BOV approves Code of Ethics, new degree

President Merten and BOV Rector Ernst Volgenau oversee the last BOV meeting of the semester.  (George Yanez) 

The Board of Visitors met Wednesday afternoon for the final fall semester meeting. The BOV approved several action items including implementation of a university Code of Ethics, a new B.S. program in Forensic Science, and the renaming of the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution. The new name of the former Institute will be the School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution.

BOV Rector Ernst Volgenau called the meeting to order at approximately 12:30 p.m. Wed. afternoon. Following the approval of Minutes for the Sept. 29 BOV meeting, University President Alan G. Merten addressed the BOV.

President Merten began by thanking the board members for their individual contributions. “Thank you all for everything you do for George Mason University,” Merten said. “I truly believe the best is yet to come and that starts with the efforts of the Board of Visitors.”

What happened

President Merten alluded to the recent hire of Steve Pearlstein, an award winning columnist at the Washington Post, as a sign of the university’s growing reputation. “It is significant for the university and all of us to have a colleague of Steve’s prominence,” said Merten.

After President Merten’s remarks, the floor opened for a sequence of committee reports. The Academic Programs, Diversity & University Community Committee, led by chair Kathleen deLaski, had several action items to present. The first was the formation of the new School of Physics, Astronomy and Computational Sciences. A new B.S. in Forensic Science was proposed as well. The committee cited widespread interest in the MA program in Forensic Science as reason for the new offering at the undergraduate level.

The committee also sought and received approval for the name change of the Institute for Conflict Analysis to the School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution. According to the committee, there will be no financial obligation to the name change. The change was proposed strictly to reflect the increasing stature of the program.

Audit Committee chair Edward Newberry offered the committees lone action item to approve a proposed Code of Ethics. According to Tom Hennessey, chief of staff in the President’s Office and liaison to the BOV, the main need for the document arose from its contracting with the federal government.

“When we’re contracting with the federal government, the first question they ask is ‘What is your Code of Ethics?,’” said Hennessey. “This is an aspirational document and will have no means of enforcement.”

The meeting concluded with presentation and discussion of several ongoing pursuits by the BOV. University Vice President Maurice Scherrens discussed the comparison between faculty salaries and a Cost of Living Analysis (COLA). According to Scherrens, research conducted by Mason has determined that there are only two other universities out of a total of 25 peer institutions who deal with a higher cost of living for their faculty.

After Scherrens’ presentation, the BOV began its executive session. A followed the conclusion of the meeting.

View the BOV meeting agenda here.

Correction: An earlier version of this story indicated that there are only two other universities out of a total 25 institutions in Virginia that deal with a higher cost of living for their faculty. There correct statistic is two out of a total 25 peer institutions nationwide.