The Tufts Board of Trustees met for the third and final time of the year on May 19 and 20 to consider important projects and initiatives.
The meeting occurred after the Daily went to press, but Secretary of Trustees Linda Dixon explained the agenda for the meeting.
The trustees are continuing their emphasis on Tufts' capital campaign, the next big step for Tufts fundraising. The campaign, which will end its "quiet phase" and be officially announced in November, has already raised 40 percent of its goal.
The Advancement Committee planned to present its final report on its campaign at the meeting, including its fundraising goal, time span, and additional recommendations.
The Committee of Administration and Finance is also considering the annual budget as well as two construction projects. The Dental School intends to expand the school's facilities. Since the school is located in downtown Boston, the proposed expansion would add four stories to the building since there is no room to expand horizontally. Representatives from the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine plan to present this plan at the meeting.
The other project under consideration is the renovation of the newly-purchased Dame Elementary School building on George St. in Medford. Since the school is a historical building, the exterior can not be changed.
The plan is a year-long project that would gut the inside and "essentially build a new
building inside the shell," Dixon said. When finished, offices from five or six locations would be consolidated into the building, freeing up space for more academic offices on campus.
The Academic Affairs Committee is concerned with "an academic strategic plan," Dixon said. "The provost and the president have been working for two or three years on a long-term academic plan for the University."
Another important goal, Dixon said, is "knitting the schools together."
This integration would involve increased collaboration between programs, research, and courses within distinct areas of the University.
According to Dixon, this cohesiveness is not only cost-effective, but it becomes an asset as researchers apply for grants. Integrated research teams are "the wave of the future," she said.
Two faculty members, one from the Tufts University Medical School and one from the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, planned to speak at the meeting to discuss further integration between teaching and research.
Additional orders of business planned for the May 20 board meeting included the approval of all diplomas awarded at today's commencement exercises.
A special committee has also planned to present its results of a five-year internal review of Tufts President Lawrence Bacow.
The committee interviewed deans, faculty, administrators, students, and alumni and asked them to evaluate a set of objectives given by Bacow himself when he took the job as president.
