The James Madison University Board of Visitors met Friday, January 9, 2004, in the Board Room of JMU's College Center. Following is a summary of actions taken by the board and key areas of discussion at the board meeting:

• Approved the implementation of a new Master of Science in Nursing program (MSN) with two role options: adult or gerontology nurse practitioner; and educator with expertise in the health of adults and older adults. The request will go before the March meeting of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. If approved by SCHEV, the program will be implemented this fall.
• Approved a number of revisions in the JMU Faculty Handbook, most of them minor. The changes are effective immediately.
• Was told that the Education and Student Life Committee had received a briefing on the possibility of a Phi Beta Kappa chapter being established on the JMU campus. The process would take a minimum of five years.
• Voted 10-2, with one member abstaining, to authorize the JMU Health Center to resume dispensing emergency contraception pills. The vote also said the board "further grants authority for all future health-related decisions pertaining to students to the administration and its medical staff." Last April, by a 7-6 vote, the board had directed the health center to cease distributing the pills.
• Received a report from the JMU Faculty Senate on "2003 Faculty Morale Survey: Quantitative Analysis." The report surveyed faculty on a wide variety of topics. Results were tabulated by college, rank, sex, length of employment at JMU and other categories. The greatest amount of dissatisfaction expressed in the survey was for "raises for the last five years." The highest level of satisfaction was for "library services."
• Changed the academic requirement for the student representative to the board from a 3.0 average to "in good academic standing." An Education and Student Life Committee motion was tabled that would have resumed the practice in place from 1984 to 2000 of having the board interview candidates and select the student representative. Since 2000, the student body has elected the student representative.
• Increased summer session tuition and fees from $69 to $80 per credit hour for undergraduate Virginia students and $303 to $350 per hour for non-Virginia undergraduates. Charges for graduate students go from $149 to $175 per hour for Virginians and $503 to $575 for non-Virginians.
• Were briefed on the Gov. Mark Warner's proposed 2004-06 state budget by President Linwood H. Rose and Senior Vice President for Administration and Finance Charles W. King Jr.
• Approved a budget amendment request for $18.8 million in additional funding by fiscal year 2006 for basic funding, salaries and operating funds for new facilities. Budget amendments were also approved that would allow JMU to develop new recreation fields and a parking deck. The location of the proposed new parking deck has not been determined, King said.
• Following closed session, the board approved a variety of personnel actions and authorized the university's administration to proceed with negotiations on several pieces of property near campus.