LANE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
BOARD OF EDUCATION MINUTES
March 11, 2015

1. Attendance
Board members present: Bob Ackerman, Pat Albright, Gary LeClair, Tony McCown, Rosie Pryor, and Sharon Stiles. Matt Keating participated by telephone. Also present were: President Mary Spilde; Vice President Brian Kelly, Executive Dean Kerry Levett; Lane Community College Education Association President Jim Salt; and ASLCC President Malissa Ratthasing.

A. Chair Albright called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m.

B. President's Report
We were all very sorry to hear about the loss of Rosie's mother. She and her family are in our thoughts during this difficult time.

I was also saddened to hear of Dave Frohnmayer's passing yesterday, and my heart goes out to his loved ones. Dave served Oregon in many ways, and higher education in particular, over a long career in public service, most notably as our former state attorney general and then as president of the University of Oregon.

As we all know, Lane's accreditation was reaffirmed in January, and we are in good standing. Unfortunately, the Register-Guard story on that topic was misleading, to put it mildly. I was appreciative of the editorial that followed, and that the RG printed my guest viewpoint. I have written to faculty and staff, our legislators and others to set the record straight. Going forward, it is important that each of us assure our students and constituents face to face that we're in good shape and received a normal review with eight commendations and seven recommendations. We're doing the work prescribed in our two-year timeframe to address the recommendations. Accreditation is a process of continuous improvement, and we are pleased to have this tool to help with our daily work.

In a few other interviews, I talked with KNND in Cottage Grove about the upcoming board election; and discussed accreditation with KUGN, KMTR, the Oregonian, and The Torch.

I appreciated the Guard's editorial on performance based funding where Tim Nesbitt of the Higher Education Coordinating Commission published his opposing views. This is a good thing, because finally attention is being paid to the important issue. The Oregon Education Association (OEA) is opposed, as are we. I will continue to make the case that performance based funding ignores the research and does not recognize the unique needs of community college students.

The work the board is doing to reach out to our district through the Community Conversations is very helpful. Kudos to Florence for having the best community turnout so far! Thanks to Sharon Stiles, Brett Rowlett, and Donna Zmolek for getting a good turnout and to Pat Albright for interviewing with KCST to help promote that event.

Congratulations to Russ Pierson, whom you know has been named the new dean in Florence. I appreciate all the work he did in Facilities on main campus, and we are very glad to have him at the helm in Florence.

We are continuing our internal Global Conversations on topics that shape our higher education world. In the past month we discussed Online Educational Resources and Digital Media with Ian Coronado, and Care in the Community College with Maurice Hamington.

For winter term, we're now in the tenth week of classes, and registrations are down 17.9%. Three weeks before classes begin, registrations are down 21% for spring term.

I am pleased to share with you that our Foundation has announced the President's Circle Awards for Philanthropy. The Individual Award goes to Doug McKay; the Corporate Award goes to the Pape Group; and the Foundation Award goes to the Coeta & Donald Barker Foundation. I am grateful to each of these generous supporters. They will be honored at the President's Circle event on May 21.

This week a new entrepreneurial venture of our Center for Meeting and Learning, Lane Catering, began providing 233 lunches each day to Datalogic, Inc. of Eugene. Datalogic is a tech firm in west Eugene that makes scanners and bar code readers. This is big win for Lane. Our Culinary and Hospitality students will get catering experience at corporate sites, and we will be earning revenue for the college. Food will be locally grown whenever possible, including produce from Lane's Learning Garden. Meals will be prepared by culinary students under the direction of a Lane professional chef, and served by Lane Hospitality students. Any leftovers will be composted, and excess food will be donated to organizations such as the Eugene Mission. Since Datalogic approached Lane, other corporate customers also have contacted us. Corporate catering is an emerging field for our students.

Congratulations to Bonnie Simoa and the Dance program. They have a nice two-page spotlight in the current issue of Eugene Magazine, including a description of their work with Balinese dance.

We have been fortunate that meningitis has not been reported at Lane as we have many dual-enrolled students at the UO where local cases have occurred. Thanks to Vice President Kelly for getting a message out, including that we're prepared if things change. Jayne Culberson in the Health Clinic continues to work closely with Lane County Public Health and the UO.

You'll hear more from Brian tonight about our first foray into sheltering homeless students in freezing conditions. For now I just want to give a shout out to Brian Kelly, Jace Smith, Mike O'Neal, and Clive Wanstall for going above and beyond to pull things together on very short notice for our first night.

We are having more sightings of cougars on main campus and our Emergency Planning Team has been diligent in alerting students, faculty and staff. We have also notified Fish and Wildlife in case we need any assistance.

As always, we've had a rich selection of workshops, presentations and events. I was fortunate enough to attend a few, including an Honors Program seminar, an AAWCC breakfast meeting as part of the Day of Dialogue happening across the country, and a stunning Collaborations dance performance. Our Winter Term Concerts begin on Thursday with the Lane Symphonic Band. You can get all the details on the college newsroom at lanecc.edu/newsroom.

Finally, Spring Break begins March 23.

1) 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
No statements from the audience were offered.

2A. Consent Agenda
McCown moved, seconded by Pryor, to approve the Consent Agenda consisting of:

• Approval of the February 4, 2015, minutes
• Review of Board Policies:
o Delegation to the President, BP345
o Emergency Presidential Success, BP350
o Global Board-President Relationship, BP355

Motion passed unanimously.

3. Discussion/Action Items
A. Spotlight on Student Success: KLCC
John Stark, KLCC Director, updated the board on the current happenings at KLCC. Stark introduced KLCC staff members Gayle Chisholm and Hal Hermanson.

The radio station was licensed by the FCC in 1967 and has been operating for over four decades. It is on the air 24/7 playing National Public Radio (NPR) news, information programming, and music. Sixty percent of NPR stations are licensed to institutions of higher education -- Lane is one of four community colleges on the west coast.

The crew at KLCC includes 18 contracted staff members and 75 volunteers. In 2008, the station moved from the main campus to a spacious facility in downtown Eugene, just two blocks from Lane's Downtown Center. The primary transmitter generates 81,000 watts, with a signal reaching from the coast to Bend and from Salem to Roseburg. People can also listen to KLCC all over the world because it is streamed online.

KLCC reaches a significant audience and has the 15th highest public radio market share in the nation. 80,000 plus people listen each week, and it is ranked the #2 station in the Eugene/Springfield area. The annual budget is $2 million, with 2/3 of the budget going to personnel. The second largest expense is program acquisition. Lane funds about 10% of the operation, and the rest comes from membership, underwriters, and fundraising.

The KLCC Strategic Plan for 2015 to 2018 was presented. Strategic goals include 1) strengthen KLCC local news service; 2) enhance organizational effectiveness; 3) expand community engagement; and 4) assure financial sustainability. The purpose of KLCC is "to engage the mind, enrich the spirit, and deepen understanding of our community and our world."

KLCC is a valuable asset for Lane because of its shared educational mission, the community outreach, goodwill, and partnerships with businesses and organizations in the community.

B. KLCC Audit Report
The KLCC Audit Report for the year ending June 20, 2014, was presented to the board. It was a clean audit.

C. Student of the Month
At the request of board vice-chair Matt Keating, the college administration had agreed to determine the feasibility and logistics for establishing a "Student of the Month" award. A summary of current practices of ways in which Lane students are honored was reviewed. To consider this additional award, the college would need to engage with ASLCC and Faculty Council, develop a budget, and discuss the selection process and criteria.

Keating moved to establish a "Student of the Month" award. Ackerman seconded.

The board discussed the possibility of establishing another award in addition to the various recognitions already in place. The students who struggle the most are rising to the occasion against all odds, and this would be a way for students and faculty to reward excellence. If implemented, perhaps a financial stipend would make the challenge more competitive. However, it may be difficult for students to be nominated and not selected. Possibly there is a need to publicize the awards and recognition processes currently happening.

Motion failed 3 – 4. Albright, Stiles, Pryor, and LeClair dissented.

D. Legislative Update
Brett Rowlett, Governmental and Community Relations Director, updated the board on the current legislative session. Over 2,000 bills have been introduced in the legislature thus far. Rowlett is tracking approximately 340 bills that will have some sort of impact on community colleges. He provided a brief summary of several of the bills introduced this session.

E. Budget Committee Appointment
McCown moved, seconded by Ackerman, to approve the appointment of Kevin Cronin, At Large 7, to the Lane Community College Budget Committee to complete a three-year term effective immediately and ending June 30, 2017.

Motion passed unanimously.

5. Accountability/Reports
A. Facilities Update
An update on the status of bond and facility projects was presented.

B. Emergency Presidential Succession Monitoring Report
The Emergency Presidential Succession Monitoring Report was presented to the board.

6. Reports
ASLCC President Malissa Ratthasing reported that over 100 students attended a rally in Salem on February 12, which was more than any other college in the state. She thanked OSPIRG and Jim Salt for their help in supporting and encouraging attendance. The Vice President went to Salem yesterday and testified on textbook affordability and the need for online educational resources. ASLCC and OSA will be working actively against performance based funding. ASLCC is gearing up for elections in the spring and will have the students vote on whether to increase the activity fee to provide permanent funding for the food pantry.

LCCEA President Jim Salt reported that several groups have been working together to actively oppose performance based funding. The governor's new education advisor is a former director of OEA and knows the issues. Salt and Spilde will be meeting with him tomorrow. The recent article in the Register Guard was beneficial in that it has sparked much discussion on this topic. The third arbitration of the year was recently held regarding the half step for part-time faculty, and Salt looked forward to receiving the arbitrator's ruling. The Association has been working with the college to make some revisions in the enrollment capacity memorandum of agreement. The college will be notifying the Association about possible layoffs, and they will meet on Friday to hear more about that. After years and years of sacrifices from students and employees, this is not the time to begin reducing the programs that by and large pay for themselves with tuition. Salt disagrees with Rowlett that no state leader has come forward on tax reform; certainly OEA and others have made a very strong case. There will be a meeting this weekend to build capacity of OEA to take out to the voters.

Executive Dean Kerry Levett reported that Zachary Cunningham completed the Lane Honors Program last June and transferred to the University of Oregon. Cunningham was just accepted into the McNair Scholars Program, an extremely competitive and prestigious program designed to support first-generation, low-income juniors and seniors pursuing a PhD. There have been a plethora of concerts, shows, and plays to enjoy in Music, Dance and Theatre Arts. The athletic teams continue to do well; the men's and women's basketball teams have gone into the playoffs. It's difficult to be an athlete and a scholar at the same time, but those students tend to be higher academic achievers than the general student population. ASLCC is a great way to engage students in leadership activities. The Society of Leadership and Success began this year. We were hoping for 30 students, but we now have over 200 involved. There has been talk of replacing the Oakes testing for K-12 students. If a student scores high and takes certain classes, it could replace placement testing, but first there needs to be a data sharing system in the state. She encouraged board members to attend inspiring student events such as Women in Transitions and TRIO program graduations.

Vice President Brian Kelly thanked Todd Smith, Mark Richardson, and the electricians for their work; the transformer in Building 3 went out at 6:15 pm the previous night, and staff were all back to work the next morning. He thanked John Stark and his staff for the presentation and work on the KLCC strategic plan. He wished Russ Pierson the best in his new position in Florence. The second round of LaneStarter proposals will be coming in next week. Two programs have already been approved: Specialized Support Services will be establishing a transition program with 4J and Lane ESD in which our students will be working side by side with high school students; and the Lane Fitness Center will be expanded. Lane's Egan Warming Center was activated on February 22.

Board Reports
Pryor asked board of education members to put the President Circle event on their calendars for May 21 where the Foundation Board will honor and encourage donors to take it to the next level. She recently attended a meeting of Fair Shot for All, a coalition of organizations supporting a range of human services issues and challenges, such as raising minimum wage, establishing sick leave law, and ending profiling. There will be a march taking place next week to garner support.

Stiles welcomed Russ Pierson to the Florence Center. The community conversation held in Florence on Russ's first day as director had over 50 attendees. She relayed the request from attendees that they would like to see something come back to them to let them know next steps. Stiles introduced Pierson at the Rotary meeting his second day on the job.

LeClair commended Kelly and the responsible staff for getting the Egan Warming Center up and running. Both of LeClair's parents were educators, so he has heard many discussions regarding merit pay, which has been around since the mid-1950s. He compared merit pay to performance based funding. He disagrees with Salt's claim that the faculty have made extraordinary sacrifices. With even more enrollment decline on the horizon, it is further demonstration of the inflexibility of the financial structure. He does not see it as a sustainable long term model.

Keating thanked Spilde, Rowlett, McCown and Albright for a productive time at the ACCT National Legislative Summit.

McCown reported that he had nominated Diane Noriega, Mount Hood Community College board chair, to the ACCT Diversity Committee. He attended the OCCA Lobby Day and board meeting where it was nice to see the shift with legislators and the OCCA board in their attitude toward performance based funding. He noted that several people at Lane were involved in causing that shift.

Albright reported that he had just returned from Ecuador. While there, he had a conversation with a professor from an Australian university where tuition is free up to grade 14. We need to figure out a way to fund that in the United States, and the only way is through tax reform. Albright welcomed Pierson to his new position in Florence. He thanked the staff for making the community conversations possible. He wanted to ensure that those that participated receive some sort of response from Lane. He invited everyone to take part in the last official 50th anniversary celebration event on June 20 – the Friendraiser Golf Tournament. He will get information out regarding details. Albright will attend the last supper in the Renaissance Room.

7. Date, Place, and Proposed Agenda Items for the Next Regular Meeting
Wednesday, April 8, 2015, Lane Community College Main Campus, Boardroom

8. The board meeting unanimously adjourned at 8:20 p.m.

______________________________ _____________________________
Mary Spilde, President/District Clerk Pat Albright, Board Chair

Prepared by:
Donna Zmolek, Assistant to the Board