Board Minutes 2008 May 15
- Former user (Deleted)
Sakai Foundation Board of Directors Conference Call - May 15, 2008
This document contains minutes from the Sakai Foundation Board of Directors conference call held on May 15, 2008. Corrections, suggestions should be sent to John Norman and Mary Miles.
These minutes capture both the discussion and formal resolutions of the board. Simply because something was discussed does not mean that it is the agreed-upon position of the board. When the board makes a formal resolution to approve an item, it will be noted as such in the minutes. If there is no such notation, readers should assume that the minutes are simply the notes of the board discussions.
Board members present: Lance Speelmon, Josh Baron, Chris Coppola, Joseph Hardin, Ian Dolphin, Lois Brooks, Clay Fenlason, Mara Hancock, Michael Korcuska (ex-officio), Mary Miles (staff)
Board members absent: John Norman, Jutta Treviranus
Topic: Review of April Minutes
Minutes of the April meeting were posted late, without ample time for the Board to review prior to this meeting. The Board was asked to review and send comments and corrections directly to Mary by Monday, May 19. If no comments/corrections are received, the minutes will be considered approved as written.
Topic: ED Updates:
Financial snapshot. The Foundation's cash balance remains within the set operating threshold. The primary negative item, the University of Michigan account, will change once the Memorandum of Understanding is in place. At that time the Foundation will be billed monthly.
Membership Renewal Update: The Foundation has learned that Louisiana State University will not be renewing. New members who have joined since the last meeting include: Gert Sibande FET College (South Africa), University of Amsterdam, and Oxford University.
China Update: The charter and business models have been sent to the Chinese schools, but given the short amount of time elapsed, there is nothing new to report. Michael expects to report on the status of this agreement at the next meeting.
Japan Update: Michael also reported that a trademark license should be issued to Ja-Sakai, but since the Sakai name and trademark are not currently registered in Japan, that is not possible at this time. He has begun research on the necessary procedure for registering not only in Japan, but also in the EU and Australia.
Joseph suggested that the trademark work continue, noting that Kuali has already done some of this work and could supply empirical cost data. Joseph suggested that Hosei and Nagoya be advised that the board supports their efforts, without making representation of ownership of the trademark. Hosei and Nagoya may use the Ja-Sakai name and the Sakai logo while work continues on the trademark issue. If this becomes an expensive process, Michael will bring this item back to the board for further direction.
New sakaiproject.org: Anthony has been putting a big effort in getting this up. Michael will send a note to the Board when edits are completed and the site can be reviewed. Anthony will serve as the system administrator but this is a Sakai site so editing options will be added for a number of people to allow for constant updates. Profiles and case studies are still needed for the new site.
Quality Assurance hire: The QA job description was posted and 5-6 qualified applications have been received. Michael will write the job description for a QA Director and a new Project Manager. By the Paris conference, the Foundation may be interviewing to fill one or both of these positions.
Topic: Outcomes from JA-Sig Meetings:
Several of the Board members agreed with Michael that the project coordination meetings were quite productive. One proposed outcome was a "Manger's meeting." Michael and Peter will coordinate these meetings, circulating a list of topics prior to the meetings and then moderating the meeting. For further information on the JA-Sig Meeting, check the blog posts from Michael and Peter.
Topic: Fall meetings
There will be no large Sakai conference in December. At the present time, Boston is targeted for next June. Mary continues to work on that meeting. It is hoped that a mini-conference can be organized for November or early December. Several members of the Board supported the idea of the mini meetings but would be more interested in a topical focus. This would also be an excellent time to get the new "Manager's" group together.
Topic: June meeting or wait until Paris?
Michael asked whether a June conference call should be held, or wait until Paris. Lois advocate for keeping the June meeting in place then cancelling if not needed. The Board agreed.
Approval of Wiley Publishing:
By unanimous vote, Wiley Publishing was accepted as a Sakai Commercial Affiliate.
Items to be addressed at the next board meeting:
The item suggested was a more detailed update on the UX position, where it's headed and the detail around that.
With no new business before the board, the call ended at 3:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Mary Miles