EKU Center Board, university nearing agreement

Education

September 21, 2012

EKU Center Board, university nearing agreement

By Bill Robinson Register Editor The Richmond Register Fri Sep 21, 2012, 01:15 AM EDT

RICHMOND — The EKU Center Community Operations Board is nearing agreement with university President Doug Whitlock on sharing responsibility for the center’s executive director.

At the board’s monthly meeting Wednesday, its chair, Harry Moberly, presented Whitlock’s response to his proposal for a new memorandum of understanding between the board and the university.

Whitlock had agreed to most of the proposal, but had requested a few additions, which were contained in copies distributed to board members and media representatives.

If adopted, the center’s executive director could be hired or dismissed only upon agreement of both the board and the university. If both parties do not agree, a proposed candidate for executive director could not be hired, Moberly said.

Without agreement of both parties, an executive director also could not be dismissed, if the memorandum becomes effective.

That has been the main point of contention between the board and the university since the June departure of Debra Hoskins, the center’s former executive director.

Although the university eventually released a statement with Hoskins announcing she had resigned, minutes of the board’s June meeting indicated the board was told she was no longer employed.

The board voted to affirm its control over center employees and resist Hoskins’ termination, but the joint announcement of her resignation came a few days later.

On Wednesday, only a few unresolved issued appeared to remain. They included whether personnel information that is protected by law could be released to the board and whether board members had sufficient liability insurance to protect them if a dismissed executive director filed suit for wrongful-termination or other issues.

Moberly said a director should be required to agree for the board to have access to personnel information before being hired. And, an evaluation of their liability exposure will be presented to board members at their next meeting. Increased liability coverage would mean a mean a higher premium, some members noted.

Board member Jan Tunnell, who chairs the search committee for a permanent executive director, said the panel had decided on a job description for the position but could not proceed with its search until the management issue was settled. Moberly agreed.

Jill Price, the university’s director of conferencing and events, has been serving as interim executive director.

Board member Richard Crosby asked if “having to work for a two-headed monster (the university and the board)” would deter some good candidates from applying to be executive director.

As long as the relationship was clarified, Moberly said he believed joint management could work as it does for other venues that are partnerships.

When asked how ticket sales are running compared to last year, board member Robert Rogow, dean of the university’s college of business and technology, said there was not enough data for a comparison.

The center’s $840,000 is far outpacing expenses by $616,000, Price said. However, a comparison of revenue and expenses to this point in the previous year also could not be made, Daughtery said, because the two year’s schedules are different.

On Thursday, Price said about 1,000 attended the center’s first event of the season, a Sept. 11 performance by the Cincinnati Pops. That number included members of the county’s high school bands, she said. Management had not expected to fill the 2,100 seats for the concert, Price said.

More than 800 tickets had been sold for tonight’s Al Green concert, Daughtery said late Thursday.

About half the tickets for Vince Gill’s Oct. 18 performance have been sold and about 1,100 tickets have been taken for the Oct. 27 Tony Bennett concert.

An advertising blitz is to begin next week for the Gill and Bennett concerts, both Price and Daughtery said.

Given the season was not announced until early August and major advertising for next month’s big shows had not begun, Daughtery said tickets sales were going about as well as could expected.

Bill Robinson can be reached at brobinson@richmondregister.com or at 624-6690.

Text Only

Education

State champs get their rings at YMCA breakfast
Two months may have passed, but Madison County continues to celebrate the state basketball championship won by the Madison Central boys team.
Team members were presented championship rings while their cheerleaders received pendants Saturday morning during a breakfast at the Telford YMCA attended by nearly 300.

May 18, 2013 2 Photos
District urges students to ‘PowerMyLearning’ through the summer
Sixteen little penguins need help jumping from iceberg to iceberg as a hungry killer whale swims menacingly in the chilly water below.
The fate of the poor little penguins lies in the hands of a third-grade student, who must quickly find the answer to a math equation to lead the penguins to safety.

May 18, 2013
GREAT bridges gap between cops, preteens
Bridging the gap between public misconceptions about police officers and the reality of what’s behind the uniform can be a daunting task. But, a growing program at Madison County middle schools is helping break down those barriers.

May 18, 2013 2 Photos
Toyota bornlearning Academy graduates parents
Seven graduates received their certificates Thursday night, but not with the customary rendition of “Pomp and Circumstance.”
It was a celebration of the parents’ six-month journey with the Toyota bornlearning Academy at Berea Community School.
The academy works with parents and caregivers of children from prenatal to 5 years old on ways to turn everyday moments into learning opportunities.

May 18, 2013 5 Photos
Caudill Middle School student showcase
Members of the Caudil Middle School Jazz Band entertain the crowd during the school's end of year student showcase Thursday.

May 18, 2013 2 Photos
The Incredible Child: Support group for parents of special-needs children meets Tuesday at library
Richmond now has a local chapter of The Incredible Child, a support group for families of children with all types of disabilities.
The group will host the family-friendly event “Read to Me” from 6:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Madison County Public Library in Richmond.

May 18, 2013
EKU to host biannual Family Nature Day
Eastern Kentucky University’s Division of Natural Areas will host Family Nature Day on Saturday at Maywoods Environmental and Educational Laboratory located on the borders of Garrard and Rockcastle counties.

May 15, 2013 3 Photos
First Lady urges graduates to live by their values
Touching on her own college experiences, First Lady Michelle Obama urged Eastern Kentucky University graduates to live a life of service while building on valuable character traits that will benefit the entire nation.
Obama visited Richmond as the featured speaker for EKU’s evening commencement. She chose to speak at the ceremony because of the university’s recognized commitment to serving student military veterans.

May 12, 2013 20 Photos
Board votes to reclassify full-time substitute teachers
Madison County Schools teachers and staff cheered Thursday night after a proposal to cut two contracted days from the school calendar died when board members declined to make a motion on the measure, either pro or con.
However, 15 educators in the district will see cuts to their salaries as the board voted 5-0 to reclassify full-time substitute teachers to para-educators.

May 11, 2013 1 Photo 1 Story
Little Shop of Horrors
The final performance of Berea Community High School’s production of “Little Shop of Horrors" is 7 p.m. Saturday (May 11) in the school's Kennedy Theater. Tickets are $5.

May 11, 2013 3 Photos
More Education Headlines

Education

Search Results

EKU Center Board, university nearing agreement

Will you or someone you know benefit from the state’s expansion of Medicaid under the federal Affordable Care Act commonly known as Obamacare.

Site Map