This page is part of the 2016 Lane website archive, and is presented for historical reference only.

January 12, 2005

LANE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
BOARD OF EDUCATION
Minutes - January 12, 2005


1)  Attendance
Chair Paul Holman called the meeting of the Lane Community College Board of Education to order at 6:30 p.m. Present were: Board Members Jay Bozievich, Larry Romine, Kathleen Shelley, and Dennis Shine. Also present were President Mary Spilde; Vice President Sonya Christian, Vice President Marie Matsen, Executive Assistant to the President Tracy Simms; College Counsel Meg Kieran; Lane Community College Education Association Jim Salt; Lane Community College Employees Federation President Bob Baldwin, and Associated Students of Lane Community College President Tony McCown. Board members Roger Hall and Mike Rose were absent.

2)  President's Report
Happy New Year! I am looking forward to another productive year at Lane.

During the work session we had an opportunity to review budget projections, and it is clear that Lane will be in for another very challenging two years relating to our budget. To summarize, there are many unknowns in the budget at this time; we will need the legislature to treat community colleges fairly, which the Governor's budget did not do; we will need to expand our efforts to increase enrollment; we will need to develop a short term strategy to align revenues and expenses for 06, while at the same time develop a plan for making some very difficult decisions regarding reductions and decisions for the ‘07 year. Obviously, this will be back on the agenda next month so that the board can approve a definite plan for dealing with the budget.

I held an all staff meeting this afternoon so that faculty and staff are fully aware of what is facing the college. The presentation and budget projections will be up on the web so that everyone has access to the information.

I wanted to pass out an information piece from the Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development that paints a picture of what is happening with community college enrollments and funding.

On Monday evening, Paul Holman, Tracy Simms, Tony McCown, and I spent some time with legislators from our district as well as Chemeketa , Oregon Coast, and Linn-Benton's districts. We shared information on what the colleges can do to assist with access to higher education as well as our role in helping the economy recover. Four students told their stories about what community college means to them. Tony did a great job and really represented the college and students well.

On Tuesday, Sonya and I met with the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) regarding our accreditation. I believe the meeting went very well. They asked us five questions, and we were able to respond effectively. Several of the commissioners complimented us on the high morale of the college faculty and staff, especially given our budget challenges. We will receive a letter in the next two to three weeks finalizing our accreditation status.

Implementation of the Governance System is moving forward. All the councils have met and all are developing their work plans for this year. As with the implementation of something as new and far-reaching as the governance system, we are experiencing some “growing pains.” There are some disagreements about what I would call process issues. We did not talk about how to address process disagreements in the Task Force, but given the board's direction to me to steward the governance system and to hold me accountable for decisions, I need to make it clear that, absent agreement on process issues at the Council level, I will make a decision. Obviously, I will do everything I can to facilitate discussions that lead to agreement, but I am not going to allow the system to be caught up in process issues while we have the important work of the college to accomplish.

We have made an agreement with LCCEF to spend some time assessing the status of the labor relationship and identifying what we would like it to be and how we can accomplish that. I am looking forward to this important work.

I draw your attention to the Highlights and the personnel information and would now like to introduce Mr. Kieth Crimin, Federal Aviation Administration's Safety Program Manager from the Flight Standards District Office in Hillsboro , who will present an award to the college in recognition of having provided over 250,000 of flight instruction since 1967 without an injury accident. Harvey Birdseye, chair, Flight Technology, read a letter from Congressman Peter DeFazio recognizing Lane's success with the aviation program and its most recent award. [The letter is filed with the original minutes.]

3)  Statements from audience
Bruce Miller, citizen, spoke about the consequences to Lane students if the Lane Transit District and the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757 were to strike. He was opposed to a fundraising effort by the University of Oregon.

4) Consent Agenda
 A correction was noted in the December minutes under Item 8, ASLCC Mandatory Student Activity Fee. The opposing vote in the second paragraph was changed from Shine to Romine.

Romine moved, seconded by Shelley, to approve the amended consent agenda consisting of:

  • Approval of the December 8, 2004, Minutes

Motion passed 5-0.

5) Consent Agenda
Marie Matsen and the director of Health Services Duke Vandervort reviewed the long-term plan for basic health services to employees and students on Main Campus, the impact on health insurance costs for the college and employees, and the reasons why a larger clinic facility is necessary. Matsen noted that the infrastructure is already in place, making it feasible to accomplish goals. Vandervort added that the prime directive is that there will be no harm to student services and that it is expected that health services to students will improve. Although $500,000 has been set aside in the FY05 budget to be used at the board's discretion, the design phase is the first step in providing a new health facility.

Romine moved, seconded by Shine, to expend funds for the design of a larger clinical health facility on Main Campus.

Motion passed 5-0.

6) Sarbanes-Oxley Implications
Marie Matsen reviewed the recommendations from the National Association of College and University Business Officers and the Association of Community College Trustees for compliance with certain provisions of the American-Competitiveness and Corporate Accountability Act of 2002. The board consented to a first reading of the recommendations for Lane at February's meeting.

7) November Work Sessions Summary
Mary Spilde reviewed the November work sessions summary, commented on her goals for 2004-05, and enumerated further work to be done by the administration as follow up.

8) Benchmarks
Craig Taylor responded to questions and comments on the following Benchmarks.

  • Gender and Race/Ethnicity Status of Graduates

9) Compensation and Benefits, A.080
 Dennis Carr said that there is evidence of compliance across the board on all components of Policy A.080, Compensation and Benefits. He said that because past reports have been inconsistently presented to the board, 36 months of information was reviewed for evidence, criteria, and data.

10) Asset Protection, A.070
 Marie Matsen provided a brief summary on Policy A.070, Asset Protection, and noted the following:

  • Because of funds authorized by the board, serious maintenance and facilities deficiencies are being addressed.
  • SAIF claim numbers in a table depicting the past five years can and will probably change for the current year because of retroactive processing of claims. The table reflects increased emphasis on safety, largely due to the efforts of Dennis Carr, Sandy Ing-Wiese, and Susie Cousar.
  • An internal account position has been in place for a year now; this position analyzes processes, especially on handling money.

Dennis Carr commended the role that the SAIF Corporation, Lane's workers compensation carrier, has played in providing an extraordinary level of quality risk management and safety assessment services. Without them, he said, Lane would not have been as successful.

11) Reports
ASLCC President Tony McCown reported that the Opportunity Grant had increased by $50 million, exceeding current levels by $17 million. He recommended that new dollars include part-time students. The Oregon Student Public Research Group and other student organizations are planning a Tsunami Relief Week, with proceeds aiding the recovery effort. Ten interns are recruiting and training students for lobbying efforts at the legislature. ASLCC plans to send a letter to the Lane Transit District union and the district requesting a timely resolution to avoid a bus strike; there are 3,000 Lane students who use the bus.

LCCEF President Bob Baldwin testified to the convenience of having health services on campus and supported a larger clinic facility. Despite growing pains, he said the governance system is up and running and is a unique model for classified staff participation. There are communication challenges in labor/relations issues, but a history of discussions is being developed. LCCEF and the administration are working on a response to Lane Transit District regarding a potential bus strike.

LCCEA President Jim Salt applauded the new governance system as being unprecedented by including classified and students as equal partners. Although part-time faculty used the health services this past summer on a pilot basis, full-time faculty are now eligible to use the services. LCCEA continues to support the growth of the health clinic and its services.

Economic, salary, and workload are some of the issues identified by the college and faculty bargaining teams. Members are dedicated to the spirit of cooperation and collaboration. Salt expressed appreciation for the board's support of the president's budget plan for the biennium. He hoped that important budget decisions would be identified early to avoid staff alienation.

Vice President Sonya Christian praised Mary Spilde's eloquence in responding to questions from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities on Lane's accreditation. She gave the following highlights:

  • Don McNair is the lead for the assessment of student learning.
  • Richard Herman, executive director of the Metropolitan Affordable Housing, announced that a $13.4 million dollar investment in downtown economic development has been approved and will be going to the Eugene City Council in March. Lane‘s Continuing Education Department is a partner in this project.
  • Greg Evans is the project coordinator for The Rites of Passage Summer Programs at Lane, which includes four distinct culturally specific immersion programs designed to address the cultural enrichment needs of African American, Latino/Latina American, Native American and Pan Asian American high school and middle schools students.
  • Later this term OISS will be conducting the Community College Survey of Student Engagement.
  • Our accreditation document will be used as a training session in February, and Christian has been asked to be a trainer at that session.

Vice President Marie Matsen reviewed plans for supporting students should an LTD bus strike occur. The plan hinges on clear and frequent communication to students and staff. It would be the student and employee's responsibility to find alternate transportation.

Board Members
Jay Bozievich announced that a $500 Rotary scholarship has been established for Culinary Arts students in memory of Tom Wiper, well-known Eugene citizen, who passed away last year. Rotary members have donated over $5,000. Bozievich attended a Town Hall meeting featuring Senators Wyden and Smith. A comment from Senator Smith to Bozievich indicated that community colleges are on the President's radar and that some federal help is expected for this budget cycle.

Dennis Shine reported that during Commissioner Bobby Green's State of the County speech, Green listed two of five goals that pertain to Lane. The first called for more vocational training and interfacing among school districts, and the second asked for better coordination among different agencies to bring sports events to Eugene . Shine thanked faculty for past and future mentoring of the Afro Cultural Technical Scientific Olympic students. The contest will be held March 19 at the Hult Center.

Kathleen Shelley recognized the Workforce Development staff for assisting Wild Oats employees who will soon lose their jobs due to the store's closing.

Paul Holman was recently sworn in as a member of the Florence City Council. He said the Florence Rotary is emphasizing the need for rebuilding infrastructure in the wake of the Tsunami disaster.

Mary Spilde encouraged everyone to attend the January 17 Martin Luther King events at the University of Oregon campus. Author and journalist Bebe Campbell will be the featured speaker. Campbell will also make a special appearance at Lane on January 18. The board was reminded of the following events: January 21 Springfield Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards and Installation Banquet, February 5 Freedom Fund Dinner, February 10 Lane Day on the Hill at the Legislature.

12) Date, Place, and Proposed Agenda Items for Next Regular Meeting
 Wednesday, February 9, 2005, Boardroom, Building 3, Lane Community College.

13) The board meeting unanimously adjourned at 8:10 p.m..


___________________________
Paul Holman, Chair

______________________________
Mary Spilde, President/District Clerk