Attendees: President Ivory V. Nelson, Vice President William B. Bynum, Vice President Michael B. Hill, Vice President Grant D. Venerable, Mr. Nicolas Chaban (In attendance for portion of meeting), Ms. Diane M. Brown
Minutes of the July 22, 2002 Cabinet Meeting were approved as presented.
Revised Procurement and Purchasing Policies
The Cabinet approved a "Procurement Policy Regarding Purchases and
Contracts" and a "Procedure Regarding Purchases of Goods and Services."
Copies of the revised documents are appended as a part of the minutes.
Middle States Commission on Higher Education Periodic Review Report
Lincoln University's Periodic Review Report must be submitted to the
Commission on Higher Education by June 2, 2003.
NAFEO Presidential Peer Seminar
President Nelson shared copies of various documents, which were distributed
at the NAFEO seminar held July 28 - August 3, 2002. The documents
distributed included information on:
- Federal Surplus Property Program
- The Higher Education Act: Reauthorization Status and Issues
- Report to Congress on The Incidence of Crime on the Campuses
of U.S. Postsecondary Education Institutions
- Office of Student Financial Assistance: Common Origination
and Disbursement Initiative
- Update on NASA's Educational Direction
- Appropriations Status Report.
Student Affairs and Enrollment Management (SAEM)
Red Cross Blood Donor Drive
Ms. Melissa Herd, Diversity Account Manager, American Red Cross, briefly
addressed the Cabinet regarding the Red Cross drive to recruit minority
blood donors. Ms. Herd commended the Lincoln University students
on their support of previous blood drives at the University and noted that
Lincoln was the top donor in the college category again this year.
SAEM will continue to be the campus liaison for the University's participation
in the Red Cross Blood Drive and will take steps to encourage greater participation
on the part of the University's faculty and staff.
Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS)
Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) All colleges
and universities are required to have SEVIS in place by February 2003.
The system, which is mandated by federal regulation for all schools who
accept international students, will track students from visa issuance to
point of entry into the country and will indicate that international students
have reported to and registered at a U.S. campus. The DSO (Designated
School Official) at each campus will be able to update student status and
file reports and forms via SEVIS. Lincoln University expects to be
on line in October 2002.
Admission Statistics for Fall 2002 as of August 2, 2002
# of Undergraduate applications received Fall 2002
3982
# of Undergraduate applications received Fall 2001
3133
# of Undergraduate students admitted Fall 2002
. 1896
# of Undergraduate students admitted Fall 2001
. 1560
# of Graduate applications received Fall 2002
303
# of Graduate applications received Fall 2001
266
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 11:45 a.m.
Diane M. Brown
Assistant to the President
I. Authorization for Purchases of Goods and Services
a. Purchases in amounts of $500 or less shall be
approved by the appropriate
Department head (Dean/Director or above) with the use of a Purchase
Order or Check Request. Single transactions involving amounts of
$200 or less (which are not travel related) should be processed through
petty cash for reimbursement, if possible. Reasonable care should be used
to prevent the use of petty cash payment for transactions over $200 broken
into increments of less than $200.
b. Purchases in amounts $500 to less than $5,000
(not requiring competitive bids) requires the signature of the Vice President
of Fiscal Affairs or the President or the Presidents delegate as contained
in the Presidents written signature delegation authorization, included
herein by reference and attached. The Presidents written signature
delegation authorization shall be reviewed and reauthorized on an annual
basis to reflect the most effective processing of purchases of goods and
services for the University. All individuals who are involved in
committing University financial resources shall exercise reasonable fiscal
prudence and diligence.
c. Purchases in amounts up to $5,000 require the
Purchasing Office to obtain or receive from the requesting department,
a minimum of two price quotations in written form before purchasing authorization
may be granted. The Purchasing Department reasonably may use its
discretion to determine if additional price quotations/bids are necessary.
d. Purchases for amounts $5,000 or greater require
competitive sealed bids/proposals to be solicited in cooperation with the
Department Head through the Purchasing Department. The Vice President
of Fiscal Affairs or the President or the Presidents delegate as contained
in the Presidents written signature delegation authorization included
herein by reference and attached, shall authorize all purchases and contracts
at this level.
i. Bids
may be awarded based on the following criteria; cost, quality of service
or materials provided, safety standards, and quality and reputation of
the vendor. Cost is not necessarily the most prevailing component
of the decision, however, valid justification must be documented if cost
is not the primary criteria.
ii. The President or Vice
President for Fiscal Affairs shall approve waivers and exceptions to the
requirement for bids. Emergency situations shall be deemed a valid
basis for waivers or exceptions to the requirement for bid.
a. Emergencies are situations when not addressed immediately, may reasonably
cause disruption to the normal course of business, create an un-safe environment,
or increase cost substantially if delayed.
b. All emergencies must be justified in written documentation and shall
be subject to an annual audit review, by the Internal Auditors office.
c. The Purchasing Office must be notified as soon as reasonably possible
of emergency situations.
II. All procurements must adhere to General Ethical Standards, which
include:
a. No attempt to realize personal gain;
b. Avoid conflict of interest (or appearance of
the same);
c. No improper use of confidential information;
and
d. Cannot require the use of a non-competitive surety
company, agency or broker.
Policy Regarding Purchases of Goods and Services
I. Purpose To set forth the policy to be followed in the procurement of all goods and services. This policy applies to all schools, divisions, departments, programs, and funds unless otherwise noted.
II. General
a. Purchases Under $5,000
i. Purchases under $5,000
shall not require competitive bidding.
ii. Reasonable and prudent
business practices shall be followed regarding all purchases under $5,000.
iii. University Legal Counsel
shall review all contracts that exceed $1,500.
b. Purchases Over $5,000
i. Purchases over $5,000
must be bid competitively under established University business practices
utilizing Purchasing procedures.
ii. Reasonable and prudent
business practices shall be followed regarding all purchases over $5,000.
III. Policy
a. All purchases of goods and services shall be
coordinated through the Purchasing Department of the Business Office.
It shall be the direct responsibility of each department head to control
all transactions against their assigned budget accounts to ensure that
such transactions conform to policies of the university. This responsibility
includes, but is not limited to, all requests for purchases of goods or
services and all requests for payments.
b. Disbursements of any kind regardless of funding
source.
i. Authority to sign purchase
requests or payment requests shall be delegated in writing by the President
and shall include the Vice President of Fiscal Affairs and any other appropriate
individuals who are deemed necessary for conducting business for the benefit
of Lincoln University. Copies of the Presidents written signature
delegation authority shall be kept by the Presidents Office, Vice President
of Fiscal Affairs and University Legal Counsel.