewal of 3-year Auditor Contract

a. Audit contract renewal [DM Jiao] i. DRBU currently pays $6,500 for audit work, and the rate will increased $100

annually. If DRBU is accredited and audit work becomes more involved, the incremental rate per year might change.

ii. MOTION: To approve the renewal of audit contract 1. Motioned by DM Heng Jiao; seconded by Terri Nicolson. 2. Unanimously approved

7. University Report a. Academic Programs [Dr. Rounds]

i. The University was established since 1983. DRBU has a strong foundation. Ven. Hua emphasized the importance of education in the wisdom traditions.

ii. Currently, DRBU has 3 cohorts of students (1) 5 students from the pilot program have now moved to the new BA program; (2) 5 second-year MA students; (3) 7 students in the first year MA program. DRBU has dedicated faculty to work on the new program with great energy.

iii. WASC is concerned about how the University is assessing its own progress. DRBU has held workshops to develop rubrics to assess our outcomes.

iv. Dr. Rounds observed how students themselves have identified the areas of growth. They applied the pedagogy learned from one class to other classes. The University is filled with vibrant energy.

b. Campus Life [DM Jin Chuan and DM Heng Liang] i. Administration Council brought DM Chuan and Dr. Shari Epstein on board to

help with campus life. The Campus Life Committee is very well organized and has made substantial progress.

ii. DM Jin Chuan suggested that Board members visit classes. He spoke to a new BA student and was amazed by the depth and multiple levels of his learning, and how he could connect his learning to his everyday life.

iii. Campus life includes food, health, and residential services, as well as student activities and spiritual life. In general, it addresses students’ physical and psychological needs. Health facilities are well set up on campus now, with the exception of mental health services, which will be referred. We have a licensed nurse practitioner on campus. When the number of students increases, dining services may be reorganized. Angela Morelli is currently organizing student activities.

iv. Student Orientation: A Campus Life team assisted new students to navigate the University and provide them with practical information. The SIS (Student Information System) was demonstrated to students and they were helped with registration.

v. New student package: Campus Life and Admission Office compiled a package for new students with materials ranging from roommate preference to pre-reading for the first week of class.

c. Recruiting i. Immediate goal: The recruiting team has been developing a feeder system for

DRBU by visiting high schools to meet with counselors and key teachers so that they could refer interested students to DRBU. We have built a good foundation last year on this end.

ii. The most effective recruiting strategies so far utilized the DRBA community and our extended community.

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d. Extension Program i. DRBU held a summer Chinese Language and Translation Reading seminar for

students fluent in Chinese and English; their ages ranged from 14 to 65. ii. The program included individual preparation of text, reading seminar, group

work, and feedback from DM Chih. iii. Guest speakers: DM Heng Shun, DM Jin Yan, DM Jin Fan and DM Heng Syin

gave short talks regarding different aspects of translation including the Eight BTTS Guidelines and BTTS history.

e. Library i. The cataloging system in DRBU library is on-line. In searches, the cataloging

system displays not only the desired book but also adjacent books on the shelf. It has been a useful tool for University students.

f. Facilities i. DRBU will need more classrooms as student population increases.

g. Convocation i. At the beginning of the semester, students and faculty came together to officially

start the semester. Students filed into the Conference Room while the school song was played. Dr. Rounds, the Interim University President, Dr. Verhoeven, the Academic Dean, and DM Heng Liang, the Dean of Students, gave inspiring speeches.

h. Trinity Campus Purchase i. Ukiah has granted the use permit. We held a neighborhood meeting. The public hearing

after the meeting went well. Planning Dept., Fire Dept., neighbors and the DRBA Board all gave their approval. Within a few months (after the seller completes his work), we will close escrow. After the use permit conditions are met within 6-9 months, the building can be used.

8. Adjournment

c. Meeting adjourned at 3:30 pm. d. Next meeting will be held on March 29, 2015 (Saturday).

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Board of Directors Meeting March 14, 2015, 1:00 – 5:00 PM Berkeley Buddhist Monastery Members Present

1. DM Jin Yan 2. DM Jin Fan 3. DM Jin Chuan 4. DM Heng Chih, PhD* 5. DM Heng Liang 6. DM Heng Yin 7. DM Heng Je* 8. DM Heng Jiao

9. Terri Nicholson 10. Barbara Waugh* 11. John Chu 12. Franklyn Wu 13. Cynthia Chang, CPA 14. Stacy Chen, PhD 15. Ming-Lu Huang, MD* 16.

Ex-officio, Honorary & Guests Present

1. Snjezana Akpinar, PhD (ex-officio, former University President) 2. Martin Verhoeven, PhD 3. Susan Rounds, PhD (ex-officio, University President)

Members absent

1. DM Heng Sure, PhD 2. DM Heng Gwei 3. DM Heng Shr 4. Doug Powers (ex-officio, Provost) 5. Yu-Chang (Jennifer) Chang, PhD*

*Attended via Skype Vice Chair conducting the meeting on behalf of DM Chih: Cynthia Chang Minutes Recorded by: Heng Yin Agenda:

1. Approve meeting minutes [5 min] 2. Schedule next Board meeting [10 min] 3. University Report [45 min] 4. University 2015-2016 Budget [30 min] 5. WASC Accreditation Update [15 min] 6. Board Preparation for WASC Site Visit [30 min] 7. Adjournment

Meeting Minutes

1. Approval of previous meeting minutes from September 13th, 2014 a. MOTION: To approve the minutes from September 13th, 2014.

i. Moved by Heng Yin and seconded by Stacy ii. Unanimously approved

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2. Scheduling next Board Meeting 3. Next meeting dates:

a. May 23rd, 2015 (Saturday at CTTB; May 22nd is the graduation) b. October 3rd, 2015 (Saturday at BBM)

4. University Report (Dr. Rounds)

a. The BA/MA programs are exceeding expectations; the students are enthusiastic and, making progress.

b. DM Jin Chuan (student) shared that the MA program is well put together, incorporating academic scholarship while making Buddhism relevant and easy to understand. Study of Pali suttas and Sanskrit supports Dharma speaking and translation.

c. Wayne Chen showed video clips of student interviews for recruiting. d. Dr. Rounds reports that behind the successful academic program, people are working to

set up infrastructure, procedures, budget planning, staff evaluations. She is happy with the level of support from an incredible staff.

e. Progress towards accreditation – WASC liaison, Dr. Richard Winn, visited and toured DRBU, held a workshop for staff on what to expect. He was very positive and felt DRBU is well along the way for WASC visit on March 22, 2016.

f. Recruiting – Angela Justice has hosted campus visits and tours. Please direct interested people to us; it is crucial to get a cohort of 5 BA and 5 MA students.

g. Campus Life Committee is developing policies, student activities. They meet weekly using a process that lets everyone be heard.

h. Library – the Catalog is online; the Library Committee is working with the Librarian to set up plans for moving to the future new library building

i. Facilities – C Building is almost completely renovated. Students will move in April. The renovation is attractive but not flashy. It includes a meditation room, and 15 rooms (+22 in phase II), which will also be available to CTTB guests in summer.

j. Website – It will be revamped for recruiting purposes. A professional web developer has volunteered to code website, adding a “Giving” section

k. Development – A recent delegation to Taiwan visited four universities, forging solid relationships, which will lead to future contributions, students, support, and leadership exchange. DRBU has been meeting its development goal annually, not an easy task. It is now developing a campaign and working with DM Chih and Dr. Rounds to articulate our development goals; references and connections are welcome.

l. Cynthia Chang: We should talk to people during branch monastery events (especially BBM), and make short presentations, as well as talking to faculty and PTO’s of schools (go through Jin Jr Shr). We need a simple marketing sheet, FAQ to send to Board so they can input and spread the word.

5. University 2015-2016 Budget [Wayne Chen]

a. DRBU Budget – total expenditure $1,509,555 with DRBA Grant $749,295. b. Increase in tuition income $65k, increase of $85K in payroll c. Cynthia requested an updated organization chart. DRBU has a small student body but a

large staff. Wayne responded that the budget is based on needs for next year, which includes two new cohorts. DM Jiao: The budget reflects only paid staff; there is also donation in kind by volunteers. You could say some of the paid staff are also donating their time or taking a cut.

d. Each year the budget process is getting more accurate. e. Cynthia is glad to hear staff and faculty evaluation are being developed. f. Dr. Rounds reports that the faculty completes a form, and she meets with them, and also

considers student feedback and conferences; there is another process for staff evaluation.

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g. Cynthia: although salary is low, some qualified peers cannot find jobs. We also need to be responsible to Dharma supporters by having an evaluation process to retain most qualified staff; so I feel more comfortable with evaluation in place.

h. DM Fan – DVBS graduates not so likely to attend DRBU; some Chinese parents would be interested. DVBS graduates may be interested if DRBU is accredited. Over these years DRBU budget increased a lot (doubled in last 4 years); this year there is a smaller increase. Now we are investing money, but we also need to increase students. Once you increase hires, they stay in payroll if qualified; after DRBU is stable with core faculty for few years, hope the budget stabilizes. DRBA already provides the facilities for free.

i. Wayne - Development fund – last summer DRBU received $1 million endowment donation from Taiwan/HK. $85K was donated to women’s dorm project. Donors may also donate to a scholarship fund. With accreditation, DRBU can get federal financial aid/student loans, consistent annual fund support, and tuition income growth.

j. DM Yan – DRBU could put some effort in China; some Chinese prefer to support American rather than China-based schools.

k. DM Liang – much work was done to establish a foundation in Taiwan so donations can be made; this has not been done in China.

l. Dr. Hwang – it’s a good idea to expand donor base to China. DRBU needs connections. We currently focus on fostering donors in Taiwan and develop donors in the US.

m. Cynthia – We need to understand government regulations (in China). n. MOTION: to approve the budget:

i. Moved by DM Liang; seconded by Terri Nicholson ii. unanimously approved.

6. WASC Accreditation Report [Franklyn Wu]

a. On February 10, 2015, DRBU received a visit from staff liaison Richard Winn, who will assist the staff in the application for accreditation. Dr. Winn thought we’d be ready for site visit in 1 year, scheduled March 22-24, 2016.

b. The WASC process changed and now consists of a single combined review, upon which an institution can either become candidate, become accredited, or receive a denial. Zaytuna College in Berkeley was accredited several months after a single WASC visit; Franklyn visited Zaytuna, who graciously offered DRBU support and access to its documents.

c. By Dec 2015, DRBU must submit its self-study report. d. All Trustees need to be available on campus during the site visit, Mar. 22-24, 2016, to

meet with the WASC team. e. More contact between DRBU and Trustees will be fostered through documents and in-

person conversations. f. The accreditation team will mostly be evaluating the MA program, which will have

graduated its first cohort, so we need more MA students. g. DM Jin Chuang – Thomas Aquinas College has a handbook and a class on accreditation

for Board members, faculty, and students.

7. Board Preparation for WASC Site Visit a. Franklyn quizzed the Board on DRBU’s programs, uniqueness of faculty, the President’s

role, the Board’s composition, qualifications of trustees, standing committees and their duties, DRBA’s role, and other facts.

8. Next Meeting

a. Next meeting will be held on May 23, 2015 (Saturday), with a one hour WASC-prep workshop in the morning

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Board of Directors Meeting May 23, 2015, 8:00 – 11:00 AM City of Ten Thousand Buddhas

Members Present

1. DM Jin Fan 2. DM Jin Chuan 3. DM Heng Chih, PhD* 4. DM Heng Liang 5. DM Heng Yin 6. DM Heng Je* 7. DM Heng Jiao

8. Terri Nicholson 9. Barbara Waugh 10. Franklyn Wu 11. Cynthia Chang, CPA* 12. Stacy Chen, PhD 13. Ming-Lu Huang, MD

Ex-officio, Honorary & Guests Present

1. Susan Rounds, PhD (ex-officio, University President) Ex-officio, Honorary & Guests Absent

1. Snjezana Akpinar, PhD (ex-officio, former University President) 2. Martin Verhoeven, PhD 3. Doug Powers (ex-officio, Provost)

Members absent

1. DM Jin Yan 2. DM Heng Sure, PhD 3. DM Heng Gwei 4. DM Heng Shr 5. Yu-Chang (Jennifer) Chang, PhD*

*Attended via GotoMeeting

Univ. President conducting the meeting on behalf of DM Chih: Dr. Susan Rounds

Minutes Recorded by: Jin Jing

Agenda:

1. Approve meeting minutes [5 min] 2. Schedule next board meeting [10 min] 3. University report [15 min] 4. WASC Accreditation Workshop [90 min]

a. DRBU charter and bylaws b. WASC independent governing board policy

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DRBU Board Meeting Minutes May 23, 2015 at CTTB

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c. WASC report of Zaytuna College d. WASC site visit and sample questions

5. Election of trustees and officers [15 min] 6. Adjournment

Meeting Minutes

1. Approval of previous meeting minutes from March 14th, 2015

a. MOTION: To approve the minutes from March 14th, 2015 meeting as revised:

1. Move by Terri Nicolson; seconded by Dr. Huang 2. Unanimously approved

2. Scheduling next Board Meetings

a. Next meeting dates 1. November 7th, 2015 (1:00pm - 5:00pm, Saturday at BBM) 2. January 30th, 2016 (9:00am - 12:00pm, Saturday at BBM) 3. March 22 or 23, 2016 (CTTB; WASC visit, March 22-24, 2016)

3. University Report (Dr. S. Rounds)

a. Students Conference: Students shared their learning experiences for the past two years and their "interaction" with the primary texts through shared inquiries, DRBU's model and pedagogy.

b. Dr. Huang suggested to form an alumni association so that we can track their progress after graduation.

c. Recruiting: suggest to put more effort into recruiting internally in branch monasteries besides recruiting at high schools. We have more than ten students in the next BA and MA cohort in Fall 2015.

d. Women's dormitory: women students have moved into their new dormitory and are very pleased with the new facility. They have started to form a community there

e. 1-2-3 Building: DRBU plans to renovate this building and is in the process of interviewing architects. Once an architect is chosen, a budget will be proposed. The current DRBU building will not have sufficient classroom space beyond spring 2016. A Student Lounge has been converted to a classroom to accommodate the shortage of classrooms. The 1-2-3 Building renovation project is part of the CTTB Master Plan. The Development team will work on campaigns to raise funds for this project as well as a student scholarship fund.

4. WASC Workshop [Franklyn Wu]

a. Zaytuna College WASC Report – WASC’s report on their visit to ZC included the areas ZC needs to work on, as well as their strengths. ZC has strong founders, articulating their vision with charismatic leadership. Roles of administrative staff and trustees were blurry in the early days. However, they have changed this. Their Board of Trustees do not get involved in the operations of their university anymore, as they are separating the board members and administrators. Their

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idea is to have a self-perpetuating Board who will carry on the institution's vision long term. The WASC report listed several responsibilities of a board: strategic planning process, financial oversight and audit, annual evaluation of the president, and formal review and approval of the budget.

b. Dr. Huang suggested that we educate our Board members as to a trustee’s responsibilities and requirements.

c. DRBU Charter and Bylaws: i. The board discussed the presidential term, provisions for appointment of

the president, and review of the president based on the content of the DRBU Bylaws.

ii. Question: What is the common practice for other universities similar to our size? Answer: DRBU's protocol is adapted from St. Johns College (SJC) and Thomas Aquinas College (TAC). For some business schools, the term of the president is shorter. Others do not have a fixed term so that the president can serve longer. ZC's term is once a year; TA's is six years. It varies from institution to institution.

iii. WASC site visit - sample interview questions for the Board members: What compelled you to be a member of the board? What about DRBU are you most proud of as a Board member? How do you know if the Board is being effective? How does the Board ensure the long- term sustainability of DRBU? As a Board member, what keeps you up at night?

iv. The Board discussed the powers and duties of the DRBU Board under Article 3: board business, university governance, strategic planning and financial oversight.

v. The Board discussed the powers and duties of the DRBA Board as it relates to DRBU: DRBA established DRBU to further its educational mission. DRBA will continue to support DRBU in its long-term and short- term operations, including granting DRBU use of the grounds and facilities at CTTB and annual financial grants to sustain DRBU's operations. The DRBA Board also recognizes that the oversight of DRBU resides with DRBU professors and administrators as outlined in the University's Statement of Academic Freedom.

vi. Dr. S. Rounds talked about the evaluation process of the faculty members. She worked with the Dean of Academics in reference to faculty self- assessment, student conferences and student evaluations. Staff (non- teaching faculty) reviews were also conducted. The faculty is also very attentive to how the programs are running and to making adjustments to the program accordingly. Regarding any faculty or staff who do not meet the expected performance level, evidence will be collected and documented for further action.

vii. DRBU Strategic Plans: 1. Obtain WASC candidacy by 2018; 2. Implement academic programs; 3. Recruit and retain students; 4. Develop buildings and infrastructure of our university campus, another area of criteria for evaluating the University.

5. Election of Trustees

a. Discussion on forming an advisory board. There is an overlap of the DRBU and DRBA Board members. However, those members who have overlapping roles are

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very valuable to DRBU. Is it possible to place them on an advisory board so that they can continue to contribute to DRBU?

b. Dr. Huang encouraged the DRBU Board to train itself to be more functional and productive so that it can better contribute to DRBU.

c. MOTION: Nomination to re-elect DM Jin Fan, Dr. Huang, Cynthia Chang, Jennifer Chang and Terri Nicolson as Board members.

i. Motioned by Franklyn Wu and seconded by Barbara Waugh ii. Unanimously approved

d. MOTION: Nomination to elect DM Chih as the Chair, Cynthia Chang as the Vice-chair, DM Liang as the Secretary.

i. Moved by Franklyn Wu and seconded by Terri Nicholson ii. Unanimously approved

6. Next Meeting a. Next meeting will be held on November 7th, 2015 (Saturday) at BBM from

1:00pm - 5:00pm

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Board of Trustees Meeting November 07, 2015, 1:00 – 5:00 PM Berkeley Buddhist Monastery Members Present

1. DM Heng Chih, PhD, Chair 2. DM Jin Fan* 3. DM Jin Chuan 4. DM Heng Liang 5. DM Heng Jiao 6. Ronald Epstein, PhD 7. Terri Nicholson 8. Ming-Lu Huang, MD*

9. Fu Jing Shiue, PhD* 10. Cynthia Chang, CPA 11. Stacy Chen, PhD 12. Maureen Dorney, JD 13. Carol Ruth Silver, JD

Ex-officio, Staff, Honorary & Guests Present 1. Snjezana Akpinar, PhD (ex-officio, University President Emerita) 2. Susan Rounds, PhD (ex-officio, University President) 3. Franklyn Wu 4. Wayne Chen 5. Petra Lambersen

Members absent

1. Rev. Heng Sure, PhD 2. DM Heng Shr 3. Yu-Chang (Jennifer) Chang, PhD 4. Doug Powers (ex-officio, Provost) 5. Martin Verhoeven, PhD (ex-officio, Dean of Academics)

*Attended via Skype Minutes Recorded by: Heng Liang Agenda:

1. Approve meeting minutes [5 min] 2. Election of new trustees [30 min] 3. Schedule 2016 Board meetings [10 min] 4. University report [30 min], Susan Rounds 5. WASC report and preparation [30 min], Franklyn Wu 6. Review and approve 2014-15 audit report [15 min] 7. Adjournment

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DRBU Board Meeting Minutes November 07, 2015 at BBM

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Meeting Minutes

1. Approval of previous meeting minutes from previous meeting a. MOTION: To approve the minutes from May 23, 2015 meeting as revised:

i. Revision: Wayne Chen attended as Board staff. ii. Moved by Terri Nicholson and seconded by Cynthia Chang.

iii. Unanimously approved.

2. Special Elections a. Franklyn Wu reviewed with the Board its Bylaws, Article 2, Section 9 ("at large”

definition). b. The following non-“at large” members resigned within the past year:

i. DM Yan ii. DM Je

iii. DM Yin iv. John Chu v. Franklyn Wu

vi. Barbara Waugh c. Not re-elected to the Board

i. DM Gwei d. To fill the vacancies, the Nominations Committee submitted nominations to the Board

and a Special Election called for this meeting. Nominees present introduced themselves. i. Helen Woo (declined the nomination; not present)

ii. Ronald Epstein, Ph.D., was closely involved in the establishment and development of DRBU. He is currently a Lecturer Emeritus at San Francisco State University and Professor Emeritus at DRBU

iii. Maureen Dorney, is currently an attorney in Palo Alto, California. Was an advisor to the DRBU Board when working on the current Bylaws.

iv. Fu Jing Shiue, Ph.D., recently retired as President of National Taipei University, and was the keynote speaker at DRBU’s 2015 Commencement Ceremony.

v. Carol Ruth Silver was formerly an attorney. This will be her first experience working with DRBU. She was involved in establishing the first Instilling Goodness School in San Francisco.

vi. Nipun Mehta. (Mr. Mehta declined the nomination at this time.) e. Nominees left the room and a slate Motion of all nominees presented was proposed by

Cynthia Chang; 2nd by Heng Liang. Ronald Epstein, Maureen Dorney, Fu Jing Shiue, and Carol Ruth Silver were all unanimously elected to the Board.

Newly-elected members joined the Board Meeting at this time. 3. Scheduling 2016 Board Meetings

a. The following meeting dates/times/places were selected for 2016: 1. January 30, 2016, 9:00-12:00 (Saturday) at BBM 2. March 22 or 23, 2016 (Tuesday/Wednesday) at CTTB (for WASC visit) 3. May 28, 2016, 9:00-11:00 am, (Saturday) at CTTB day after DRBU Commencement 4. November 5, 2016, 1:00-5:00, BBM (Saturday), Annual Elections

4. University Report (Dr. Rounds)

a. Currently, DRBU has 3 cohorts of students [11 in BA1, 10 in MA1, 6 in MA2), with a total of 27 students.

b. New faculty and staff are: i. Lauren Bausch, Ph.D. in Sanskrit, UC Berkeley

ii. DM Yin, MA in Chinese Studies, UC Berkeley iii. DM Jiao, MA in Chinese Studies and Translation from SFSU

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iv. James Roberts and Huali Yuan, both have DRBU M.A. Degrees in Buddhist Classics (1st graduating class), are teaching Comparative Hermeneutics and Chinese Language this semester, respectively.

c. Now in week 12 of Fall 2015 academic programs. Much positive energy among students; they are happy about the programs.

d. Committee on Instruction meets every week to work on issues of assessment and academic support. PLO’s [handouts]. Available space is filled to the maximum, including classrooms, support spaces, and offices. Men’s housing is full and we need to find more housing for them. Campus Life team is working hard to support the academic learning and planning extracurricular events. Considering future options for dining, because it might not be sustainable to tag onto the monastic dining operations and DRBU might need to partner with IGDVS. DM Chuan and DM Yin are male and female Chaplains, respectively, and lead daily meditation.

e. Much work has been done on administrative policies and procedures, drafting and implementation.

f. Campus Life committee is developing policies, student activities. They meet weekly using a process in which every member is heard.

g. Facilities [Wayne Chen] i. The new DRBU Women’s Dorm is completely occupied and in use.

ii. The future DRBU Building’s (65,000sf, currently know as the 1,2,3 Bldg) architectural design for renovation and upgrading is underway. The South Wing renovation will be publicized for donors who wish to support it. We have discussed the possibility of running a contest for naming the building. Initially, we will use descriptive names. We need to draft criteria for choosing names in the future.

h. Development [Wayne Chen] i. Traditionally, one of the functions of a Board is to make suggestions and

connections. ii. Every year DRBU commits to raising a significant portion of the annual budget.

2010-2015, $4.5m has been raised in donations, and we have approximately $3m in endowments.

iii. This year, we are committed to raising $250,000, and have raised $30,000 so far. iv. We are working on a broader development campaign, which includes launching a

new Web-site with a “Support” section that will allow people to make on-line contributions. We now have permission from the DRBA Board to receive donations on-line through PayPal, which will be activated shortly after Thanksgiving. We will acknowledge donations, which will be tax deductible.

v. A DRBU delegation, consisting of DM Sure, Wayne, and Ron Epstein, will be going to Taiwan soon for general development and outreach.

5. WASC Report and Preparation (Franklyn Wu)

a. Franklyn Wu distributed packets containing: DRBU Charter; DRBU Board Bylaws; WASC Policy on Independent Governing Boards; DRBU Bylaws Amendment; WASC Compliance; Handbook of Accreditation Revised; WASC “How to Become Accredited”; WASC Related Entities Policy; WASC 2013 Standards at a Glance; Visit Process Guide; WASC Letter of Intent; Conflict of Interest Statements for trustees to sign.

b. One of the things we need to think about for the January meeting is when we are going to conduct the University President’s review. The “term” of the President is set by the Board of Trustees; for example: Three-year term, renewable or non-renewable. The next thing will be to begin preparations for the March visit [4 months to prepare from the time of the meeting]. During the site visit, the WASC team will be talking with everyone here in groups or as individuals. It was suggested that the January meeting agenda be devoted to preparing for this, as well as a few action items, including setting a “term” for the

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President. It was suggested that the first part of the meeting be dedicated to discussing issues, and the second part to practice for the visit.

c. On March 21st [Monday], they will arrive at night to prepare in the hotel. On March 22nd [Tuesday], the WASC team will meet with the President and senior administrators. They will meet individually with Franklyn Wu. Then they will conduct a certain set of activities. They will have lunch with the “at large” Trustees only (either Tuesday or Wednesday).

d. It was requested that the above be placed on the next meeting’s agenda, including a term length for the President. Meanwhile, BOT staff will research comparable terms, ask Susan Rounds, etc.

6. Audit Report (DM Jiao and Cynthia Chang]

a. DM Chih requested a management letter to be presented to the Board of Trustees at the January 30th meeting.

b. Cash & Cash Equivalents i. Searched for a bank. Umqua doesn’t accept 3 check signers. Frequently, the cash

balance is low and not many banks to choose from. Redwood Credit Union requires institutional checking account. Will try Mendocino Credit Union. We have a responsibility to limit the liability.

c. Cynthia Chang motioned to approve the financial statement audit; Terri Nicholson 2nd. Unanimous approval.

7. Next Meeting

a. Next meeting will be held on January 30, 2016, 9:00am-12:00 noon (Saturday), at Berkeley Buddhist Monastery.

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Documents

Board of Directors Meeting Board Meeting Minutes.… · DRBU Board Meeting Minutes March 29, 2014 at BBM Page 3 of 5 dorms, classrooms, commercial kitchen, dining, gym, maintenance