The Board of Trustees met May 23 to vote on finalizing the contract with Chartwells, the new campus food service provider, and to perform the annual evaluation of President Kenneth Kitts.

Sodexo, Chartwells and Aramark competed for a food service contract with UNA. Each company gave presentations demonstrating what they could offer UNA in dining options.

Chartwells offers a block plan which allows unused meals to “carry over” from one week to the next so students are not wasting their meals, said Vice President for Business and Financial Affairs Clinton Carter.

Based on reviews from campus members, Chartwells unanimously won the vote for best campus food service provider, surpassing Sodexo, UNA’s food service provider for the past 39 years.

The Board of Trustees agreed to finalize a 10-year contract with Chartwells, whose offer included a Moe’s and Panda Express among others.

After discussing the contract, the board conducted an evaluation of Kitts.

The board based their evaluation on how Kitts accomplished his goals as the university president. Those goals include, creating a more cohesive enrollment plan, a more robust budgeting process, maintain the investment grade credit rating, minimizing future tuition and fee increases and maintain and create more competitive sports programs, said Board President Pro Tempore Marty Abroms.

Since the board agreed Kitts met these goals, the presidential evaluation committee suggested a 3 percent salary adjustment, a bonus of 15 percent and to extend Kitts’ contract for three years, said Board of Trustee member Russel Simpson.  Kitts currently makes $265,000, with this raise he will be making $305,000

The committee will officially present this suggestion for during the June board meeting, Simpson said.