February 2005 Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes

UNIVERSITY CORPORATION FOR ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH

MINUTES
UCAR Board of Trustees Meeting

23-24 February 2005
Fleischmann Board Room
Boulder , Colorado

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

Kelvin Droegemeier, University of Oklahoma (Chairman)
Richard Anthes, President, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
Eric Barron, The Pennsylvania State University
Rosina Bierbaum, University of Michigan
Leo Donner, Princeton University
Barbara Feiner, Washington University in St. Louis
Rana Fine, University of Miami, Rosenstiel School
Neal Lane, Rice University
Paola Malanotte-Rizzoli, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Shirley Malcom, AAAS
Frank Nutter, Reinsurance Association of America
Len Pietrafesa, North Carolina State University
Mary Jo Richardson, Texas A&M University (via teleconference)
Steven Rutledge, Colorado State University
David Skaggs, Council for Excellence in Government
Soroosh Sorooshian, University of California-Irvine
Lynne Talley, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Orlando Taylor, Howard University (via teleconference)
 
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
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
Larry Winter, Deputy Director, NCAR
 
National Science Foundation:
Robbie Hood, UCAR & Lower Atmospheric Facilities Oversight Section, ATM
Cliff Jacobs, Head, UCAR & Lower Atmospheric Facilities Oversight Section, ATM
Sarah Ruth, UCAR & Lower Atmospheric Facilities Oversight Section, ATM

UCAR, NCAR, UOP:
Peter Backlund, Director of Research Relations, NCAR
Tom Bogdan, Acting Associate Director, SERE Laboratory, NCAR
Rena Brasher-Alleva, Director, Budget & Planning Office, NCAR
Eron Brennan, Multi-Media Systems Administrator, UCAR
Al Cooper, Acting Associate Director, Earth Observing Laboratory, NCAR
Laura Curtis, Program Specialist, Office of Development & Government Affairs, UCAR
Dick Dirks, Joint Office for Science Support, UOP
Brant Foote, Associate Director, Research Applications Laboratory, NCAR
Greg Holland, Director, Mesoscale and Microscale Meteorology Division, NCAR
Kaye Howe, Director, National Science Digital Library, UOP
Roberta Johnson, Director, Education & Outreach, UCAR
Al Kellie, Associate Director, Computational & Information Systems Laboratory, NCAR
Dale Kellogg, Administrator, SERE Laboratory, NCAR
Mary Marlino, Director, Digital Library for Earth System Education, UOP
Gene Martin, Joint Office for Science Support, UOP
Melissa Miller, Director, Budget & Finance, Finance & Administration, UCAR
Meg McClellan, General Counsel, UCAR
Susan Montgomery-Hodge, Executive Assistant to the President, UCAR
Raj Pandya, Director, SOARS, UCAR
Annick Pouquet, Acting Associate Director, Earth & Sun Systems Laboratory, NCAR
Mohan Ramamurthy, Unidata, UOP
Jeff Reaves, Assoc. VP, Business Services, Finance & Administration, UCAR
Bob Roesch, Director, Human Resources & Employee Relations, UCAR
Steve Sadler, Director, Safety and 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 Administrator to the Director, NCAR
Kathryn Strand, Manager of Budget & Administration, UOP
Betty Valent, Executive Assistant, Finance & Administration, UCAR
Lucy Warner, Director, UCAR Communications
Susan Warner, Office of Corporate Affairs, UCAR
Shawn Winkelman, Director, Information Technology, Finance & Administration, UCAR
 
Others:
Roger Wakimoto, University of California, Los Angeles

The Board convened in Executive Session from 8:15 to 9:45am. (The minutes are kept in the corporate offices.)

1. WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION

The Board convened in Regular Session. Chairman Kelvin Droegemeier welcomed new Trustees Rana Fine and Shirley Malcom to the Board, and extended welcome to Roger Wakimoto, newly appointed Associate Director of the Earth Observing Laboratory and to Greg Holland, new MMM Director. Cliff Jacobs, Head, UCAR & Lower Atmospheric Facilities Oversight Section, ATM/NSF introduced Sara Ruth, new staff member of ATM, to the Trustees.

The following resolutions of appreciation for outgoing Trustee Paola Rizzoli and David Skaggs were read by Chairman Droegemeier:

Resolution of Appreciation for Trustee Paola Rizzoli

Whereas, Paola Rizzoli has served as a member of the UCAR Board of Trustee for the past six years;

Whereas her decided sense of purpose, enthusiasm, and great sense of humor have advanced and enlivened the deliberations of this board; her verve and wit have added to the enjoyment of carrying out its business. We are especially grateful for her years of service on the Personnel and Nominating Committees.

Now therefore, at the conclusion of her tenure, the Board and UCAR management take the opportunity to express our heartfelt thanks for her significant contributions and for her company, and our best wishes for every continued success.

We will miss you, Paola!

Resolution of Appreciation for Trustee David Skaggs

Whereas, David Skaggs has served on the Board for the past six years;

Whereas, his wise and good counsel, especially on government affairs and policy matters have supported the growth and maturing of UCAR’s advocacy efforts in recent years.

David’s care and attention to the details of the corporation’s financial operations, and his leadership on diversity and inclusion matters have smoothed the way for non-scientist members of the Board to participate in, and affect matters important to UCAR, the geosciences community, and the national interest.

Upon completion of his term on the Board, the UCAR Trustees are pleased to make public record of their sincere gratitude to David, and their best wishes for his continued success.

Thank you, David!

The resolutions of appreciation for Paola Rizzoli and David Skaggs were moved, seconded, and passed unanimously. 

2. AGENDA REVIEWS AND CHAIRMAN’S REMARKS

Droegemeier reviewed the agenda, noted a slight change in the order of agenda items, and asked for adoption. It was moved, seconded, and passed to adopt the agenda as amended. He reported on the discussion held at the October Members’ meeting on the upcoming competition for NCAR management and noted that the BASC panel meeting, held the day after the Members’ meeting, went very well. He explained that the National Academy of Sciences’ Board on Atmospheric Science (BASC) is charged with evaluating ATM’s research portfolio and that the preliminary report will be out this coming fall.

3. SECRETARY’S REPORT

Secretary Steven Rutledge Secretary asked for a motion to approve the minutes of the October 2004 Board Meeting. It was moved, seconded, and passed to approve the minutes as written.

4. TREASURER’S REPORT

Treasurer Barbara Feiner reported on the FY04 statement of funding and expenditures. She noted that the decrease is due primarily to the HIAPER aircraft project and Mesa Lab refurbishment coming to a close. She reported on the increase for NOAA funding to JOSS and COMET. In reporting on FY05 year to date funding, Feiner noted that the base is down by 2% primarily due to federal funding constraints and that there have been 10 staff reductions as a result.

5. AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE REPORT

Treasurer and Chairwoman of the Audit and Finance Committee, Feiner reported on the committee’s meeting held the previous day. She noted that the committee heard detailed reports on the financial health of the corporation including on the lower than expected subsidies of the childcare facility. She said the auditors, KPMG, gave UCAR an unqualified opinion with no findings. The committee met in Executive Session with KPMG.

6. PERSONNEL COMMITTEE REPORT

Chairman of the Personnel Committee, Soroosh Sorooshian, reported on the committee meeting held the previous day. The committee recommended that UCAR employee salary ranges be increased by 2.5% and a 3% overall salary budget be approved by the full Board of Trustees. It was moved, seconded, and passed to approve the increase in the salary budget and the salary range movement.

Sorooshian also reported that the Committee recommended that Paola Rizzoli, MIT professor and outgoing Trustee, be appointed as an NCAR Affiliate Scientist. It was moved, seconded, and passed to approve Rizzoli’s appointment as Affiliate Scientist.

7. NSF REPORT

Cliff Jacobs, Head, UCAR & Lower Atmospheric Facilities Oversight Section, ATM/NSF, reported on the NSF FY06 budget request, and the low success rates for NSF research grants. The downward trend in the overall rate of NSF grant awards (in FY04 it was down 20%) can have the effect of reducing the chance of funding of higher-risk research, Jacobs pointed out, and this is worrisome. Trustees discussed various impacts of funding decreases specifically on the Workforce Initiative, which all agreed was an important program and deserved to be retained.

Jacobs noted that a new position, Director of Cyberinfrastructure, has been created in the Director’s Office and Priscilla Nelson has been named to the position. There was much discussion on NSF’s competition for the management of NCAR. Jacobs informed the Trustees that a review of NCAR management will take place in March 2006. He said that the review findings will be used in the competition for the management of NCAR, though it isn’t clear yet how they will be factored in, and that the review will be high-level, i.e., will be conducted at the institutional level. He said that current accomplishments and future plans will be reviewed, with accomplishments based on the current strategic plan, and future plans looked at in relation to the revised strategic plan. He noted especially that NSF and the community will be strongly involved in looking at “where the FFRDC [NCAR] should go”in the next 10 years.

He said that ATM is working diligently on defining the scope, schedule, protocols and procedures for the competition and is seriously grappling with the questions “What is NCAR? What is the FFRDC?” “What is NSF really competing?” These are complex questions, Jacobs said, because the UCAR organization and its relationship to NCAR are so complex.

8. UCAR PRESIDENT’S REPORT

UCAR President Richard Anthes updated the Trustees on current corporate activities including on the new monthly update to the UCAR community of UCAR opportunities; the recent dedication of Joanne Simpson’s photograph in the Damon Room’s Hall of Fame; the space situation at UCAR; the status of the buildings; and the rather sober prospects for the FY06 federal science budget. The latter topic generated much concern and discussion.

9. UOP DIRECTOR’S REPORT

Vice President for Corporate Affairs and Director of UCAR Office of Programs, Jack Fellows updated the Trustees on various program’s activities, especially focusing on the move of the data management portion of the Joint Office of Science Support into NCAR’s Earth Observing Laboratory. Kaye Howe, Director of the National Science Digital Library (NSDL), and Mary Marlino, DLESE Program Office Director, updated the Trustees on the current status of those programs.

10. NCAR DIRECTOR’S REPORT

NCAR Director, Tim Killeen, updated the Trustees on a number of NCAR activities. He reported on the status of the lab associate director and division director searches, including on the appointment of Roger Wakimoto from UCLA to head up the Earth Observing Laboratory; Greg Holland, formerly of Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre and Aerosonde, to head up MMM; Rit Carbone (NCAR) to head up the The Institute for Multidisciplinary Earth Studies (TIMES) ; and Doug Nychka (NCAR) to head up the Institute for Mathematics Applied to Geosciences (IMAGe).

Killeen outlined the new NCAR Program planning procedure and schedule redesigned for more participation by the Trustees and to combine the work done for the Annual Scientific Review that NSF requires. Droegemeier asked if a subset of the Board should be appointed to work with this.

Discussion on the impacts of the 2% cut in FY05 funding followed, with concern expressed for the lay-offs that occurred last month.

11. UPDATE ON NCAR COMPUTING ISSUES

Richard Loft, Deputy Director, SCD provided the regular update to the Trustee on the computing needs for the community and possible expansion of the NCAR facility. Loft said that the assessment is complete and that the next step will be to take a look at more creative ways to build a new NCAR data center. Discussion followed on the importance of this for the community and possibilities for expanding on the Mesa or elsewhere.

12. BOARD NOMINATING REPORT

Mary Jo Richardson 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.

The Board convened in Executive Session from 3:00 to 5:30Pm. (The minutes are kept in the corporate offices.)

Thursday, 24 February

The Board convened in Executive Session in the Walter Orr Roberts Board Room in the Fleischmann Building from 8:45 to 9:45am. (The minutes are kept in the corporate offices.)

13. FY06 ADVOCACY PRIORITIES

Cindy Schmidt, Director of the Office of Government Affairs, presented the overall UCAR advocacy strategy for FY06, and presented the areas where which UCAR will focus its advocacy efforts over the next year. The high priority areas are the NSF, Climate Research and Observations, Weather Research and Technology Transfer, NASA, Computing, Science Education, and Road Weather Management.

Discussion among the Trustees revealed an increasing level of concern for the compromised state of research and education funding in this country. Some suggestions were to create stronger links between the atmospheric sciences and others such as the health sciences and join forces to create a high-powered coalition of AAAS, NASULGC, Council of Science Society Presidents, AGU, etc.

14. PLANNING FOR THE MAY 2005 UCAR BOARD MEETING

The Trustees offered their ideas for guests and topics for the May 2005 Meeting to be held at the NSF in Arlington, VA and in Washington DC.

ADJOURN

The Board adjourned at 11:45 am.

~End of Minutes~