UNIVERSITY CORPORATION FOR ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH

MINUTES
UCAR Board of Trustees Meeting

25 February 2003
ATD Atrium, Foothills Laboratory
26 February 2003
Fleischmann Building on the Mesa

The duly convened meeting of the UCAR Board of Trustees was held in the ATD Atrium, Foothills Laboratory, and in the Walter Orr Roberts Board Room, Fleischmann Building, in Boulder, Colorado. Present for all or portions of the meeting were:

Otis Brown, University of Miami (Chairman)
Richard Anthes, President, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
Eric Barron, The Pennsylvania State University
Leo Donner, Princeton University
Kelvin Droegemeier, University of Oklahoma
Barbara Feiner, Washington University in St. Louis
Neal Lane, Rice University
Paola Malanotte-Rizzoli, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Leonard Pietrafesa, North Carolina State University
Mary Jo Richardson, Texas A&M University
David Skaggs, Council for Excellence in Government
Soroosh Sorooshian, University of Arizona
Lynne Talley, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Orlando Taylor, Howard University
Gabor Vali, University of Wyoming

President’s Council and Corporate Officers:
Lise Carney, UCAR Counsel, Holland & Hart
Jack Fellows, Assistant Secretary, VP for Corporate Affairs and Director of UOP
Susan Friberg, Assistant Secretary, Corporate Affairs, UCAR
Bob Gall, Acting Associate Director, NCAR
Tim Killeen, Director, NCAR
Jeff Reaves, Assoc. VP, Business Services, Finance & Administration, UCAR
Kathryn Schmoll, Assistant Treasurer, Vice President, Finance & Administration, UCAR
Dan Wilson, Assistant Treasurer, Director of Treasury Operations, UCAR

National Science Foundation:
Cliff Jacobs, Head, UCAR & Lower Atmospheric Facilities Oversight Section, ATM
Bernard Grant, Financial Operations Specialist, UCAR & Lower Atmospheric Facilities Oversight Section, ATM

UCAR, NCAR, UOP:
Rena Brasher-Alleva, Director, Budget & Planning Office, NCAR
Eron Brennan, Multi-Media Systems Administrator, UCAR
Dave Carlson, Director, Atmospheric Technology Division, NCAR
Laura Curtis, Program Specialist, Office of Development & Government Affairs, UCAR
Stephen Dickson, Director of Special Projects, UCAR
Veda Emmett, Executive Assistant to the Director, NCAR
Michelle Flores, Office of Corporate Affairs, UCAR
Marion Hammond, Space Planning Facilities Project Manager, UCAR
Bob Henson, UCAR Communications
Roberta Johnson, Director, Education & Outreach, UCAR
Mary Marlino, Director, Digital Library for Earth System Education, UOP
Danny McKenna, Director, Atmospheric Chemistry Division, NCAR
Melissa Miller, Director, Budget & Finance, Finance & Administration, UCAR
Meg McClennan, Director, Legal Services, UCAR
Susan Montgomery-Hodge, Executive Assistant to the President, UCAR
John Pereira, Director, Physical Plant Services, Finance & Administration, UCAR
Mohan Ramamurthy, Director, Unidata, UOP
Bob Roesch, Director, Human Resources & Employee Relations, UCAR
Steve Sadler, Director, Safety & Site Services, Finance & Administration, UCAR
Karyn Sawyer, Director, Joint Office for Science and Support, UOP
Cindy Schmidt, Director, Office of Development & Government Affairs, UCAR
Catherine Shea, Executive Administration to the Director, NCAR
Tim Spangler, Director, COMET, UOP
Kathryn Strand, Manager of Budget & Administration, UOP
Michelle Travis, Administrative Assistant, Finance & Administration, UCAR
Betty Valent, Executive Assistant, Finance & Administration, UCAR
Lucy Warner, Director, UCAR Communications
Susan Warner, Office of Corporate Affairs, UCAR
Peter Wise, Budget Analyst II, Budget & Planning Office, NCAR

The Board convened in Executive Session in the ATD Atrium of Foothills Laboratory from 8:30 to 9:40am. (The minutes are kept in the corporate offices.)

1. WELCOME AND AGENDA REVIEW

The Board convened in Regular Session. Chairman Otis Brown welcomed the meeting participants and guests and asked for adoption of the agenda. It was moved, seconded, and passed to adopt the agenda.

The following resolution of appreciation for outgoing Trustee Ronald Smith was read by Chairman Brown:

Ronald B. Smith

Whereas, Ron Smith has served on the UCAR Board of Trustees for two full terms—a total of six years;

Whereas, during that time he has lent his careful consideration to all Board matters, but especially those related to university relations. He has served thoughtfully and most effectively as the Board Liaison to the University Relations Committee for five years, and served faithfully as secretary of the corporation for four years;

Whereas, he has been an eloquent advocate for the new science that can be addressed by the High Performance Instrumented Airborne Platform for Environmental Research (HIAPER);

Now therefore, let it be resolved that upon completion of his term, the members of the UCAR Board of Trustees are pleased to express their appreciation for his company and superb work on the Board, and to wish Ron continued success in the future.

Thank you, Ron!

The resolution of appreciation for Ronald Smith was moved, seconded, and passed unanimously.

UCAR President Richard Anthes read the following resolution of appreciation for outgoing Trustee and Chairman Otis Brown:

Otis B. Brown

Whereas, Otis Brown has served on the UCAR Board of Trustees for the past six years;

Whereas, he has served most skillfully and adroitly as Chairman of that body for the past three years, and prior to that as Vice Chairman and as Board Liaison to Unidata for four years;

Whereas, his service to UCAR has been characterized by thoughtful advice, a true interest in the health and direction of the corporation, and a positive and steady guiding hand;

Now therefore be it resolved, at the close of his second term, the Trustees and the UCAR staff who have worked closely with Otis over these past six years, are pleased to make a public record of their sincere gratitude to him, and are glad we will have his company for the next year on the Board, and thereafter in many different capacities throughout the years.

Thank you Otis!

It was moved, seconded, and passed unanimously.

2. SECRETARY’S REPORT

In Secretary Ronald Smith’s absence, Jack Fellows presented the minutes from the October 2002 Board of Trustees meeting and asked for approval. It was moved, seconded, and passed to approve the minutes.

3. TREASURER’S REPORT

Treasurer Barbara Feiner reported on the FY02 year end funding and expenditure report and the FY03 consolidated funding and expenditures to date. Feiner reported that increases in FY02 funding were attributed to the HIAPER project and increases in the Climate Simulation Lab (CSL). She compared the FY02 funding picture to FY01 noting that NOAA funding had dropped from 12% to 10%.

Feiner pointed out that the FY03 funding reports for the first quarter of the fiscal year show the fairly significant carryover from the past year. She also noted that even though the return on the investment portfolio has been better than expected, plans are in place to rebalance the portfolio over the next few months.

4. AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE REPORT

Feiner reported on the committee meeting held the previous day. She reported that the committee extensively reviewed the 2002 Bond issuance for the purchase of Center Green—the final number of that funding was $29.9M. She reported that the committee thoroughly examined the space and financing recommendations for the ACD chemistry labs that the full Board will consider later in the day.

She reported that the committee had a pro forma, albeit productive, executive session with the external auditors, Deloitte and Touche, and that there was a favorable report on the general audit for FY2003.

5. PERSONNEL COMMITTEE REPORT

Chairman of the Personnel Committee, Leo Donner, reported on the meeting of the committee held the previous day. The Committee considered, and recommended, regarding the following:

6. NSF REPORT

Cliff Jacobs, Head, UCAR & Lower Atmospheric Facilities Oversight Section, ATM reported to the UCAR Board on the National Science Board approval process for the UCAR/NSF Cooperative Agreement and on budget matters.

Jacobs said that the schedule for developing the new Cooperative Agreement is on track, with negotiations taking place between June and September and the signing of the agreement planned for October. He noted that NSF is working on a template for these sorts of agreements.

He reported on the FY03 NSF appropriation—$5.3B, a "generous" 11.6% increase from the past year, with a 13.5% increase in Research and Related activities, including a 13.1% increase in GEO. The NSB itself now has a budget of $3.5M established to maintain their independence. Jacobs cautioned that the FY04 budget should be taken with a grain of salt at this point, but that the NSF FY04 request is for $5.5B..

Jacobs noted an upcoming review of NSF’s organizational, programmatic, and personnel structures, the balance between field driven and NSF driven science priority setting, the role of the NSB, and personnel policies.

7. UCAR PRESIDENT’S REPORT

UCAR President Richard Anthes reported on a number of items since the last Board meeting. He outlined the recommendations from the NSF

panel reviewing the UCAR proposal for the upcoming five years of NCAR management. Their review took place 17-19 December 2002 and recommended that NSF renew the cooperative agreement with UCAR. He reported that the new Paid Time Off policy (PTO) was

successfully implemented in early January, with more than half of the staff choosing the PTO option. He reported on the successes of the SOARS and the Windows to the Universe programs.

8. NCAR DIRECTOR’S REPORT

NCAR Director Tim Killeen announced that a new Associate Director has been named: Larry Winter who will arrive in mid-April. Winter comes from the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), where he is an applied mathematician, and a member of LANL's Center for Non-linear Studies. Bob Gall, MMM Director, will remain as the Interim Deputy Director until Winter’s arrival.

Killeen listed the recent Scientist 1 hires and said that once again we’ve been able to attract "the cream of the crop". He reported on the NCAR ladder scientists statistics for female and minority scientists: 19% female; 10% minority—these numbers are higher than geosciences faculty statistics in the universities.

Killeen, referring to the NSF review panel recommendations reported on previously by Anthes, said that the NCAR Directors are addressing all the recommendations but that, in particular, the following issues are receiving concentrated attention: developing metrics that characterize the quality and effectiveness of the programs; the structure of NCAR; data and software; the balance of science and facilities; and the ESIG recommendations.

He outlined NCAR budget increases of 5.6%—1.5% to the core program, and 4.1% to the new initiatives. He noted that preliminary guidance has NSF support allocated 55% to facilities and 45% to science, with the opportunity fund increasing to $1M. He outlined the new Education and Outreach activities, the summer undergraduate leadership workshop, the new global change exhibit, and new E&O websites. Killeen reported that NCAR is the 10^th largest computing system in the world, with the new Bluesky system tripling NCAR’s capacity. He reported that HIAPER is fully funded as of January 2003 and that it received a very favorable review by an external advisory committee during their meeting held 11-13 December 2002.

9. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE UCAR SPACE STRATEGIC PLAN.

Vice President for Finance and Administration, Katy Schmoll, updated the Trustees on the progress toward implementing the UCAR Strategic Plan for space needs. She reviewed the history of the space needs situation and decisions made thus far, last year’s acquisition of the new buildings at Center Green, the proposed placements of programs and divisions, the projected growth and future needs. She outlined issues regarding the Atmospheric Chemistry Division’s need for updated and safe labs, as well as more space. She reported on a chemistry lab analysis conducted by FWA Group, a lab architecture and design group, who examined all options covering safety, growth, timing, and financial issues and requirements. Schmoll reported that the consultants recommend that a new building be built at Foothills behind FL3—a triangular shape footprint on what is now a parking lot. Schmoll outlined UCAR’s current debt and the value of our real estate assets and the impact of a new tax-exempt bond financing for $25M to cover the costs of building a new space for the Atmospheric Chemistry Division and the chemistry labs. She compared the options to lease space for the chemistry lab and building the new facility, outlined asset to debt ratios, and other operational calculations for the out-years of the debt service. The considerations lead UCAR management to recommend that a new building be built to house ACD. The Trustees will consider this recommendation in Executive Session.

The Board convened in Executive Session in the ATD Atrium at Foothills Laboratory from 3:15-5:00pm. (The minutes are kept in the corporate offices.)

Wednesday, 26 February

The Board convened in Executive Session in the Walter Orr Roberts Board Room in the Fleischmann Building from 8:30-9:30am. (The minutes are kept in the corporate offices.)

10. CHAIRMAN"S REPORT

Chairman Brown reported on actions taken in Executive Session the previous day.

A. The Board unanimously approved construction of new building to house ACD and the chemistry laboratories.

B. The Board unanimously approved the resolution to authorize issuance of tax-exempt bonds for $25M to finance the new building and equipment.

11. BOARD NOMINATING COMMITTEE REPORT

Chairman Brown presented the report of the committee and asked approval of the following slate of officers and committees:

It was moved, seconded, and passed to approve the slate as presented.

Outgoing Chairman Brown passed the gavel to the incoming Chairman Leo Donner and thanked the Board and management for these past three interesting years as chairman.

12. UOP DIRECTORS REPORT

Vice President for Corporate Affairs and UOP Director, Jack Fellows, presented an overview of UOP programs, and introduced the new Unidata Director, Mohan Ramamurthy.

Tim Spangler updated the Trustees on the COMET program. He demonstrated the new database of animations and graphics and expressed COMET’s interest to contribute to UCAR’s education efforts by using their technologies and expertise to filter NCAR science through to the educational community.

13. FY2004 ADVOCACY PRIORITIES

Cindy Schmidt, Director, Office of Government Affairs, and Jack Fellows presented the advocacy priorities for the upcoming year to help focus and leverage community efforts. Strategies and key activities were outlined for each of the agencies.

The overall advocacy priority is support for NSF, especially the doubling of the NSF budget. Schmidt reported that AMS/UCAR briefings to Congress will continue at the same pace as last year, along with budget testimony and action alerts. Among other activities, UCAR will target NASA space and earth science projects, and support DOE’s doubling for their Office of Science.

It was moved, seconded, and passed to approve the advocacy priorities.

14. UNSTRUCTURED DISCUSSION

Discussion centered on Eric Barron’s comment regarding using the National Research Council and other advisory materials to "do a crosswalk" with these and other reports to combine forces for further potency in our advocacy efforts. Implementation of the NRC reports is often neglected. He suggested that the UCAR advocacy efforts use the NRC reports as appropriate

15. ADJOURN

The Board adjourned at 11:00am.

End of Minutes