LANE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
BOARD OF EDUCATION MINUTES
January 13, 2010
1. Attendance
Board members present: Bob Ackerman, Pat Albright, Susie Johnston, Roger Hall, Gary LeClair, Tony McCown and Sharon Stiles. Also present were: President Mary Spilde; Vice President Sonya Christian; Chief Financial Officer Greg Morgan; Legal Counsel Meg Kieran; Lane Community College Employees Federation President Bob Baldwin; and ASLCC President James Manning.
A. Chair Albright called the meeting to order at 6:32 p.m.
B. President’s Report
Welcome, everyone, to 2010. Happy New Year!
Our first weather closure of the winter was Friday afternoon, December 11, due to freezing rain. Our LaneAlert messaging system helped us quickly inform students and employees.
First-day registrations are up for credit around 21 percent over last year, and headcount is up about 16 percent, showing that enrollment demand is still very strong.
Our most exciting first-day event was the broken hot water main in a Science building storage room, which produced steam mistaken for smoke at first. Public Safety and Facilities responded and now our Science folks are doing some early spring cleaning. This shows that that we still have plenty of deferred maintenance to do, even though we’re about 75 percent complete on state funded projects.
Voters will soon settle Measures 66 and 67. Last week, Secretary of State Kate Brown visited the campus to encourage students to register and vote, and she spoke with students in Stan Taylor’s Peace & Conflict class, and ASLCC. I met Kate later in the week at another meeting, and she was very impressed with our students and promised to come back. I have attended debates on the measures. You passed the resolution supporting them. Thanks to Chair Pat Albright for his letter to the editor. As you know, the Register-Guard supports the measures, while The Oregonian opposes them.
Last month, President Obama signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2010, which included all remaining budgets before Congress for the current fiscal year. The agreement increased the Congressional appropriation for Lane’s nursing program to $500,000, more than originally anticipated. Special thanks to Congressman Defazio and Senators Merkley and Wyden for their efforts.
The American Graduation Initiative was put on hold during the health care reform debate but should start moving fairly soon. It appears now that the Senate may consider the bill in February, allowing community colleges a great opportunity to advocate for passage while in Washington for the AACC-ACCT Legislative Summit, which several of us will be attending.
Another bill before Congress that we are following carefully is HR 4196, the Community College Emergency Stabilization Fund Act. This bill now has 335 co-sponsors and would make $700 million available to community colleges to maintain, or hire more faculty and staff to assist with skyrocketing enrollment.
I would like to thank the more than 300 employees who contributed over $108,000 during the annual employee campaign, our best effort yet. $79,000 was directed to the Foundation, and $29,000 to United Way. Special thanks to campaign chair Cathy Lindsley, ALS Dean, and Kathy Thomas from the Foundation.
We have less than $500,000 to raise to meet a Kresge Foundation challenge grant for the new Health and Wellness Building. We need to raise this by March 31.
I would like to thank Hamilton Construction for donating $100,000 to the Opening Doors Campaign.
Lane seems to be lighting the way for Eugene downtown. Our downtown campus project made it into the top ten stories of 2009 in The Register-Guard, and Mayor Piercy won cheers and applause when she mentioned Lane in her State of the City address. Things are moving along. As you know, last month we hired Gerding Edlen as our project management firm for this first phase, and after an open bid process, I approved Roberts and Sherwood, and SRG for Phase One of the conceptual design. Roberts and Sherwood are in Eugene and designed the new Eugene Library. SRG is in Portland and designed our Health and Wellness Center.
KLCC completed a digital broadcast upgrade for its Eugene transmitters. Upgrades for Florence, Roseburg, Reedsport and Bend will follow. If you have a digital radio you will now get a clearer signal, especially in remote or rural areas.
We are responding to a letter to the editor criticizing wait times in student services. Kate Barry is contacting the writer and submitting a response letter. Our wait times reflect high enrollment, an increase in financial aid applications (80% of students who walk in require financial aid assistance), walk-in students who are unprepared, and understaffing resulting from years of state funding cuts. We are constantly looking for ways to improve this, including promoting early orientation and encouraging students to complete processes earlier.
Our annual financial aid and scholarship workshop, titled, "How To Pay For College In One Day," will be Saturday, January 30, in the Center for Meeting and Learning. I hope you can drop by.
Last week, Sonya Christian and I participated in a panel with the joint boards of education and the Oregon Business Council at Portland State University to discuss learning outcomes.
Gubernatorial candidate John Kitzhaber was on campus today to roll out policy on jobs in Oregon. Kitzhaber is working on his education platform and will be unveiling that in February. We expect to see good news for education support.
We have received the report from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities on our interim accreditation visit. The good news is that we have no recommendations, and the commendation we received was for our stewardship of the College’s financial and physical resources.
Finally, I want to warn you that sometime tonight, we will be informed of the outcome of tonight's women's basketball game going on right now in the gym next door. The Titans are aiming for their 73rd consecutive home-game win. That’s the best home game winning streak in the nation in college basketball. KMTR is doing live coverage of the game.
2) December Highlights
December highlights at Lane Community College as offered in the board mailing were presented.
3) Personnel
The college's current personnel appointments were presented.
C. Board Agenda Review/Changes
No changes were made to the agenda.
D. Statements from Audience
Angeline Sawyer and Kevin Godfrey, athletes from the Student Athletic Leadership Council, informed the board of the new council which was formed this year. Over Thanksgiving, the students helped with the Whitaker event, supplying materials for homeless and needy families. They raised money for items such as sleeping bags, blankets, and warm clothing. "Jam the Gym" night for the men's and women's basketball teams will be on January 23 beginning at 4 pm. The Athletics Department is asking folks to bring canned food items for Food for Lane County. Admission is free, and T-shirts will be given to the first 500 attendees.
Pat Riggs-Henson, former board member, thanked the board for their support of Measures 66 and 67. Riggs-Henson will be running for county commissioner. She stated that several of the commissioner candidates are former or current Lane Community College Board of Education members. Lane’s board instills a sense of community service and produces people who are willing to take the next step for community leadership.
April Kay Williams, ASLCC Senator, thanked the board for considering resolutions on the Student Aid Reform and DREAM Acts. ASLCC officers have been attending town halls and educating other students and are fighting to ensure that all students have equal access to post secondary education and financial aid support. Williams invited the board to attend a panel including Mayor Kitty Piercy and KMTR news anchor Marc Mullins on January 21 from 12 to 2 pm.
2A. Consent Agenda
LeClair moved, and seconded by Stiles, to approve the Consent Agenda consisting of:
•The approval of the December 2, 2009 meeting minutes
•Advisory Committee List
Motion passed unanimously.
3. Policy Review
A. Second Reading
1. Financial Reporting, E.110
Hall moved, seconded by LeClair, to approve the second reading of board policy E.110, Financial Reporting.
Motion passed unanimously.
POLICY NUMBER: E.110
POLICY TYPE: BUDGET AND FINANCIAL
POLICY TITLE: FINANCIAL REPORTING
Lane's annual audited financial statements shall conform to generally accepted accounting principles. Applicable professional accounting standards and guidance shall be incorporated into Lane's financial statements.
ADOPTED: March 9, 2005
REVIEWED: June 28, 2007
2. Global Executive Directions, A.010
Hall moved, seconded by Johnston, to approve the second reading of board policy A.010, Global Executive Directions.
Motion passed unanimously.
POLICY NUMBER: A.010
POLICY TYPE: EXECUTIVE DIRECTIONS
POLICY TITLE: GLOBAL EXECUTIVE DIRECTIONS
The president shall assure that every activity, decision, or organizational circumstance shall be lawful, prudent, and in accord with commonly accepted business and professional ethics.
ADOPTED: November 9, 1998
REVISED: April 12, 2000
REVIEWED: September 10, 2003
REVIEWED: June 28, 2007
B. First Reading
1. Interfund Transfers, E.080
A second reading was held in December 2009. However, questions arose at that time regarding transfer authorization and the language on Fund IX included in the policy. The policy was brought back as a first reading; the following changes were recommended. A second reading will be held in February.
POLICY NUMBER: E.080
POLICY TYPE: BUDGET AND FINANCIAL
POLICY TITLE: INTERFUND TRANSFERS
All transfers between funds shall be in conformance with ORS 294.361. The Budget Document shall clearly show for each fund the amounts, origin and destination of each transfer. Accompanying documentation shall list the specific purposes for each transfer and will be submitted to the board for approval in initial budget or subsequent resolution.
Transfers from the General Fund to other funds (except Fund IX Special Revenue Admin Restricted) shall be for the following purposes:
•Debt service on an obligation incurred as a part of normal operations of the college;
•Goods and services provided to General Fund units by units in other funds;
•Construction, maintenance and acquisition of facilities and/or real property used by the college in support of its mission;
•Acquisition of capital equipment for use by the college in support of its mission;
•Matching funds for grants and contracts;
•Operation of certain financial aid functions and matching funds required for financial aid grants;
•Contractual and legal obligations to employees and retirees for compensation and benefits;
•Other needs as deemed appropriate and necessary by the board for fulfilling the obligations of the college.
Since Fund IX contains units that could be considered general operations of the college, the boundary between the General Fund and Fund IX is more "permeable." While units in Fund IX primarily rely on designated revenues, transfers from the General Fund may be used to augment the resources for any or all of these units. The level of funding through General Fund transfers to Fund IX is at the discretion of the board under advice from the Budget Committee and the president.
2. Treatment of Learners, A.020
No changes were recommended to this policy. A second reading will be held in February.
POLICY NUMBER: A.020
POLICY TYPE: EXECUTIVE DIRECTIONS
POLICY TITLE: TREATMENT OF LEARNERS
With respect to interactions with learners, the president shall assure that procedures and decisions are safe, respectful and confidential.
Accordingly, the president shall assure that:
1.The institution represents itself accurately and consistently to prospective students through its catalogs, publications and official statements.
2.Admissions information forms avoid eliciting information for which there is no clear necessity.
3.Methods of collecting, reviewing, transmitting, or storing information about learners will be protected against improper access in compliance with federal and state regulations.
4.Facilities provide a reasonable level of privacy, both visual and aural.
5.The college environment is welcoming and accepting to all learners.
6.Learners have a clear understanding of what may be expected from the services offered.
7.Learners are informed of their rights and responsibilities and are provided a process to address grievances.
8.There is adequate provision for the safety and security of learners.
ADOPTED: November 9, 1998
REVISED: April 12, 2000
REVISED: May 12, 2004
REVIEWED: July 11, 2007
3. Treatment of Staff, A.030
Questions arose regarding Number 4 of this policy concerning the manner in which staff can address the board when internal grievance procedures have been exhausted. Recommendations for changes will be presented for the second reading to be held in February.
POLICY NUMBER: A.030
POLICY TYPE: EXECUTIVE DIRECTIONS
POLICY TITLE: TREATMENT OF STAFF
With respect to the treatment of paid and volunteer staff, the president shall:
1.Operate with written personnel policies that clarify personnel rules for staff, provide for effective handling and redress of grievances, and protect against wrongful conditions.
2.Assure that there is an environment to freely examine and discuss assumptions and data and be guided by evidence.
3.Never discriminate against any staff member for expressing an ethical dissent or retaliate against any staff member for engaging in whistleblowing activities as defined in ORS 659A.200 to 659A.229 or for addressing the Board as provided in subsection 4 of this policy.
4.Not prevent staff from addressing the board when internal grievance procedures have been exhausted and the employee alleges that board policy has been violated to his or her detriment.
5.Operate within a collaborative and participative environment.
6.Acquaint staff with their rights under this policy.
7.Make results a measure of staff success.
ADOPTED: November 9, 1998
REVISED: April 12, 2000
REVISED: May 12, 2004
REVISED: September 8, 2004
REVIEWED: July 11, 2007
4. Discussion/Action Items
A. TitanStore Presentation
Jennifer Steele, Bookstore Manager, Roberta Stitt, staff member, and Linda Reeling, student worker, presented information on the Lane Community College TitanStore.
Stitt, Reeling, and Steel reported that the TitanStore is building a new service model to bring sustainability to the students and the college. College bookstores have changed dramatically over the last decade and need to restructure in order to survive. The financial loss in 2008 showed the need for change. Since then, there has been a strategic planning effort, including research, analysis, and planning. Four keys to success were identified: cost effectiveness, convenience, technology, and differentiation. The textbook rental program, newly offered this term, has been wildly successful. Three titles were offered this term, there will be ten in the spring, and twenty in the fall. The store established an e-commerce site in September 2009. The site works well for those with long commutes, distance learners, or satellite centers. Over 500 orders have been processed with sales totaling $80,000. The site currently offers textbooks and packets. The image of the new college mascot has been utilized to redesign the store with a minimal financial investment. A new line of clothing has been rolled out, and there has been a 52 percent increase in sales. The industry remains competitive, and they need to work with faculty and staff to provide value and services. The TitanStore has been selected to participate in two digital pilot programs. Steele stated that they are seeing a dramatic shift to digital texts. It is an honor to have been selected, and Steele plans to ramp up digital capacity in the bookstore.
B. Tuition Index
Board policy D.110, Tuition, specifies that the board will review index options before increasing the tuition rate. Morgan provided information regarding index options. Once the board identifies an index to use, budget projections can be developed, which will assist the board in determining whether to increase the tuition rate.
The most common inflation index is the Consumer Price Index, but that has never represented the cost of education. The Higher Education Price Index does represent higher education and aligns with the academic year.
Hall moved to direct staff to use the (All) Higher Education Price Index for the purpose of budget development. LeClair seconded.
Motion passed unanimously.
C. Construction Management/General Contractor (CM/GC) Construction Method
Spilde reported that, given the complexity of projects and tight timelines on Buildings 2, 4 and 5 remodels, a much better option for completing projects is to use the CM/GC Method. The legal process is that the board has to look at and approve the findings and authorize the college to proceed with notification for public hearing, which would be held at the February board meeting.
One of the concerns with the CM/GC process has been whether or not local workers are hired for the projects. Spilde shared the list of subcontractors for the Health and Wellness Center. 61 percent of the subcontracts went to local companies for a value of 73 percent. In a few cases, the only bidders were out of Portland, so we could not have gone with a local contractor.
Albright asked if we have encountered any complaints using this process with the Health and Wellness Center. Todd Smith, Assistant Bond Manager, stated that there have not been any complaints; in fact, we have had great success soliciting subcontractors as well as advertising for minority and women-owned businesses. The project has gone smoothly; it is on schedule and within budget. However, Spilde reported that she had recently received a letter from a community leader commenting on the fact that we had hired a Portland company for the Health and Wellness Center and the concern was that Lane has not been providing jobs for local employers. Spilde will respond with the information about the number of local subcontractors on the project.
Johnston moved that the board approve the findings and authorize the college to proceed with notification for a public hearing to be held at the February board meeting. Stiles seconded.
Motion passed unanimously.
D. Resolution No. 547, Student Aid Reform
McCown moved approval of the resolution in support of the Student Aid Reform Act with amendments in paragraphs two and four replacing "across Oregon" with "at Lane Community College." LeClair seconded.
Motion passed unanimously.
E. Resolution No. 548, DREAM Act
McCown moved approval of Resolution No. 548 in support of the Development Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. Johnston seconded.
Motion passed unanimously.
F. Facilities Update
David Willis and Bob Mention responded to questions and comments regarding the facilities update on bond and deferred maintenance projects. As Cam Preus, Commissioner of Community College Workforce Development, stated earlier in the work session, the state is pleased that Lane is completing the deferred maintenance projects on schedule.
5. Accountability/Reports
A. Benchmarks
Craig Taylor, Institutional Research, Assessment, and Planning director, responded to questions and comments on the following Benchmarks:
•Gender and Race/Ethnicity Status of Graduates
B. Financial Planning and Budgeting, A.040, Monitoring Report
Greg Morgan, Chief Financial Officer, answered questions and responded to comments regarding the Financial Planning and Budgeting monitoring report.
C. Asset Protection, A.070, Monitoring Report
Greg Morgan, Chief Financial Officer, answered questions and responded to comments regarding the Asset Protection monitoring report.
6. Reports
ASLCC President James Manning reported that ASLCC collected 553 voter registration cards on January 4 and 5. The overall total was 1461. Lane was the number one community college in the state for collecting voter registrations. ASLCC has done presentations in 75 classrooms on ballot measures 66 and 67, reaching 1875 students. Information will also be distributed in the cafeteria.
LCCEF President Bob Baldwin commented on the new procurement bill process. There are no statutory provisions for fines or penalties. If the union felt that the college was violation, they would bring it forward if the work wasn't kept internally. There is language on outsourcing in the classified contract that addresses this issue. Item number 4 in the Treatment of Staff board policy stated that the president shall "not prevent staff from addressing the board when internal grievance procedures have been exhausted." There is some question as to what that statement means. Is that a three-minute public comment, the right to an agenda item, or exactly what is the process? Baldwin requested some clarity on that statement. The union continues to work through the governance system on strategic directions. LCCEF feels that safety should be core value and not just part of the strategic directions. The board may be hearing at a future meeting that the union is not in support of the plan because of that issue. There has been a grievance which has risen to arbitration. There is a student employee who has been put to work in a way that violates our contract by doing custodial work. The union has requested information on student workers from Human Resources and has not been given all requested information. The union has tried to engage in larger discussions on how to strategize the use of student workers, such as they could be prioritized for part-time positions, but that idea has not been well received.
Vice President Sonya Christian reported on the progress of the strategic planning work. There will be a draft for the board to review next month and a recommendation in March. The conversations have been very involved. Christian acknowledged Manning for his input on the plan. His perspective and comments were provocative and thoughtful. His contribution supports having students involved in policy decisions. There will probably not be many changes to the mission statement and core values; the change will be on strategic directions. Councils will develop their own plans in concert with the strategic directions. Christian was pleased with the outcome of the final interim accreditation report. Christian reported that ten new faculty will be hired in the coming months. This will give the college an opportunity to think about the profile of our faculty so that we can recruit the profile of persons needed at this time. Christian recognized the work done by Kate Barry and Mary Parthemer on the Title III grant.
Chief Financial Officer Greg Morgan commented that a major shift in the Bookstore is the implementation of the Higher Education Opportunity act passed last year by Congress. At the time a student registers, colleges are required to give textbook information for the student’s entire program. The idea is to empower students to shop around and find less expensive textbooks. A lot of the innovation of the TitanStore is to help the students and will be the only way we can survive competitively. Morgan acknowledged Lane’s significant economic impact on the community, stating that tomorrow is the day that we disburse financial aid in the amount of $23 million. That is more than double two years ago.
Board Reports
McCown referred to the Treatment of Staff policy and thought it might be of some value to review the policy and state clearly how employees can address the board when grievance procedures have been exhausted. He congratulated the student government on voter registration efforts. He thanked the board for support of the Student Aid Reform and DREAM Act resolutions. He looked forward to the Eugene City Council taking up those issues as well. He was pleased with the response at the Mayor's mention of the college at her state of the city address. McCown acknowledged Manning's leadership and has been impressed to see him develop as a leader.
Stiles reported that the Siuslaw News had published the letter to the editor signed by the board in support of Measures 66 and 67. She attended an advisory committee meeting and got a preview and updates on the improvements to the Florence campus. The one-sink lab is now twenty stations with capacity for twenty-four students.
Albright noted Spilde's article in the Community College Journal. Albright stated that the last month has been devoted to trying to understand ballot measures. He asked people to carefully examine the issues, and then vote yes. He thanked fellow board members for sharing the glory on the letter to the editor and making the board support of the measures public.
Johnston thanked Spilde for the report on our interim accreditation and congratulated board members, staff, faculty, administration for putting us in our best light. She had been in the Bookstore before classes started trying to get books. The lines were long, but they moved everyone through very quickly and efficiently. Johnston thanked those working on the deferred maintenance projects for doing a fabulous job. She was pleased to be one of the colleges and public entities that has taken the funding and spent it in a timely way.
LeClair commented on the concept of obtaining funding for education. It is good to provide opportunities for those who would not otherwise be able to obtain a higher education. Grants were not available when he attended college.
Hall reported that the Oregon Opportunity Grant funding is bankrupt. He congratulated the Register Guard for a fine editorial supporting Measures 66 and 67. Hall responded to Baldwin's comments about meeting with the board when internal grievance procedures have been exhausted as stated in the Treatment of Staff policy. There have been two instances when this has happened since Hall has been on the board. Riggs-Henson had commented that a county commissioner position was a step up from the Lane Board of Education, but Hall was not so sure.
7. Date, Place, and Proposed Agenda Items for the Next Regular Meeting
Wednesday, February 3, 6:30 pm, Boardroom, Building 3, Lane Community College
8. The board meeting unanimously adjourned at 8:25 p.m.
| _____________________________ | _____________________________ | |
| Mary Spilde, President/District Clerk | Pat Albright, Board Chair |