LANE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
BOARD OF EDUCATION MINUTES
February 3, 2016

1. Attendance

Board members present: Philip Carrasco, Susie Johnston, Matt Keating, Gary LeClair, Tony McCown, Rosie Pryor, and Sharon Stiles. President Mary Spilde; Vice President Brian Kelly, Interim Vice President Dawn DeWolf; Lane Community College Education Association President Jim Salt, Lane Community College Employees Federation President Bob Baldwin, and Associated Students of Lane Community College President Ashley Jackson.

A. Chair Tony McCown called the meeting to order at 6:35 p.m.

B. President’s Report

Once again I was proud of the work that Lane and its students do every year to help our community remember and celebrate the contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Our students played a central role in the event as always, including presenting the Maddie Reynolds Award to Rosa Maria Banuelos-Uribe; the ASLCC Community Leadership Award to Claudia Riumallo; and the BSU Scholarship award to international student and Lane ambassador Ebenezer Yemoh. Thanks to Greg Evans for his role in coordinating the event in collaboration with the University of Oregon.

Congratulations also to Greg for accepting appointment as our Interim Chief Diversity Officer. Due to Donna Koechig's medical leave, the position was opened up last term. We had many wonderful internal candidates making it a difficult decision for the search committee. However, Greg will be leading the work through the end of the academic year, focusing on implementation of the Diversity Education/Cultural Competence policy and establishing a Community Inclusion and Equity Committee to advise the college.

Grant Mathews is the new dean of ABSE. He joined the college this week, although he came last week to participate in the “Welcome to Lane” onboarding. Welcome, Grant. We are glad you are here.

I appreciated the time we had together this weekend at the board retreat. I’m very proud that the board stepped up to participate in the cultural competence education provided by Greg Evans, Jim Garcia, and Sarah Lushia, and the bargaining primer that was provided by Kevin Boyle. We also appreciated the conversations about the budget, bond, student success, and look forward to further direction from the board. It was a big time commitment on your part, and I greatly appreciate it.

I want to thank everyone who attended and helped plan our CLASS grand opening last week. It seems like just yesterday we were bringing down the concrete terraces; what a difference a year makes. Thank you to all the speakers who joined me at the event: Tony, Ashley, Liz Coleman and Don Rainer, and Russ for emceeing. And a big thanks to Todd, Jennifer, Brian, Gary, Jeff and the rest of the Facilities crew for getting us to this point. I’d also like to give a shout out to everyone who helped plan the event and the staff who work in the Center Building. We had a great turnout and people loved the new space, as do students. I don’t know how he did it, but Brett even got the sun to come out.

On Monday I did a live call-in broadcast on the Jefferson Exchange talk show on Jefferson Public Radio which broadcasts locally through KRVM FM. The discussion focused on sustainability, this week’s sustainability conference, and my work on the 21st Century Commission on the Future of Community Colleges.

Winter registrations as of the start of the 4^th week of classes, are down 11.3%

We are doing a Train the Trainer program for Emotional Intelligence. We have been offering this to our faculty and staff for a number of years, and now we will build our own capacity by training faculty and staff to offer the program. We had 22 mangers, classified, and faculty to be part of that training program. We started last week. I am happy to be part of that.

We held our inaugural “Welcome to Lane” onboarding program last Thursday and Friday, which included Emotional Intelligence. It was a great learning experience for all of us. The highlight that stood out in the evaluations was the student panel. It was amazing. Ashley Jackson and Shawn Goddard participated, as did Amanda Irvin, who is a leader in our MECHA program and Diane Castaneda, who is a student doing prerequisites for dental hygiene. It was emotional and wonderful and reminded everyone who was there why we do this work. Reminding ourselves of that is very important.

I will be attending the ACCT national legislative summit next week along with some of you, and the Achieving the Dream annual conference in Atlanta at the end of this month.

You are invited to a day with Davis Jenkins on February 19. He is co-author of “Redesigning America’s Community Colleges” and a senior research associate at the Community College Research Center at Columbia University. He will be here to present on guided pathways as a design process that leads to student retention and success in community colleges. Community colleges from across the state have been invited as well as K-12 and university partners and representatives from state agencies including the Higher Education Coordinating Commission. We’ve had over 200 people register.

The legislative session is underway in Salem. I have distributed a list of the bills we are currently tracking. Please contact Brett if you have questions. OCCA’s top priority for the short session is a small funding request for safety upgrades on community college campuses, and we’re hopeful that $1-2 million will come to Lane.

Just a word about the mandatory activity fee policy you will be reviewing later. I’ve been working with Ashley and the students and they proposed some additional language. I had that vetted by legal counsel, and you will see when I hand out the new policy that we have embedded some additional language at the request of students which clarifies their role on the mandatory student fee committee. It clarifies who will be the voting members, and that is a good thing to have in the policy.

Tonight I would like to make a special announcement to the college community. After 36 years in higher education, including the best times of my life at Lane Community College, I am preparing to retire from my role as President effective June 2017.

I’ve talked with the board about retiring for quite some time, in fact, I believe I first mentioned the possibility three or four years ago. I have stayed on at their request but now it’s time for changes in my life.

I’m making this announcement now for several reasons. I want the board and the college to have an orderly presidential succession through an inclusive process that involves faculty, staff, students and the community. Having served on presidential search committees myself, and from my work nationally, I am well aware of the challenges in finding the right person for a dynamic institution like Lane. Since I became president in 2001, the job has become vastly more complex in ways that no one could have foreseen.

Lane has maintained a reputation for excellence and has remained focused on students through wave after wave of changes in technology, funding, accountability, demographics and more. I want to do what I can to support the board in finding the right person to be Lane’s seventh president.

My career in higher education has been incredibly rewarding. I came to this country almost 40 years ago with two suitcases, my life savings of $1900 and an education. It was that education that afforded me the opportunities I have had. Discovering community colleges was the beginning of a lifelong passion for our mission and our students, eventually bringing me to Lane where it has been an absolute honor to serve as president.

Lane truly is one of the best colleges in the nation. I could not have dreamed of a better opportunity or more wonderful people. I love Lane Community College but now I want to pursue other passions. While I will continue to work on behalf of community colleges in specific projects at the national level I will do that balanced with my other interests. Family is important and I want to be there for my first grandchild who will arrive at the end of this month. I want to give back to my community in ways that a presidential schedule doesn’t allow. I want to get better at Spanish and I want to take a poetry class from Sandy Brown Jensen, a literature class from Anne McGrail, Susie Cousar’s Global Health class, check out Chef Clive’s cooking classes and Joe McCully’s wine class and many more. That is the wonderful thing about Lane. Our faculty and our offerings are exemplary.

Once I’ve retired I will think back on all the times we’ve shared at Lane, both good and difficult, small and tremendous, and always amazing. I hope we will have time over the next months to celebrate our collective accomplishments.

However, for the next 17 months, I will focus on the board’s priorities and pursue some key goals that will help position Lane for the future. If we decide to pursue a bond measure I will lead that effort; I plan to work with our Foundation to get our major gifts campaign over 60% of our goal; we will stabilize enrollment, a challenge that every single person who works at Lane must embrace; we need to make sure we offer our students programs with a good job market and a future; we need to offer more training for local employers; we need to continue implementing student success strategies to ensure that our students complete their goals.

I will continue to focus on the quest for fiscal stability, through more enterprise activities, and legislative and public support. These are critical. I also want to complete our next strategic plan and advance our climate action plan; work on student success, partnerships with K-12 and higher ed, outreach, data and accountability, governance, safety and security, and developing a cultural competence professional development program. It’s not a small list, but hey, I’ve got 17 months!

I am pleased that with Lane’s Executive Team, the college is in good hands. This group of phenomenal community college professionals is, without a doubt, the best leadership team Lane has ever had. I am sure you will find a great president for Lane but rest assured that you are in good hands with this team.

I’m looking forward to sharing the next 17 months with all of you, keeping Lane great, and moving us forward. I am “all in” on Lane and for the next 17 months you will find me doing the job I love, leading Lane and doing the work that needs to be done on behalf of the college.

Thank you for all the support our college community has shown me over last 20 years and thanks, in advance, for your support for the next 17 months. I plan on making them phenomenal.

1) Personnel

The college’s current personnel appointments were presented.

C. Board Agenda Review/Changes

Pryor moved to take item 2-B-2, Policy Review, Monitoring President’s Performance, off the consent agenda and placed as discussion item 3-F. LeClair seconded.

Motion passed unanimously.

D. Statements from Audience

Tasha Briquet, GSA Treasurer, thanked the board for the approving the revisions to BP 715, Mandatory Student Activity Fees. It will impact student leaders and give them a meaningful voice.

Mariana Paredones, Oregon Student Association Coalition co-chair and Higher Education Coordinating Commission student appointee, stated that the Oregon Student Association held a statewide lobby day to ask for more funding for community colleges. She thanked President Spilde for working with student leaders to meet the needs of students.

Maria Dress, ASLCC Senator, thanked the board for approving the revisions to BP 715, Mandatory Student Activity Fees. She thanked President Spilde for incorporating the input of ASLCC President Ashley Jackson and for doing what was requested by students.

Hilary Wilson, GSA Secretary, thanked the board for the approving the revisions to BP 715, Mandatory Student Activity Fees. It means a lot to know that the board cares about the students’ voice.

Dave Nichols, ASLCC Treasurer, GSA Secretary, thanked the board for the approving the revisions to BP 715, Mandatory Student Activity Fees. He believes that moving to a more involved process and literacy in fiscal responsibility will further develop student leaders in a substantive way.

Shawn Goddard, ASLCC Multicultural Program Coordinator, thanked the students who came forward to discuss BP 715, Mandatory Student Activity Fees. He thanked President Spilde for her work here at Lane. He is now Diversity Council chair and looked forward to working with Interim Chief Diversity Officer Greg Evans on the Cultural Competence training. He will also work to implement a “Men in Transitions” program at Lane. He will be starting his campaign for student body president soon.

2A. Consent Agenda

Pryor moved, and seconded by LeClair, to approve the Consent Agenda consisting of:

• Approval of the January 13, 2016, Minutes
• Policy Review

1. Equality of Opportunity, BP 535

Motion passed unanimously.

3. Discussion/Action Items

A. OCCA Visit

Andrea Henderson, Executive Director from OCCA, provided an update on legislative and state issues affecting community colleges. One of OCCA’s priority items this year is support for Umpqua Community College in their recovery after the events of October 1, 2015. In addition, safety and security for all community colleges are at the top of the list of priorities.

The Oregon Promise legislation is a significant issue for community colleges. It’s great to see legislators talking about student success. All eyes will be on the group of students starting this fall. Over 11,000 students have submitted applications thus far.

There is a potential ballot measure coming up for the 2017 legislative session that would increase funding to K-12 and senior services, which could free up funding for community colleges. OCCA is asking community college stakeholders to consider how it might be framed to present a larger set of legislative asks.

Patrick Crane is the new director of the Office of Community Colleges and Workforce Development. Crane was previously director of research and data for the Higher Education Coordinating Commission.

OCCA has scheduled a board development opportunity at the end of June. The Governance Institute for Student Success will be held on June 28-30 in Bend, Oregon.

B. Mandatory Student Activity Fees

A second reading was held on BP 715, Mandatory Student Fees. Suggested revisions are represented in bold below.

Carrasco moved to approve the policy as revised. Pryor seconded.

Motion passed unanimously.

Policy Number: BP715
Policy Type: STUDENTS
Policy Title: MANDATORY STUDENT ACTIVITY FEES

The board may approve an assessment of mandatory fees for programs or activities that it determines provide educational value to the students consistent with the college mission and goals. The board will approve the mandatory fee on an annual basis to ensure that the programs or activities maintain educational value to students.

Programs that use funds generated through the mandatory fee must further the following guiding principles:

1. Improve the overall quality of the campus experience from the students’ perspective;
2. Increase opportunities for student involvement and leadership in the educational process through extra-curricular activities and support services;
3. Enhance the appropriate out-of-class services and programs at the campuses based on the unique needs of Lane students.

The mandatory fee enhances student life and the overall student experience by maximizing opportunities for out-of-class experiences that build on classroom education and connect to the larger world and improving the educational climate by offering programs and activities.

The President will establish a Mandatory Fee Committee by October 30 of each year to advise the administration on ongoing and emerging student needs. The voting members of the mandatory student fee committee will be composed of both elected students and students appointed from student groups and organizations at the college. At the discretion of the president, administrative staff appointed to the committee will serve in a support role and as non-voting members. An annual report from the Mandatory Fee Committee will be submitted by the President to the Board before budget decisions are finalized for the next year. All appropriations in relation to this fee must be viewpoint neutral. All changes to the mandatory fee remain in the sole discretion of the Board.

ADOPTED: November 9, 1998
REVISED: July 12, 2000
REVISED: December 2002
REVISED: July 27, 2004
REVISED: June 14, 2006
REVIEWED: April 8, 2009
REVIEWED: June 13, 2012
REVISED: February 3, 2016

Chair McCown left the meeting at 7:30 p.m. Vice Chair Stiles presided over the remainder of the meeting.

C. Bond Update

Vice President Kelly informed the board that work is nearly completed on the 2008 bond, and the college is looking at the potential of going out for another bond in the fall election. Six forums have been hosted by the Bond Leadership Team and the Facilities Council for different groups to discuss ideas for projects. The Executive Team reviewed the list and organized the projects into buckets, or groupings of ideas. Resonating in the buckets was the theme of sustainability. The board gave direction to poll the community to determine how the potential of a bond will resonate with the community. Administration will bring the information back to the board in a future meeting.

D. Budget Update

Kelly noted the impact the decline in enrollment is having on the budget. The effects of the previous three years are starting to be seen in state funding and tuition dollars. A Student Enrollment Management blog has been created where students and staff can ask questions and offer ideas. Kelly distributed a handout containing an analysis of enrollment trends for the past five years. Factors for the enrollment decline include student debt, decrease of Pell grants, decreasing high school graduation rates, the perceived declining dollar value of a college degree, increasing market saturation for degree holders, improving economy and job market, and rising tuition costs. Strategies for increasing enrollment include implementing the Student Enrollment Management Plan, exploring growth opportunities, and increased access and analysis of data to understand and address issues and opportunities around student registration, enrollment patterns and goal attainment.

Kelly distributed a handout with updated projections for FY17. At this point, the shortfall will be $5.4 million. Kelly shared the balancing lever options which can be adjusted to achieve a balanced budget. Currently no tuition increase is factored into the projections.

Board members stated that they would like to see a full range of options, including a possible tuition increase, review of programs, and other adjustments. They requested information on the impact of previous tuition increases on enrollment and how Lane’s tuition compares to other areas with respect to cost of living. Members stated that it would be beneficial if the college groups could arrive at some agreement around data and figures with which to work. Members also felt that it would be helpful to review enrollment data for the past 10 or 15 years.

E. Budget Committee Appointments

Board members Susie Johnston, Zone 2, and Gary LeClair, Zone 3, and Matt Keating, Zone 4, recommended the following Budget Committee appointees, who will serve effective immediately and ending June 30, 2018: Rudy Venturi, Zone 2, and Nancy Golden, Zone 3, and Kevin Matthews, Zone 4.

Keating moved to approve the Budget Committee appointees as presented. LeClair seconded.

Motion passed unanimously.

F. Policy Review, BP 540, Monitoring President’s Performance

Board policy BP 540, Monitoring President’s Performance, was reviewed. Suggested revisions included the addition of monitoring reports for BP 520, Cultural Competency, and BP 715, Mandatory Student Activity Fees. A second reading will be held in March.

Policy Number: BP540
Policy Type: HUMAN RESOURCES
Policy Title: MONITORING PRESIDENT’S PERFORMANCE

Any evaluation of the president's performance, formal or informal, may be derived only from the criteria established within board Ends and Executive Directions.

Accordingly,

1. The purpose of monitoring is to determine the degree to which board policies are being fulfilled. Information which does not do this will not be considered to be monitoring.
2. The board will acquire monitoring data by one or more of three methods: (a) by internal report, in which the president discloses compliance information to the board, (b) by external report, in which an external, disinterested third party selected by the board assesses compliance with board policies, and (c) by direct board inspection, in which a designated member or members of the board assess compliance with the appropriate policy criteria.
3. The standard for compliance shall be any reasonable interpretation of the board policy being monitored.
4. All policies that instruct the president will be monitored at a frequency and by a method chosen by the board. The board can monitor any policy at any time by any method, but will ordinarily depend on a routine schedule.

Policy	Method	Frequency
Treatment of Learners, BP720	Internal	Annually
Treatment of Staff, BP555	Internal/External	Annually
Financial Planning and Budgeting, BP260	Internal	Semi-annual
Financial Condition and Activities, BP255	Internal	Quarterly
	External	Annually
Emergency Presidential Succession, BP350	Internal	Annually
Asset Protection, BP205	Internal	Annually
Compensation and Benefits, BP515	Internal	Annually
Community Outreach, BP 335	Internal	Annually
Governance Process Policies, BP305-385	Direct Insp.	Annually

ADOPTED: November 9, 1998
REVISED: May 12, 1999
REVIEWED: May 12, 2004
REVIEWED: November 9, 2005
REVIEWED: January 14, 2009
REVIEWED: December 14, 2011

4. Accountability/Reports

A. Facilities Update

An update on the status of bond and facility projects was presented.

B. Financial condition and Activities, BP 255, Quarterly Report

The Financial Condition and Activities quarterly report was presented to the board.

6. Reports

ASLCC President Ashley Jackson mentioned that the roses which were distributed by the students at the beginning of the meeting are a gesture for the gratitude of the hard work that takes place at the college. Jackson attended the MLK celebration and had the honor of presenting the community leadership award to Claudia Riumallo. Author April Ryan spoke about her book, The Presidency in Black and White. We have a history in this country and in the state that we aren’t talking about. We have a vantage point to be touching young children into adulthood and teaching them the overlooked history of their state and country. Jackson and Shawn Goddard along with two other students participated in a panel for new employees. Jackson thanked the board for the opportunity to attend the retreat. Today was lobby day in Salem. Jackson thanked her peers who attended. ASLCC is sending 35 students to the National Student Leadership Conference this weekend. The students will be working closely with administration to see BP715 to its implementation. Jackson thanked everyone, especially President Spilde, for the collaboration. Jackson congratulated Spilde on her retirement. It has been an honor to have a leader like Spilde who has worked a president’s schedule but still has an open door policy and a woman leader who puts family first. As women, we don’t seem to get enough credit for how much we juggle. Jackson expressed appreciation for the SEM blog.

LCCEF President Bob Baldwin noted that he has been watching the college budget process for 18 years. Every year, the administration presents its multimillion dollar deficit. Almost every year, it is difficult to get timely access to complete and accurate data. This is why the board does not always see agreement on issues. Baldwin noted the surreal experience at the board retreat observing board members talking to a third-party consultant about improving labor relations with someone sitting in the corner who has been trying to tell them how for years and years. He has ideas on how that would happen from the LCCEF side and would be happy to meet with the board. It has to be a two-party conversation – not just one of the LCCEF officers talking with nobody listening.

LCCEA President Jim Salt noted that the signature-gathering work is going forward on the Better Oregon petition. He would like to see more people engaged in that. He responded to Johnston on her call for collaboration in terms of data, a call Salt echoes and has been making calls for. Progress has been made as was seen in Kelly’s presentation and at the board retreat. He looked forward to working with administration. There may not be agreement on balancing the budget, but there should be agreement on efforts made. He commented on the developments in the Medical Office Assistant program. Concerns have been shared with administration, and he will hopefully have more to report at next month’s meeting. Contract negotiations will begin this spring; it is a good time to make progress and reach an agreement within the required time.

Interim Vice President Dawn DeWolf appreciated the opportunity to be at the board retreat. She attended Welcome to Lane, orientation for new employees. It was a full, engaging day, and she is looking forward to working with all of them. She attended the Emotional Intelligence workshop on Friday. DeWolf distributed the next draft of the accreditation report. It will be sent out to various groups to get input from across campus. It is due March 1; staff will be finalizing the report during the last week of February. She congratulated Spilde on her retirement.

Vice President Brian Kelly thanked the board for the time spent in the board retreat. He recognized Greg Evans, Sarah Lushia, and Jim Garcia for the cultural competency training. The Arbitron numbers are in, and KLCC has the largest market share it has ever had in its history. He thanked Mike Sims and Jennifer Hayward for coordinating the OHESC Conference. He recognized Todd Smith, Russ Pierson, Jennifer Hayward and the trades staff for finishing the Center Building remodel – a giant project – before time and under budget. He congratulated Spilde on her retirement.

Board Reports

Johnston wished Spilde the best in her retirement.

Keating congratulated Spilde on her retirement. He thanked the attendees, his colleagues, and the presenters from the retreat. He attended the Center Building Grand Opening. It was a wonderful ceremony. As Jackson and Spilde were speaking about students utilizing the space, students above them were doing that exact thing. He will be attending the ACCT National Legislative Summit in Washington DC where he will be lobbying in support of America’s promise. He congratulated the Lane Community College team who went to Roseburg to support Umpqua. He had nominated Lane to receive a recognition at the LCOG Annual Dinner, and he was thrilled to announce that our team won by a landslide. The dinner will be held February 26 at the Center for Meeting and Learning.

Spilde reported that Helen Garrett, Dean of Enrollment Services, will be leaving Lane on February 12 for a position at the University of Washington. She thanked her for her service to Lane and wished her well in her new position.

Pryor congratulated Spilde on her retirement. She congratulated Greg Evans on his new position. She welcomed Grant Matthews to Lane. She congratulated Helen Garrett on her new position and offered her best wishes in her new position. She wondered if the SEM blog was anonymous. She will be looking at the blog for information from classified staff on examples of things we should be looking at, and if it is anonymous, it should be safe for them to offer their opinions there. She appreciated that the students would go to the trouble to come to the meeting tonight to say thank you. It is like a breath of fresh air. It is remarkable how a little bit of positive intent goes a long way in collaboration.

Kelly noted that the blog is in fact anonymous.

LeClair thanked the students for the rose. He is much more used to a barrage of negativity. He expressed frustration at the negativity despite the fact that the college has absorbed health care costs. How do we get that money back? Last time it was from the students. He did not have much hope for smooth negotiations but hopes to be proven wrong. He congratulated Spilde, who has brought national recognition to Lane, on her retirement.

Carrasco reported that he is also hopeful about contract negotiations. We all care about the college and have ties to the students, faculty and staff. Students are depending on us to be positive and work together. He thanked the staff who presented at the retreat. Carrasco will be working on the minimum wage issue in support of raising it and asked supporters to call or e-mail their legislators. He is gearing up on the human rights front to establish an indigenous peoples day. It is important that we take a stand at a human rights level. He recently attended a Community Alliance of Lane County event and it hit him how some people in this county live with very little. He commented that the United Steel Works are strong and unified on lock out in Albany. He thanked Spilde for her many years of service to the students and the community and noted the positive influence she has had on Lane’s students.

Stiles congratulated Greg Evans on his position and welcomed Grant Matthews to Lane. She said goodbye to Helen Garrett and thanked the students for the roses. She attended the CLASS Grand Opening. At the board retreat, Kevin Boyle spoke about listening and how we don’t hear. The cultural competency training mentioned hearing other people’s stories. We have to learn how to listen. Conference and Culinary Services Dean Mat Kline visited the Florence Center in January, stopped by the Florence Chamber of Commerce, and is working with the high school on offering Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management College Now courses as early as Fall 2016. Cooperative Education Dean Al King was in Florence yesterday and presented at the Rotary Club. Director Russ Pierson is participating in the Emotional Intelligence Train the Trainer. It is hard to express the loss the college will feel in 17 months as President Spilde retires. It has been an honor working with her.

7. Date, Place, and Proposed Agenda Items for the Next Regular Meeting

Wednesday, March 9, Boardroom, Building 3, Lane Community College

8. The board meeting unanimously adjourned at 9:05 p.m.

______________________________

Mary Spilde, President/District Clerk

_____________________________

Tony McCown, Board Chair

Prepared by:
Donna Zmolek, Executive Assistant to the President/Board