BUSINESS BEFORE THE BOARD: BOV to Discuss Rankings, Data Science School, Richard Bland College
W&M’s governing body will talk goals, plans for upcoming school year
The College of William and Mary’s Board of Visitors, a 17-member governing body whose gubernatorial-appointed members set broad administrative policies for the College, released complementary documents that it will use as part of its annual summer retreat this week.
According to the new information released on onboard.com, a service frequently utilized by the board, the board is bringing in Bill Ryan to facilitate discussions between the board and College President Katherine Rowe. Ryan, an outside consultant who specializes in conducting governance training for nonprofits, served as a research fellow at Harvard University — where he received a Master’s in Public Administration.
The board will then discuss the Steering Committee for the Computing, Data Science & Applied Science Initiative’s final report. Provost Peggy Agouris created the committee in January 2023 and tasked it with “exploring the possibilities for an autonomous academic entity for the computing, data and applied sciences at William & Mary.”
Faculty members from various departments serve on the Steering Committee, while Arts and Sciences Dean Suzanne Raitt and Vice Provost for Academic Affairs David Yalof serve as co-chairs.
The committee released its final report on June 12, 2023, after the initial deadline of the end of the Spring 2023 semester. The 98-page document details feedback and options for a new school for Data Science, Computer Science, Applied Science and Physics.
According to onboard, the board will primarily discuss the executive summary of the report.
“The Steering Committee was never charged with providing a specific recommendation, and – in line with our charge – this report analyzes and discusses ‘options for moving forward,’” the full report concludes. “We hope it will be useful for the Provost and for the entire W&M community as decisions are made on the next steps.”
For the last part of Wednesday, the board will discuss the College’s rankings, specifically as assessed by the U.S. News & World Report. According to a new document titled “BOV Rankings Deep Dive,” the College’s leadership team thinks “time is ripe for Board engagement on this topic.”
The document criticizes USNWR’s ranking methodology.
“USNWR formulas are now volatile in ways that may be adverse for W&M,” the document adds. “Beyond the laudable emphasis on social mobility, their formulas run against key commitments of this university.”
It concludes by stating several options that the team says the board should consider: “withdrawing from the rankings to make a splash (despite lacking good information); taking negative news in September when it comes; preparing our community by asserting what we believe matters, though it may not count to USNWR.”
The College currently ranks 41st in USNWR’s national universities ranking. Forbes’ college rankings also put the College at the 41st spot.
For Thursday, the last day of the retreat, the board will discuss plans for Richard Bland College of William and Mary. The Petersburg-based junior college is under the governance of the William and Mary BOV, despite little to no administrative connections with William and Mary. RBC and the board unsuccessfully attempted to establish a new, independent governing board for the institution, following the failure of their legislation to advance through the state legislature.
According to onboard, the board will discuss RBC’s six-year plan, including future attempts to change the governance structure, as well as RBC’s plans to increase tuition and costs.
“In a delicate balance to stay true to the College’s commitment to serve first-generation and/or students from underserved populations and remain affordable, yet negate the impact of inflation the following tuition model was presented to and approved by the William & Mary Board of Visitors,” the report says of RBC’s upcoming plans, which will raise mandatory fees by 3% and tuition by 5%. The RBC Foundation awarded $300,000 in scholarships for the upcoming fiscal year to offset tuition increases and anticipates similar awards for the 2024 fiscal year.
The board will then conclude its summer retreat with “Governance Session IV: Practices of the Board.”
“The meetings are open to the public, but there will be no opportunity for public comment,” says the press release announcing the retreat last Thursday.