CWU TRUSTEES QUARTERLY BOARD MEETING AGENDA February 19-20, 2026
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2026
Location: Moehring Event Center
11:00-12:00
Executive Session Participants: Trustees, President, Board Secretary, AAG As allowed by RCW 42.30.110 (1) (g) • To review the performance of a public employee
12:00- 12:15
Adjourn and walk to Sue Dining for lunch
12:15-1:00
Lunch
1:15-1:30 Call to order • Approval of the Agenda • Approval of October meeting minutes and January Special meeting minutes • Official Communications • Public Comment 1:30-2:00 Board Discussion 2:00-2:45 President’s Report 2:45-4:15 Board Committee Reports 4:15-4:30 University Seal Presentation 4:30 Expected Adjournment
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2026
Location: Moehring Event Center
8:30-9:00
Executive Session Participants: Trustees, President, Board Secretary, AAG As allowed by RCW 42.30.110 (1) (g)(i) • To review the performance of a public employee (15 minutes) • To discuss with legal counsel representing the agency litigation or potential litigation (15 minutes)
Last updated February 11, 2026
CWU Trustees Agenda for February 19-20
9:00-9:15
Break
9:15-9:45
Shared Equity and Belonging Leadership Committee Update
9:45-10:00
Action Agenda
10:00-10:45
Faculty Research Presentation
10:45
Expected Adjournment
11:00-11:30
Magma Demonstration/Lab Experience No business will be conducted.
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Central Washington University Board of Trustees February 20, 2026
ACTION – Approval of the minutes of the regular meeting of October 16, 2025, and the special meeting on January 30, 2026.
We recommend the following motion:
The Board of Trustees of Central Washington University hereby approves the minutes of the regular meeting of October 16, 2025, and the special meeting on January 30, 2026.
Submitted:
Dania Cochran Chief of Staff
Approved for Submittal to the Board:
Jim Wohlpart President
Board of Trustees Minutes Board Meeting Moehring Event Center October 16, 2025
Draft
OCTOBER 16, 2025 EXECUTIVE SESSION
The board convened in executive session at 8:30 a.m. for 45 minutes for the purpose of getting an update on litigation and reviewing the performance of a public employee, per RCW 42.30.110 (1)(i)(g). The executive session ended at 9:15 a.m. Trustees and Staff Present: Jeff Hensler, Chair Gladys Gillis, Vice Chair (Zoom)
Erin Black, Trustee (Zoom) Jeff Charbonneau, Trustee Ray Conner, Trustee (Zoom)
Zabrina Jenkins, Trustee Robert Nellams, Trustee Jim Wohlpart, President Patrick Pease, Provost & Executive VP Academic Affairs Joel Klucking, Sr. VP Finance and Administration Dania Cochran, Chief of Staff Toni Burvee, Director of Business Services Ellen Evans, Assistant Attorney General Jenna Robert, Assistant Attorney General (Zoom)
BOARD MEETING Trustees Present Jeff Hensler, Chair Gladys Gillis, Vice Chair (Zoom)
Erin Black (Zoom) Jeff Charbonneau Ray Conner (Zoon) Vy Frolov
Zabrina Jenkins Robert Nellams Staff to the Board: Jim Wohlpart, President Patrick Pease, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Joel Klucking, Board Treasurer and Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration Veronica Gomez-Vilchis, Interim Vice President for Student Engagement and Success
Dania Cochran, Board Secretary and Chief of Staff Ellen Evans, Assistant Attorney General Kim Dawson, Executive Assistant to the President/Board of Trustees Executive Staff: Tishra Beeson, Dean of Undergraduates Studies Ruben Cardenas, Associate Vice President, Student Engagement and Success Hung Dang, Associate Vice President, Enrollment Management Elvin Delgado, Associate Vice President, Faculty Success Paul Elstone, Vice President for University Advancement Rodrigo Renteria-Valencia, Dean of Graduate Education, Research, and Strategic Initiatives
Chair Hensler convened the board meeting at 9:30 a.m.
Approval of Agenda Motion 25-31: Mr. Nellams moved that the Board of Trustees of Central Washington University approve the agenda of the meeting of October 16, 2025. Ms. Jenkins seconded the motion, which the board unanimously approved. Approval of Minutes Motion 25-32: Mr. Nellams moved that the Board of Trustees of Central Washington University approve the minutes from the retreat of July 24-25, 2025. Mr. Charbonneau seconded the motion. The motion was approved. Official Communications Since the last meeting, the board received two communications, which were included in the briefing materials: The Board acknowledges receipt of the following communications: 1. Email from Benson Oraqwu, CWU Student, July 30, 2025, regarding scholarships at CWU. 2. Email from Ethan Rocklin, CWU Student, September 11, 2025, regarding academic freedom and freedom of expression on campus. Public Comment No one signed up for public comment. President’s Report President Wohlpart summarized the agenda for Thursday and the State of the University Address that will be held on Friday. Board members will have an opportunity to tour the Multicultural Center and will have lunch with students. The focus of the next two days will be discussing the need for shifting and changing the landscape. We cannot hold on to old ways of doing things. One piece of our core value for stewardship was to create and implement a new shared governance model. Our shared governance document gives us a set of norms of how we will behave and show up together. During the State of the University Address on Friday, we will have breakout sessions where we will bring our Strategic Plan to life. In the afternoon, we will have three interactive workshops that will focus on creating our future together. At the end of the day, we will audit the shared governance document to see how we are doing.
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Board Committee Reports • Executive Committee and Governance (Jeff Hensler, Dania Cochran)
Chair Hensler reported that the executive committee has been very busy. They have engaged faculty quite a bit and have had a couple of meetings with them. He added that we are moving in the right direction with the new shared governance document. Dr. Cochran reported that as part of shared governance, all the board policies and procedures are being revised to follow these new norms. The Board Executive Committee will review all these revisions. • Academic Affairs Committee (Jeff Charbonneau) Trustee Charbonneau reported that when our students are here, they are progressing toward their degrees, so we need to make sure we are providing what they need to get there. He added that the foundational improvements that are happening are key. It comes back to the great faculty and staff that are moving things forward. There is a lot of great work within Adaptive University Council: reimagining what advising might look like, a three-year bachelor’s degree and what that might look like. The group is not targeting anything specific, but there is a need to look at this as an option since it is happening nationwide. Faculty are leading this effort. The third highlight is the work that is happening to standardize a scheduling process for students. The team is looking at everything to see what standard meeting blocks might look like. Predictable schedules are important for our students. • Finance and Administration Committee (Ray Conner) Trustee Conner reported that the committee met earlier this week and received updates on fall enrollment and the impact it has on our final budget. They received updates on the increase in retention and four-year graduation rates. They also discussed the fact that the overall higher education markets in Washington state are still low. We need to answer the question of how we will respond to theoretical impacts on what we are seeing in the market today. We are a market leader in capital planning on the environmental side. This is an important topic for students so we should use this to our advantage. Vice President Klucking added that CWU received an AASHE Stars Gold rating for our three-year report on sustainability. We received one of only four of these awards in the state. He added that Finance and Administration is working on scenario planning. The team is developing budgets to go with each scenario and developing strategies on how we would handle each scenario. They are starting with a five- year plan. • Student Engagement and Success Committee (Robert Nellams) Trustee Nellams reported that we will go into a deep dive of enrollment management later in the meeting, so he highlighted a couple of things. We had a record number of “on the spot” admissions. We had 87. We have stabilized financial aid, and we have improved our year over year first time in college retention to 73 percent. Total spring to fall re-enrollment is 84 percent, so there is a lot of really good things that are happening on that front. In the student development and belonging, and the Multicultural Center, we provided 100 different programs and served over 4300 students. The board will visit the Multicultural Center later today. In addition, we have expanded the Veteran’s Center, provided 182 workshops for Career Services, and the SLICE Leadership Program was launched. In Health and Wellness, a director was hired in Case Management, so the Office of Health Promotion is fully staffed. Through Call Care almost 1700 students were served, and in Student Counseling Services, over 670 unique students were served. That is a 40 percent increase in crisis services. In the federal grants program, we have the TRIO Student Support Services. They have served over 200 low-income students who are first generation. The Education Opportunities Center achieved the goal of serving and educating 1000 low-income students on the FAFSA and college applications. There is just a lot of very good work happening in SES even though there are staffing and funding challenges. We just need to make sure we are investing in places that are making a difference.
Chair Hensler thanked the committee chairs for the new format of the board reports.
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President Wohlpart asked Board members and Vice Presidents if they had feedback on this new board committee report format. He asked if the process provides helpful information and if there are additional things that can be done to make board meetings more helpful. Feedback provided by board members and vice presidents: • Trustee Hensler suggested that Board subcommittees review some of the KPI’s in the Strategic Plan. Always tying things back to the strategic plan is key. The new subcommittee process helps areas from becoming siloed. He added that communication within the board has made big strides. • Vice President Klucking added that hearing what other committees are discussing is very helpful. • Trustee Nellams indicated that the communication aspect of the new process is appreciated. • President Wohlpart added that the guidance the board gives him in his evaluation meeting is so helpful for him. It gives him a direction to share with the university. • Vice President Gomez-Vilchis reported that the questions being posed by board members in the committee meetings are so helpful. When you are in the work every day, we can miss things. Having an idea of what the board is looking for and getting their perspective is so helpful. • Trustee Charbonneau appreciates the guidance and involvement and not forcing things through. • Trustee Gillis added that she appreciates President Wohlpart’s leadership in where we are moving. President Wohlpart introduced Brian Jeffries and Neil Strege from Washington Roundtable and summarized the work they do: • The WA Roundtable is made up of senior executives of Washington companies or companies who do business in our state • They have a strong influence on policy issues, working with the Governor and the legislature • This presentation will allow the CWU BOT to provide feedback on a new funding model for higher education in the state • They are meeting with BOTs from across the state, along with administrators from each university • President Wohlpart sits on the Executive Committee of the Incentive Based Funding Initiative and Jason Jones in on the data committee. Washington Roundtable Presentation Neil Strege explained that his focus is on policy development and advocacy work. The Washington Roundtable group started this work last year. For a decade, there has been a 70 percent goal of credential attainment. Currently, we are at 40 percent in Washington state. The Washington Roundtable decided this may be an opportunity to develop a funding model for higher education in our state. A collaborative funding model was developed based on six guiding principles: advances student outcomes, promotes equity, enables transparency, aligns pathways and workforce, honors institutional missions, and supports fiscal sustainability. The current process has shortcomings and is not tied to any planning for our state. This proposed model by itself is not going to fix the problem, but it is a step in the right direction. Brian Jefferies added that the group began by developing goals: • Create a process with employers, postsecondary leaders, and other education and workforce stakeholders to explore higher education funding model redesign in Washington.
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• Build a common understanding of the current state of Washington higher education funding and national approaches to higher education funding model redesign. • Develop a high-quality higher education funding model recommendation that has support from
the Washington Roundtable and the Executive Advisory Group (EAG) members. • Build and implement an advocacy approach for the 2027 legislative session.
He added that the group began with a collective effort in designing a higher education funding model for how the legislature appropriates funds to the six public universities and the 26 community colleges. We want a model that is predictable, equitable, and sustainable. The EAG meets quarterly and the meetings are driven by the research work group. To socialize the research and guiding principles, the group decided to take the information on a roadshow. They are traveling around the state to get feedback and input into this process and ultimately into the funding model. The draft framework consists of four components: operations/maintenance core costs, enrollment, retention and success and opportunity. Brian went over the draft framework for the model. Institutional missions will also be considered.
Neil asked the group for some feedback on: 1. What money goes through the new funding models? 2. What are the weights of each component? 3. Do they have the correct things listed in each component?
Trustee Hensler stated that his initial reaction was that he’s very excited. Bringing stability to what we are trying to achieve as an institution is great. He asked if there are any ideas on how to get from 40 to 70 percent in degree attainment. Trustee Nellams added that when talking about going from 40 to 70 percent, it seems like this will need to start before students are in high school. Neil added that convening K-12 and higher education is the goal. Trustee Frolov asked when this process will be moved forward. Neil explained that they are still at the conceptual policy perspective. Brian added that it is hard to put a timeline on this process. If he had to give a ballpark figure, this process could be a 10-year phase. Trustee Frolov asked if another deficit in the future is being considered during this process. Neil reported that the funding model they will be proposing will be more stable and predictable than the current model. Trustee Charbonneau stated that he loves this concept. We need to make sure it is interpreted that this is institutional funding not individual student funding. He added that the process should include relooking at adjustments and comparing incomes each time. He would also like to see guaranteed admissions a state law.
The morning session adjourned at 11:29 a.m.
Trustees and Executive Leadership Team members toured the Multicultural Center and had lunch at Sue Dining. No business was conducted.
Chair Hensler reconvened the board meeting at 1:15 p.m.
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Provost Report Provost Pease began by highlighting the new faculty that came aboard this fall. He added that a new Faculty Success Series was launched. It is a yearlong onboarding for new faculty that provides a wide range of subject matter to help them get off to a good start in their first year. He thanked Elvin Delgado, Delayna Breckon, Joy Fuqua, and Charlene Andrews for assisting with this process. A big part of research comes from grants. Between September 2024 and August 2025, over $14M in grant funding was used in 171 projects. Academic Affairs is responding to the shifting landscape. They have a slate of initiatives, projects, and priorities that are underway. He highlighted two of the projects: class scheduling strategies, which is the most significant issue we have going on. Scheduling impacts enrollment, general education classes, which always have very large wait lists. Provost Pease thanked the deans, department chairs, and advisors on all their work to get students off waitlists. Academic Affairs received some feedback from the ASCWU. They added that wait lists are not just happening for the first time in college students. It is happening for upper class men as well and sometimes classes are pushed to online just to get classes. The challenge has been identified, and they are now working to fix this issue. Trustee Jenkins asked what is driving the prime time 10:00 am - 2:00 pm scheduling. Provost Pease stated that the assumption is that this is the time students want to attend class. This is not a new issue. The team has developed next steps and those include: • The Office of the Registrar has drafted initial options for standardized patterns. • The team will meet with the Registrar and Associate Deans next week to discuss options. • A refined plan will go to the Academic Department Chairs Organization (ADCO). • Plan in place by January. Tishra Beeson, Dean of Undergraduate Studies, gave an update on the Advising Cat Team. She explained that the team’s purpose was to develop recommendations to improve academic advising at CWU to respond to gaps identified by NWCCU and a consultant that reviewed CWU’s advising. The Cat Team reviewed the history of advising at CWU to understand the full landscape and developed six consensus recommendations: 1. Promote holistic first year advising by eliminating direct to major admissions process. 2. Create a University Advising Office for first year and exploratory students. 3. Use a hybrid advising model: centralized University Advising Office, plus college-based advising. 4. Expand and empower the Academic Advising Council to lead campus advising. 5. Establish advisor career ladders to support staff retention. 6. Define and align faculty roles. Dean Beeson added that a final report will be filed next week. NWCCU Presentation Kurt Kirstein, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, updated the board on NWCCU Accreditation. He reported that there are seven reasons to maintain accreditation: federal funding eligibility, transferability of credit, quality assurance, continuous improvement, reputation and trust, program authorization, and state and federal compliance. Accreditation is a constant, continuous process of how we can be better at how we support students. NWCCU expects institutions to demonstrate compliance with published standards, fulfill mission and strategic plan, measure and improve student learning, report publicly on admissions, retention, graduation, and post-grad outcomes, benchmark against peers, and reaffirm accreditation every seven years. During the NWCCU cycle of evaluation an Accreditation Liaison Office (ALO) is appointed to oversee the process. The process includes providing annual reports on enrollment, finances, recommendations, etc.
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There is a mid-cycle review which includes our self-study and a peer visit. During year six, policies, regulations, and finances are the focus. During the 7 th year the self-study is reviewed, there is an evaluation of Institutional Effectiveness, and a visit by the accreditation team. CWU is getting ready for our next visit, which will happen in the Fall of 2026. We began preparing for this visit two years ago. Standards have been reviewed to determine strengths and gaps have been identified. Eight weeks prior to the accreditation visit, our self-evaluation will be reviewed by the members of the visiting team. The ALO will coordinate the visit with the chair of the visiting team. The team comes to campus for three days and participates in many meetings with teams from the university. At the end of the visit, the team delivers a preliminary report of commendations and recommendations. The NWCCU team members will want to meet with members of the Board of Trustees and are likely to ask questions about their:
• Understanding of CWU’s mission • Role in strategic decision making
• Oversight of institutional effectiveness • Oversight of financial responsibility • Support for student success goals • Awareness of accreditation responsibilities The key milestones of this process are: • December 2025: Initial drafts are completed
• April 1, 2026: Final drafts are due • Spring 2026: Editing and review • August 1, 2026: Submission • October/November 2026: NWCCU Team visit • January 2027: Commission decision. • Then the cycle starts over As part of governance and the board’s role in accreditation, we need to establish a process for the Board of Trustees to evaluate itself. Dr. Cochran will work with Dr. Kirstein to get this set up. In the student support area, we need to establish and adopt a Distance Education policy that defines regular and substantive interaction (RSI) between faculty and students in online classes.
Dr. Kirstein reported that he feels like we are in a great position with our accreditation report.
Budget & Enrollment Updates AVP Hung summarized the Fall 2025 Admissions Cycle for first time in college and transfer students. New student enrollment numbers for Fall 2025: Readmits (127), Graduate Students (269), Transfer Students (795), and First Time in College Students (1593). Continued student enrollment for Fall 2025: Graduate Students (248), Post Baccalaureate Students (133), and Undergraduate Students (5001). Fall 2025 total enrollment is 8309, which is down slightly from Fall 2024.
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VP Klucking updated the group on the budget drivers for 2026. We assumed 8200 students and we ended up at 8309. The FY 26 final budget in state and local funds was reviewed. Assuming revenue and expenses that have been laid out, we will have a deficit of about $2.8M. The FY 26 final budget in the systems funds was also reviewed. We had slightly fewer FTIC students offset by better apartment occupancy, and this was the first year of a flat billing change. There are no assumed salary/benefits savings. The system funds will have a $1.7M operating net. VP Klucking added that a tuition rate increase for 2026-27 is on the action agenda. The request is for a 3.3 percent rate increase for resident undergraduate tuition and up to a 5 percent rate increase for all other student groups. He added that in the 2026 supplemental operating budget request, we asked for funding for Enterprise Risk Management, Behavioral Health Shortage Areas, First Generation Student Success Center, and NAC Maintenance and Operations for 2026 and 2027. OPMA/Records Training Ellen Evans, Assistant Attorney General, gave the group a brief training on OPMA and Public Records Rules. She reminded the group that every member of a governing body of a public agency must complete a refresher training every four years. Training can occur in person or online. The OPMA applies to all meetings of a governing body of a public agency. A meeting is: A meeting at which action is taken. • Action is the transaction of official business, deliberations, discussions, considerations, reviews, evaluation, and final actions. • Anytime five or more trustees are together discussing official CWU business. • Includes study sessions, workshops, and retreats. • Physical presence is not required – includes phone trees and email correspondence between a majority of the board. Executive Session rules are included in RCW 42.30.110. They can be held for Real Estate purchases, public contracts, personnel matters, litigation, etc. The board chair must publicly announce the purpose for the Executive Session and when it will conclude. Executive Session may be extended to a stated later time by further public announcement. Compliance of Executive Sessions are monitored by the State Auditors. In the case of disruptions (RCW 42.30.050) the process includes declaring a recess to assess options, adjusting the agenda to accommodate public comment; limit time or propose second comment period, if feasible, moving meeting to a larger venue, if feasible, and determining that the disruption makes orderly conduct of the meeting unfeasible. Public Records (RCW 42.56.550 (3)) are writings related to the conduct of government which is prepared, owned, used, or retained by an agency. These are identifiable records. You do not create something you do not already have. The requester must provide a “reasonable description of the record enabling the government employee to locate the requested record. Records Retention The Washington Secretary of State web site has a general records retention schedule and CWU has a records retention schedule. Transitory records are records that you are not required to keep. They do not document agency decisions/actions. They are not used as the basis for agency actions/decisions, and they are not covered by a more specific records retention series. They may be destroyed when no longer needed.
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Ethics in Public Service Ethics in Public Service was founded on the principle that public positions whether filled through election, appointment, or by hiring, may not be used for personal gain or benefit. State officers are expected to maintain high ethical standards and to conduct the business of the state only in a manner that advances the public’s interest. Use of State Resources De minimis unofficial use is allowed under this rule provided the use results in no cost to the state, does not interfere with the performance of official duties, and is brief in duration and accumulation. State resources may never be used to support an outside business, whether or not operated for profit; for commercial activities like advertising or selling; for illegal or inappropriate uses, or, for political activities unless explicitly authorized. State resources include phones, email, internet, and time. Confidential Information and Gifts If you have access to confidential information, this information may not be disclosed unless provided for by law or by an agreement between the agency and the person seeking the information. Confidential information may also not be used for personal benefit, or to benefit others. Gifts, gratuities, and favors may not be accepted if it could reasonably be expected to influence the performance or nonperformance of official duties, and, if it could be considered as part of a reward for action or inaction in the performance of official duties. State employees may accept a gift up to $100 in value. Unsolicited flowers, promotional items of nominal value, food and beverages, and informational materials are not subject to the $100 limit. Action Agenda Approval of Consent Agenda The formal recognition of our faculty and staff is contained in our consent agenda. Motion 25-33: Mr. Nellams moved that the Board of Trustees of Central Washington University hereby approves the consent action items submitted October 16, 2025. Ms. Jenkins seconded the motion. The motion was approved. Approval of FY26 Athletic Budget Motion 25-34: Mr. Nellams moved that the Board of Trustees of Central Washington University hereby approves the proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2026 as presented. Ms. Jenkins seconded the motion. The motion was approved. Approval of Academic Year 2026-2027 Tuition Increase Motion 25-35: Ms. Jenkins moved that the Board of Trustees of Central Washington University hereby approves a 3.3 percent increase for resident undergraduate tuition and up to a 5 percent increase for all other categories (non-resident undergraduate, resident, and non-resident graduate) for academic year 2026-2027. Mr. Nellams seconded the motion. The motion was approved.
The next meeting of the board will be February 19-20, 2026, in Ellensburg.
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Motion 25-36: Mr. Nellams moved that the Board of Trustees of Central Washington University adjourn the October 16, 2025, meeting. Ms. Jenkins seconded the motion. The motion was approved, and the meeting adjourned at 3:39 p.m.
Dania Cochran, Secretary to the
Jeff Hensler, Chair CWU Board of Trustees
CWU Board of Trustees
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Board of Trustees Minutes Special Board Meeting Virtual and Barge 304 January 30, 2026
DRAFT
JANUARY 30, 2026 EXECUTIVE SESSION
The board convened in executive session at 8:00 a.m. for 30 minutes for the purpose of reviewing the performance of a public employee, per RCW 42.30.110 (1)(g). The executive session ended at 8:30 a.m. Trustees and Staff Present via Zoom:
Jeff Hensler, Board Chair Gladys Gillis, Vice Chair Erin Black, Trustee Jeff Charbonneau, Trustee Ray Conner, Trustee
Zabrina Jenkins, Trustee Robert Nellams, Trustee Jim Wohlpart, President Joel Klucking, Board Treasurer and Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration Dania, Cochran, Board Secretary and Chief of Staff Ellen Evans, Assistant Attorney General
BOARD MEETING Trustees Present: Jeff Hensler, Chair (via Zoom) Gladys Gillis, Vice Chair (via Zoom) Erin Black (via Zoom) Jeff Charbonneau (via Zoom) Ray Conner (via Zoom) Vy Frolov, Student Trustee (in person)
Zabrina Jenkins (via Zoom) Robert Nellams (via Zoom) Staff to the Board: Jim Wohlpart, President (via Zoom) Patrick Pease, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs (via Zoom) Joel Klucking, Board Treasurer and Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration (via Zoom) Veronica Gomez-Vilchis, Interim Vice President for Student Engagement and Success (via Zoom) Dania Cochran, Board Secretary and Chief of Staff (in person) Ellen Evans, Assistant Attorney General (via Zoom) Kim Dawson, Executive Assistant to the President/Board of Trustees (in person)
Chair Hensler convened the public board meeting at 8:32 a.m. He explained that time for public comment was limited. If time runs out, folks are encouraged to attend the regular board meeting on February 19 when we will have a longer public comment period. Public Comment Natashia Lindsey, Faculty Senate Chair, made public comment regarding shared governance. She thanked the board for listening to the Faculty Senate Executive Committee during a recent meeting, for being so deeply invested in the future of CWU, and for championing shared governance. Discussion and Potential Action Agenda Chair Hensler explained that before the discussion about the potential action of creating alignment between the shared governance document and the faculty code, the board has a few things to share. He stated that we all have a passion and love for Central Washington University, and we want what is best for the institution. Chair Hensler then explained that these discussions started when the board had concerns about some major issues. One was the scheduling of classes, and one was shared governance. The board explained at the time that they wanted a path forward that allowed for more efficiencies, so they tasked President Wohlpart to lead these efforts. This process has not been up to the standards of Central Washington University. The board has heard concerns from faculty and administration, but they have not heard from all voices. Moving forward, they want to make sure we are more inclusive in our shared governance document. The work that has been completed to date does not meet the expectations of the Board of Trustees. To remove any ambiguity, the board really means all parties have not met the expectations. A reset is needed. With this reset, the board would like the campus to take a moment to remember that our students must be our North Star. The board asks that the BOT Academic Affairs Committee work with the Faculty Senate leadership to continue to update the faculty code to ensure improved student success. This reset must also include greater communication, better collaboration, enhanced efficiencies, and a review of practices from peer institutions. Chair Hensler opened the discussion up to trustees for comment. Vice Chair Gillis expressed her appreciation in the direction for the BOT Academic Affairs Committee to engage with the faculty. This can go a long way. Trustee Gillis added that the board applauds the efforts of the team that developed clear guidelines to address the scheduling concerns. Having those concerns addressed before fall quarter was important. BOT Academic Affairs Committee members are anxious to work with the Faculty Senate Executive Committee to review what peer institutions are doing in this area. She believes this work can be done quickly and that results can possibly be delivered to the rest of the board as soon as February. Trustee Black reiterated that grounding everyone in the fact that we are all here for student success is important. She would like everyone to remember that students are our North Star. While we may have different ideas on the process we should use, or evaluation, or understanding of documents, we need to remember the importance of student success. We are all here because of the students and that must be what drives all our actions. Trustee Black added that in the spirit of shared governance, we need to include administration in this overall conversation with the Board and Faculty Senate Executive Committee. She also clarified the direction the board has discussed in public meetings where they would like President Wohlpart to focus and the goals that are set for his evaluation. One of those goals was bringing shared governance to life. They have also discussed the importance of needing the president during the campaign. He will need to be off campus a large amount of time to meet with donors and legislators.
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Trustee Charbonneau expressed appreciation for the meetings that happened quickly. This is a signature that folks care deeply about CWU, our students, faculty, staff, and administration. There is no lack of care going on here. Trustee Charbonneau added that he looks forward to working with the Faculty Senate in these meetings. The group will need to make sure they up the cadence of these meetings and discussions so the rest of the board can be updated more frequently. Trustee Charbonneau also mentioned that through all this process, he has been asking himself several questions including how we got to this point and what could have been done differently. He encouraged everyone, no matter what their role within the university is, to do the same, knowing that every single one of us has the ability and the skill set to cause great differences and great improvements. We are going to move forward from this point, and we’re going to move forward together. Chair Hensler reiterated one more time that we all have a real passion for Central Washington University, and we want the best for CWU and our students. Moving forward, the entire university community needs to think about the future of CWU and what is most important and work together to ensure there is more collaboration, better efficiency, and to be a more adaptive university. Having a more streamlined code, processes, procedures documents, and guiding principles that fit a more modern time and that we can all get behind is important. This cannot be done in a vacuum. It needs to be the entire institution in a collaborative process using the shared governance document. Trustee Jenkins also expressed appreciation for the group coming together to discuss concerns. She looks forward to everyone working together to find better solutions, keeping students first in mind. Trustee Nellams stated in his world this shows a healthy organization. One that understands there is an issue and needs to be talked through, and we are meeting it head on. Chair Hensler made one final comment prior to the action agenda. He applauded the passion on all sides of the discussion. We all have great intentions, and we all could have been doing better in this process. The board is going to be more engaged in this process as a fundamental part of what CWU is becoming. Approval of Creating Alignment between the Shared Governance document and Faculty Code Motion 26-01: Ms. Jenkins moved that the Board of Trustees of Central Washington University hereby directs the Board of Trustees Academic Affairs Committee to work with the Faculty Senate leadership to provide clarity around aligning the Faculty Code with the Shared Governance document and to include a broader institutional stakeholder involvement in this process. Mr. Nellams seconded the motion. The motion was approved. Approval of Meeting Adjournment Motion 26-02: Mr. Nellams moved that the Board of Trustees of Central Washington University adjourn the January 30, 2026, special meeting. Ms. Jenkins seconded the motion. The motion was approved. Vice Chair Gillis made a final comment. She made a personal call to all faculty to remember that Jim Wohlpart did an outstanding job on Mission, Vision, and Values. She added that the Jim Wohlpart you see today is doing a very difficult job representing CWU to legislators and donors in an incredibly difficult financial time. He must utilize his team. We, as a Board of Trustees, are committed to helping to fill that gap. Vice Chair Gillis added that the BOT Academic Affairs Committee will develop a way to allow comments to flow into them, so they can hear from anybody on campus that needs to communicate issues.
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The meeting adjourned at 8:51 a.m.
The next meeting of the board will be February 19-20, 2026, in Ellensburg.
Dania Cochran, Secretary to the
Jeff Hensler, Chair CWU Board of Trustees
CWU Board of Trustees
4 Board of Trustees Special Meeting Minutes January 30, 2026
Central Washington University Board of Trustees February 19, 2026 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY – Board Communication Report The Board acknowledges receipt of the following communications: 1. Email from Dr. Robert Hickey, Department of Geography (ret.), dated November 22, 2025, regarding donations to CWU. 2. Email from Justin Mills, Office of the Washington State Auditor, dated January 13, 2026, regarding the beginning of CWU’s audit for fiscal year 2025. 3. Email from Justin Mills, Office of the Washinton State Auditor, dated January 20, 2026, regarding CWU’s Audit Entrance Conference. 4. Email from Joe Calise, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, dated January 21, 2026, regarding CWU’s Fall 2025 Policies, Regulations, and Financial Review (PRFR) Evaluation Committee’s review. 5. Email from Natashia Lindsey, Faculty Senate Chair, dated January 28, 2026, regarding the Faculty Code Rewrite Survey Results. 6. Report from Faculty Senate Executive Committee, dated February 6, 2026, regarding their quarterly update to the Board. 7. Email from CWU’s Finance and Administration Leadership team, dated February 10, 2026, in support of President Wohlpart’s leadership at CWU. 8. Letter from CWU’s Executive Leadership Team, dated February 10, 2025, in support of President Wohlpart’s leadership at CWU. 9. Email from Jason Jones, Executive Director of Institutional Effectiveness, Research, and Planning, dated February 11, 2026, in support of President Wohlpart’s leadership at CWU. 10. Email from Hung Dang, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management, dated February 11, 2026, in support of President Wohlpart’s leadership at CWU.
Submitted:
Dania Cochran Chief of Staff
Approved for Submittal to the Board:
Jim Wohlpart President
Email received: Saturday, Nov 22, 2025 2:40 PM To: CWU Board of Trustees CC: President Wohlpart and VP Elstone From: Dr. Robert Hickey. Department of Geography (ret.)
Dear Trustees, Please consider this to be a formal communication to the Board, and I ask that you read it aloud in its’ entirety at the next BOT meeting. Awhile back, I received a thank you email from the Department of Biology for money that I had donated. Which is awesome, except for one little detail – I didn’t give any money. After checking with the Department Chair and my wife, it turns out that she had given money, but that the only name that filtered down from University Advancement was mine. Now, you’re probably wondering why I am emailing the Trustees instead of UA? My wife and I have gone down that road at least twice – with zero response, concern, or action. Every communication from UA regarding my wife’s donations includes me. Now, I realize that CWU is now an old, white male patriarchy (with a lot of DEI verbiage). But, are we really still in the 1950s? Where we assume that anything done by a woman must be with the explicit permission of her husband? My wife is smarter and earns more than I do. What she does with her money is her business, not mine. Donations made by individuals should be credited to individuals. Always. CWU remains stuck in the dark ages, despite all the rhetoric. I ask the Trustees to start hiring people who look forward, rather than backwards. Thank you for your time. If the Trustees have any questions, I am happy to answer them. Dr. Robert Hickey
rockstreesmaps@gmail.com
Tuesday, January 13, 2026 3:56 PM
To the Board of Trustees,
We are pleased to notify you regarding the beginning of our audit of Central Washington University for fiscal year 2025. The State Auditor’s Office is committed to maintaining positive relationships and open communication with the governments we audit. As a member of the governing body, we believe you should be fully informed about our audit work. Therefore, we are inviting you to attend an entrance conference we have scheduled with your staff at 1:30pm on January 20, 2026 using Microsoft Teams. To attend the meeting, please contact Kimberly Dawson, Executive Assistant, for the meeting link. At the conference, we will discuss the audit and ask if you or University staff have any areas of concern that you would like us to include in the scope of our audit. We will also discuss the timing and cost of the audit. After we finish our audit work, we plan to contact you again to invite you to attend an exit conference, in which we will share the results of the audit. This is an opportunity for you to hear directly from us about what we found and to ask any questions you may have about the audit process or results. Please note that if a quorum of Board members attends either of these conferences, the University will be responsible for ensuring requirements of the Open Public Meetings Act are met. We take very seriously our responsibility of serving citizens by promoting accountability, fiscal integrity and openness in state and local government. We believe it is critical to citizens and the mission of the University that we work together as partners in accountability to prevent or constructively resolve issues. We look forward to meeting with management and the governing body at the entrance conference and hope to see you there. If you have any questions or matters that you would like to discuss with us, feel free to contact me via email or phone.
Justin Mills Assistant State Auditor, Office of the Washington State Auditor (509) 517- 5628 | Pronouns: He, Him, His
Tuesday, January 20, 2026, 3:25 PM
Dear Board of Trustees,
We recently held an entrance conference on January 20, 2026. The attached document was discussed in detail with those in attendance, which included Chris Huss, Financial System Functional Manager; Lacy Lampkins, Director of Finance; Trent Bucy, Auxiliary Finance Manager; Erin Sargent, Treasury Manager; Joel Klucking, Senior VP of Finance and Administration; Ray Conner, Trustee and Gladys Gillis, Trustee. Part of the purpose of the conference is to ensure members of the governing body are aware of the audit process and have an opportunity to discuss any areas of concern. Since you were not able to attend the conference, we would like you to know that we always welcome any opportunity to discuss the audit with you. At the conclusion of our audit, we will invite you to attend our exit conference where we will share the results of the audit. This is another opportunity for you to hear directly from us what we found and to ask any questions you may have about the audit process or results. We look forward to working with you and your staff. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me via email or phone.
Justin Mills Assistant State Auditor, Office of the Washington State Auditor (509) 517- 5628 | Pronouns: He, Him, His
Wednesday, January 21, 2026, 1:46 PM To: Jim Wohlpart <jim.wohlpart@cwu.edu>
Cc: Kurt Kirstein <kurt.kirstein@cwu.edu>; CWU Trustees <cwu.trustees@cwu.edu>; michaelm@wsac.wa.gov; trivenes@nwccu.org; AbbyC@wsac.wa.gov <abbyc@wsac.wa.gov>
Dear President Wohlpart,
Attached please find the Fall 2025 Policies, Regulations, and Financial Review (PRFR) Evaluation Committee’s review of Central Washington University.
Joe Calise Director of Information Technology and Business Operations Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities 206-738-4796 | jcalise@nwccu.org
8060 165th Ave NE, Suite 200 | Redmond, WA 98052 | nwccu.org
From: To: Cc: Subject: Date: Attachments:
Natashia Lindsey Jim Wohlpart; Peter Klosterman; Amy Claridge; Ana Freire; Tennecia Dacass; James Johnson; Amanda Obery; Julia Stringfellow; Kyung Hee Im; Lila Harper CWU Trustees
Re: Faculty Code Rewrite Survey Results Wednesday, January 28, 2026 3:52:54 PM
Dear President Wohlpart,
Thank you for your intent to share the Faculty Senate feedback on your Code rewrite plan with the Board. We also appreciate you encouraging the Board to provide their input on Code changes directly to FSEC. Enhancing communication between FSEC and the Board, as you are seeking to do, helps foster the healthy shared governance that we all wish to see at CWU. In the spirit of enhancing communication between FSEC and the Board, we request to meet with the Board (or a subgroup of the Board) prior to this Friday’s Special BOT Meeting. This would allow us to explain the feedback and respond quickly to the Board’s questions. Given the sensitivity of ongoing events on campus, we think it is best that this meeting consists of only the EC and the BOT.
We look forward to enhancing healthy shared governance at CWU as we discuss with the Board how best to proceed with the Faculty Code and the Shared Governance document situation.
Best,
Faculty Senate Executive Committee
From: Jim Wohlpart <Jim.Wohlpart@cwu.edu> Sent: Tuesday, January 27, 2026 4:17:03 PM To: Natashia Lindsey <Natashia.Lindsey@cwu.edu>; Peter Klosterman <Peter.Klosterman@cwu.edu>; Amy Claridge <Amy.Claridge@cwu.edu>; Ana Freire <AnaPaula.Freire@cwu.edu>; Tennecia Dacass <Tennecia.Dacass@cwu.edu>; James Johnson <Jim.Johnson@cwu.edu>; Amanda Obery <Amanda.Obery@cwu.edu>; Julia Stringfellow <Julia.Stringfellow@cwu.edu>; Kyung Hee Im <KyungHee.Im@cwu.edu>; Lila Harper <Lila.Harper@cwu.edu> Subject: RE: Faculty Code Rewrite Survey Results
Dear Faculty Senate Executive Committee,
Thank you for this rich feedback, as well as the feedback that was shared last Friday in the open forum. I have shared this information with the Board of Trustees Executive Committee and will share it with the full board in preparation for a special meeting of the BOT this coming Friday (details to be announced soon).
I will encourage the full Board to read through the survey results and the work that has been completed by the BFCC. I will also encourage them to review the suggested changes to the Code and, if they have any further feedback, to provide that input directly to the Faculty Senate Executive Committee so that you can use your approved process and the existing channels for any further revisions of the Code. As reflected in the minutes of the July 2025 Board meeting, the Board tasked me with the responsibility to oversee the collaborative implementation of the Shared Governance Document: In the coming year, we are tasking the President with making this document [the Shared Governance] a living document across the university, considering all administrative, staff, faculty, and student practices, policies, and procedures, as well as writing new documents based on what is stated in the shared governance document. This process also includes the Trustees, who are reflecting on and changing our structures, systems, and bylaws based on what we have learned.” The minutes from this BOT meeting state, repeatedly, that all this work must be done collaboratively. In order to carry out this charge, I discussed with both the current and past Faculty Senate Chairs the need to update the Faculty Code to bring the Code into alignment with the Shared Governance Document. These discussions took place in June and August of last year in light of the Board’s commitment to reviewing practices, policies, and procedures within the framework of the Shared Governance Document, and I note that at least one member of the BFCC stated that she understood these discussions stemmed from the Board’s charge. Forming a team of 3 faculty and 3 administrators to facilitate the process was an approach identified in Jeff Charbonneau’s meetings with the Faculty Senate Chair, and I adopted that approach after consulting with the Board’s Executive Committee who agreed we should go in this direction. My aim is to always act with transparency and my intentions in my conversation with Faculty Senate leaders was aimed at opening a dialogue about finding a path toward implementing the Shared Governance Document. I hope that this email provides some additional clarity to what has occurred and my role in those activities as well as that I have encouraged the Board to consider the next steps that you identify in your email below. Information coming soon about the BOT Special Meeting.
Jim
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