LANE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
BOARD OF EDUCATION MINUTES
March 12, 2014
1. Attendance
Board members present: Bob Ackerman, Pat Albright, Matt Keating, Gary LeClair, Rosie Pryor, and Tony McCown. Board members absent: Sharon Stiles. Also present were: President Mary Spilde; Vice President Brian Kelly; Executive Dean Dawn DeWolf; Legal Counsel Meg Kieran; Lane Community College Education Association President Jim Salt; Lane Community College Employees Federation President Bob Baldwin; and Association Students of Lane Community College President Paul Zito.
A. Chair Pryor called the meeting to order at 6:27 p.m.
B. President's Report
I am very pleased to welcome back Don McNair. He has generously rejoined us on a temporary basis to add capacity to Academic and Student Affairs after our unsuccessful search for a vice president.
Congratulations to Patrick Lanning, who is being named the new president of Central Oregon Community College, succeeding Jim Middleton. As you know, Pat was first a student at Lane and then a faculty member, dean and associate vice president for instruction, before moving on to Chemeketa. I interviewed with the Bend Bulletin about his candidacy. Pat is from Central Oregon and should be a great fit at COCC. They are very lucky to have him.
Kudos and congratulations to Annie Caredio, Classified Employee of the Month for February. She is an admissions specialist in Enrollment and Student Financial Services. She started working at Lane in 1995. Annie is the front door to Lane for countless students.
Kudos to our GED staff. Closeout numbers from GED 2002 testing show a 46% increase in completers.
Three weeks before classes begin, spring term registrations are down 21.1% compared to the same time last year; and unduplicated student headcount is down 17.1%. Meanwhile, as of the 8th week of winter term, registrations were down 13.0% compared to 8th week last year; and unduplicated student headcount was down 11.2%.
Last September, we had visitors from the US Department of Education to review our financial aid programs. It has been many years since we have had a complete review. I'm happy to say that we have finally received feedback, and there are a couple of very minor deficiencies. It is unlikely that there will be any financial penalties. We are very pleased, because we have seen many colleges across the country face massive penalties from the Department of Education, and we were not one of them. Kudos to Helen Faith and her team. The reviewers spent quite a bit of time talking about the great leadership in financial aid and the great team we have.
I am sorry to note the loss of three former employees.
* Lyle Cunningham passed away January 17. He was an alumnus of our Dislocated Worker Program, and he worked in Campus Services and Facilities Management from 1993 to 2001.
* Roland Meyer was an instructor of computer-controlled machining at Lane for 25 years from 1968 to 1993. He passed away January 19.
* Charter faculty member Muriel Almyra Sands Peterson passed away January 31, just shy of her 99th birthday. She taught in Lane's Dental Hygiene program from its beginning in 1965 until her retirement in 1976.
Twice a year, KLCC provides us with an Arbitron ratings report. You should have that at your places. The fall 2013 report shows an 18 percent increase in total listening audience. KLCC maintains its #3 ranking among all radio stations in our area. They rank first on weekend mornings and second in Eugene/Springfield during weekday drive time. Congratulations to KLCC and if anyone has been missing out, start tuning in to 89.7 FM.
We have begun working on cultural competency professional development including work sessions open to all students and staff and specifically inviting the participation of Diversity Council, representatives of faculty, classified and management professional development teams, faculty, staff and student subject experts, and stakeholder groups. I am confident that we will achieve a comprehensive program that meets the needs of our college community. Thanks to Donna Koechig for facilitating this important work in support of the board's policy direction.
The College Council Governance Subcommittee has been meeting regularly to review our governance system. We have put some work into a survey to ask all faculty and staff to respond, but it has not been agreed upon by College Council. The board is expecting an improved governance system in April, and I am still hoping it will be informed by the survey and the work of the subcommittee.
GOVERNMENTAL UPDATE
The legislative session wrapped up last Friday. Brett Rowlett, Director of Community and Governmental Relations, provided a summary of bills with potential impact for community colleges. Senate Bill 1524 passed, directing the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) to study the feasibility of allowing Oregon high school graduates to attend community college for a period of time without cost. President Spilde interviewed with Associated Press for a story on the free tuition proposal, but the story may not run. Mississippi was the other state with a similar proposal, but that bill did not pass.
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
John Watson, Music, Dance, and Theatre Arts Marketing Specialist, updated the board on recent and upcoming performing arts events.
Robert Newcomer, Student Productions Association representative, encouraged the board to attend A Midsummer Night's Dream in the Blue Door Theater. The show runs for five performances beginning April 18. There will be a bonus show in Florence.
Amanda Whitten, student, spoke in favor of the Rainy Day Food Pantry. It has been a big help for her and her family. It is a program that is definitely worth supporting.
Lee Imonen, Fine Arts Instructor, requested that the board support a fair and reasonable contract for the faculty. Faculty have been working eight months without a contract. He felt there is a lack of respect for the work faculty do at the college.
Zack Wright, OSPIRG Hunger and Homelessness Campaign Manager and ASLCC Officer, gave a report on the highlights of the OSPIRG campaign, including the upcoming hunger banquet, a GMO labeling campaign, recycling and textbook campaigns.
Zack Wais, ASLCC treasurer, spoke in support of the food pantry. It has been a blessing. Having enough food to eat helps students focus on their studies.
Justin Blakely, former student, expressed dissatisfaction with services he received from Disability Resources.
2A. Consent Agenda
McCown moved, and seconded by LeClair to approve the Consent Agenda consisting of:
• The approval of the February 5, 2014 meeting minutes
• Advisory Committee Membership List
• Central Plant Upgrade: Cooling Tower Replacement
Motion passed unanimously.
3. Discussion/Action Items
A. Spotlight on Student Success: Student Clubs
Barb Delansky, Director of Student Life and Leadership, and Michael Weed, ASLCC Sustainability Coordinator, provided an overview of Lane's programs and activities. There are currently more than 25 student clubs and organizations on campus which serve over 500 students each term. Student Life and Leadership provides support for the clubs and programs with one manager, two classified staff, and the faculty and staff on campus that serve as program advisors.
A new online management system, OrgSync, is being implemented this year. This system allows each group to have an online presence to post files and news and organize events.
The Learning Garden is a good example of a club and how an idea can be developed beyond expectations. The garden began a few years back when student Toby Kubler requested $800 to start a learning garden. Now it has expanded and is one of the most dynamic programs on campus.
B. Definition of Student Success
Executive Dean Maurice Hamington explained that this item resulted from a conversation at a recent Oregon Community College Association board meeting. Lane staff had already been working on defining student success through the work of the Student Success Leadership Team (SSLT). SSLT believes that "Student success is the journey through which our students develop, progress toward and achieve their goals. Lane supports student success by providing high quality and accessible learning experiences, structures and practices to support our students in reaching their goals."
Student success means different things depending on the audience and circumstances. As an outcome, we look at student success as how we take students and move them toward their goals. This is significant because we have so many types of students. This concept challenges the completion agenda; completion is great, but it only covers a percentage of our students. Students enroll at Lane for a variety of reasons, such as finishing a certificate, learning a skill, taking a few classes here while enrolled at the university, or working toward a promotion at work. If we can capture the student's goal and move toward it, we consider that a success. The key is capturing the goal and having a system in which it can be updated.
C. HECC Information Request
Spilde informed the board that the HECC and the Oregon Education Investment Board (OEIB) have been working on defining the middle 40, which to this point has been very prescribed to degrees and certificates and does not reflect the community college population. There has been discussion about limiting 40/40/20 to the high school pipeline, which leaves out a huge portion of our students. We are working on broadening the definition of that middle 40. We are now talking about the middle 40 as making sure that communities of color, immigrants, migrants, low income rural students are as well represented in the middle 40 as more affluent students. It will include the pipeline from high school, but it will also include disengaged youth and the overall adult working population, which is more reflective of our mission than when it started out. In terms of what counts in the middle 40, they are thinking about including two year associates degrees, one year certificates, career pathways certificates, a variety of credentials that have career and labor market value, and those can be certifications, apprenticeships, industry based, nationally recognized certificates, some of which we have here, and state licensure for various fields, which could be credit or non credit. This reflects more of the students that we serve. There is more work to be done. It is a little easier to identify the high school pipeline definition, but it is more difficult to figure out who the population of adults are that fall into the middle 40.
HECC is reaching out to colleges for information to help inform their work, asking for the institution's mission, what unique strengths each institution has to help meet the 40/40/20 goal, what challenges are faced, and how well current achievement compacts capture the student outcomes that matter. For Lane's response, Spilde tried to reflect not only our mission but also our student success work. Lane is not a selective organization, and we take students from wherever they are to where they want to go to meet their goals, making sure that they know we are not just focused on degrees and certificates. As a learning centered college, we focus on the students' goals and community needs.
On the response, Spilde listed the many projects that Lane is involved in and made a few comments about the achievement compacts and was somewhat chagrined to say that they are really not that relevant to our work at Lane. That is not true in every college. Some colleges are using the achievement compacts to make decisions about initiatives and budgets, but Lane has other mechanisms to do that. Spilde informed board members that the response can be amended if there is anything else to add.
On the achievement compact piece, there was a research project done by OEIB staff. They talked to a cross section of faculty and staff from school districts, community colleges, and universities. Lane was not one of them. Based on that, they are making some recommendations for the achievement compacts, and the information is just beginning to come out. One of the promising things is some recognition that colleges and universities do have other systems for counting quality and achievement, such as accreditation and institutional scorecards. There will be a recommendation in that achievement compact work to convene higher education groups to discuss how we want to be measured and how we want to tell the world how students are progressing.
HECC sent another request in mid-February asking for state resources needed to maintain the status quo, and what we would do if there was additional investment. Vice President Brian Kelly and College Operations Project Manager Jennifer Steele are working on a response, looking out two or three years on projections.
D. Budget Update
Spilde explained that there is more of an effort to show the data and other evidence that informs the decisions being made about the budget.
McNair shared the enrollment trends projected for the next few years and how they are relating to budget projections and forecasts.
Kelly reported that the administration is continuing to bridge the budget gap this year, and there has been a great amount of work done in reducing discretionary materials and supplies, part-time faculty and part-time classified staff. Departments have been asked to reduce part-time classified staffing by an additional 20% spring term. Class sections are also continuing to be reduced, and we are hoping to further maximize section capacity which will help us this year and next. Kelly distributed a handout showing budget projections with varying levels of enrollment decreases over the next two years.
Spilde explained that last years' budget was balanced largely on one time money, which is not all there anymore. This year we are not able to balance without seriously impacting faculty, staff and students. There are some options being considered, such as recovering transfers from the bookstore and international programs, one time transfers, and materials and supplies, and rightsizing the staff to enrollment. In the past, we have used the ending fund balance, but we do not have a lot of flexibility there.
The board was polled regarding their thoughts on raising tuition over and above the amount indicated on the higher education price index. Most board members preferred to see other options and would like to see proposed reductions before considering additional tuition increases.
E. Rainy Day Food Pantry
Ackerman moved that the rules governing the board agenda be suspended in order to allow Paul Zito and Michael Weed time for a presentation before voting on the Rainy Day Food Pantry. Keating seconded.
Motion passed unanimously.
Michael Weed, ASLCC Sustainability Coordinator, distributed a handout showing the monthly usage of the food pantry and the hours of operation. On average, each student receives 8-12 pounds of food. For the month of February, the pantry provided food to approximately 19.4 people per hour. For those receiving food stamps, the pantry offsets the impact of recent reductions.
Paul Zito, ASLCC President, spoke about the pantry's educational value and the interconnectedness of college divisions and departments. Cultural sensitivity training is provided for all students serving in the pantry. The food pantry offers cooperative education opportunities. There are plans for field work and food drive campaigns. Workers are trained and certified in food handling and receive training on ordering food and inventory control. Students are also learning marketing and advertising skills.
Several groups, departments, and divisions on campus are engaged in the work, including the Learning Garden, OSA, OSPIRG, the Honors Program, PTK, and ASLCC. This complex coalition is creating a connection to work on this project and can readily see the good they are doing on campus.
The pantry is creating a service based community, taking privilege and using it in a way to benefit the students and people in need. This was a needed program created by students for students.
McCown moved, and Albright seconded, that a Lane Community College Rainy Day Food Pantry Task Force be established in accordance with the following terms:
NAME. The LCC Rainy Day Food Pantry Task Force.
PURPOSE. To present to the LCC Board at its April 2014 meeting a sustainable business plan, including a request for funding, for the creation and operation of a food bank at the 30th Avenue campus and the Downtown Campus.
MEMBERSHIP. The Task Force shall consist of the following:
The ASLCC President
A LCC student appointed by the ASLCC President
LCC Board Member Bob Ackerman
LCC Board Member Matt Keating
The Associate Dean for Student Affairs (Delansky).
MEETINGS. The Executive Assistant to the LCC President shall arrange and schedule meetings of the Task Force.
TIME LINE. The work of the Task Force shall be completed on or before April 2, 2014 and placed on the agenda for the April 9, 2014 board meeting.
ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT. Upon the request of the Task Force, the Executive Assistant to the LCC President shall arrange for secretarial services for the use of the Task Force.
CONSULTANTS. The Task Force shall confer with the Business Development Center of LCC in the development of the business plan.
Motion passed unanimously.
F. Accreditation
Executive Dean Maurice Hamington shared Standard 3A, Institutional Planning, for the accreditation report. Hamington asked the board to review the document to determine if it represents the institution appropriately and requested board comments and questions. Standards 3B, 4 and 5 will be shared in subsequent board meetings. The entire accreditation report will be finalized during summer term. The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities will visit Lane October 29 – 31, 2014.
4. Policy Review
A. Second Reading
1. Human Resources
The board held a second reading of this policy. The policy will be on the April agenda for a third reading to revise grammar in the second sentence.
Policy Number: XXX
Policy Type: BOARD POLICY
Category: INSTITUTIONAL INTEGRITY
Policy Title: HUMAN RESOURCES – GLOBAL DIRECTION
College employees are an asset and an investment to help achieve organizational goals. The College must is committed to developing a highly competent work force that offers equal opportunity to all, and ensure that in which each employee abides by the policies and regulations procedures of the College. To those ends, the President shall is responsible for developing, through the College's Human Resources and other administrative departments, policies and procedures which are consistent, fair, and equitably applied.
Human Resources policies and practices procedures must comply with federal, state and local laws and statutes, and be consistent with College labor agreements, and be based upon sound generally accepted human resource management principles,. Human Resources policies are intended to satisfy the standards of regional and national accrediting organizations, and to promote a work environment of collegiality, respect and professionalism.
Human Resources policies and procedures must include, but are not limited to the following matters policies and procedures regarding:
1. staff recruitment and selection;
2. staff development and evaluation;
3. code of professional conduct;
4. conditions of employment;
5. security and appropriate confidentiality of human resources records;
6. risk management; and
7. employee discipline and termination
2. Recruitment
McCown moved, seconded by Keating, to approve the second reading of board policy Recruitment.
Motion passed unanimously.
Policy Number: XXX
Policy Type: BOARD POLICY
Category: HUMAN RESOURCES
Policy Title: RECRUITMENT
Lane Community College is committed to recruiting, employing and promoting those persons for permanent positions whose education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities best match the requirements of the assignment for which they applied and are consistent with the core values and strategic directions of the College. The Board therefore directs the President to ensure the development of policy and procedures for staff recruitment and selection. In all cases the policy and accompanying procedures shall:
• Fully comply with federal, state and local laws and statutes, and College labor agreements
• Assure quality applicant pools
• Result in recommending the best qualified applicants
• Reflect a commitment to diversity, affirmative action and equal opportunity
3. Board Duties and Responsibilities: Appraisal and Evaluation of Operation
McCown moved, seconded by LeClair, to approve the second reading of board policy B.040, Board Duties and Responsibilities: Appraisal and Evaluation of Operation.
Motion passed unanimously.
Policy Number: B.040
Policy Type: GOVERNANCE PROCESS
Policy Title: BOARD DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: APPRAISAL AND EVALUATION OF OPERATION
The board of education is ultimately responsible for the quality and integrity of the institution. It establishes broad institutional policies and delegates to the president the responsibility to implement and administer these policies.
The board of education shall:
1. Regularly review and approve the college's vision, mission, and core values and ensure that they guide the operation of the college.
2. Evaluate the performance of the organization and the quality of the educational program in terms of the vision, mission, and core values of the college.
3. Ensure that the necessary resources are in place to provide for effective institutional research, evaluation, and planning processes
ADOPTED: November 9, 1998
APPROVED: November 12, 2003
REVIEWED: November 6, 2007
REVIEWED: September 8, 2010
B. First Reading
1. Use of Tobacco
The following revisions to this policy were suggested. A second reading will be held in April.
Policy Number: D.160
Policy Type: MISCELLANEOUS
Policy Title: USE OF TOBACCO
Smoking and all other tobacco use is prohibited in The use, distribution, advertising, promotion, sponsorship or sale of tobacco, including any smoking device or an electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS), is prohibited in all core areas of Lane's 30th Avenue Campus. The inhaling, exhaling, burning or carrying of any lighted smoking material, including cigarettes, cigars, or pipes as well as vaping an electronic nicotine delivery system (i.e., electronic cigarettes) is prohibited on college property except in one of the designated smoking areas on the perimeter of the campus. The use of other tobacco products, such as smokeless or chewing tobacco, is also prohibited on LCC premises. Smoking and tobacco use is allowed in designated peripheral areas only. Smoking and other tobacco use is prohibited completely in all other Lane campuses and locations. FDA approved nicotine replacement therapy products for the purpose of cessation are excluded.
Limited exemptions to this policy may be allowed when tobacco has a ceremonial use.
ADOPTED: December 8, 2010
2. Institutional Integrity
It was suggested that this policy include a reference to the ORS Chapter that refers to the code of conduct for public officials. A second reading will be held in April.
Policy Number: A.100
Policy Type: EXECUTIVE DIRECTIONS INSTITUTIONAL INTEGRITY
Policy Title: ETHICAL CONDUCT FOR LANE COMMUNITY COLLEGE EMPLOYEES INSTITUTIONAL INTEGRITY
The institution strives to adhere to the highest ethical standards in its representation to its constituencies and the public; in its teaching, scholarship and service; in its treatment of students, faculty, and staff; and in its relationships with regulatory and accrediting agencies. All concerned with the good of the college will seek ways to support institutional integrity.
The board is responsible to ensure the integrity of the college. Individuals are responsible for their personal integrity and for acting in a manner consistent with this policy. Integrity is demonstrated by conduct that is honest in words and actions, and promotes respect, fairness and openness. Responsible stewardship of resources and the public trust are expectations for all employees.
All college employees are expected to conduct themselves with integrity and to hold themselves to the highest standards of ethical conduct.
ADOPTED: October 13, 2004
REVIEWED: June 11, 2008
REVISED: June 9, 2010
5. Accountability/Reports
A. Benchmarks
Craig Taylor, Institutional Research, Assessment, and Planning director, responded to questions and comments on the following benchmark:
• Unduplicated Head Count
And the mission fulfillment indicator:
• Percentage of Career Technical Student Reaching 15-Credit & 30-Credit Milestones in their First Year.
B. Facilities Update
An update on the status of bond and facilities projects was presented to the board.
C. Financial Conditions and Activities Monitoring Report
The Financial Condition and Activities, A.050, monitoring report was presented to the board.
D. Emergency Presidential Succession Monitoring Report
The Emergency Presidential Succession, A.060, monitoring report was presented to the board.
6. Reports
ASLCC President Paul Zito reported that the students have been working on proposed changes to the activity fee. They are continuing to work on the ASLCC Bylaws to represent the changes made last year to the constitution and to reflect changes and address issues that have come up in Zito's administration. There has been quite a bit of work done on moving the Food Pantry forward. ASLCC has been recruiting actively for the cultural competency think tank. There is a new OSA vote organizer. He has activated the vote drive, and they are now up to 1100 registration cards. The goal is a bit larger than that, so they are making great headway.
LCCEF President Bob Baldwin reported that he had received an e-mail message from President Spilde inviting LCCEF to rejoin the Kevin Boyle process. They are still taking it under advisement as to whether or not that is something they will do. He expressed that it is difficult to figure out who is accountable if you don't know who is responsible. But they will take under advisement the invitation to rejoin the process.
LCCEA President Jim Salt clarified that problems with the faculty negotiations are largely due to noneconomic issues. A major challenge is the lack of respect given to faculty. Budget projections propose filling vacant management and staff positions, and only a third of the vacant faculty positions. Salt shared the bad news that the OEA was trying to take the lead in facing the problem of funding for
education. The plan had been to have a ballot measure on the table before voters this fall. Business responded by basically blackmailing labor by saying that they would run other anti labor legislation, and they got the governor behind them as well. After pressure from business and the governor and other unions, OEA decided to table moving forward. The governor responded by saying that he would take a ballot measure to the population in 2016. Salt was dismayed that after three board meetings, there was still no reference to the work of the diversity education taskforce. Faculty insist on multilateral authority and will not support unilateral authority.
Executive Dean Dawn DeWolf distributed the highlights from the Academic and Student Affairs office. She recognized Helen Faith in the Financial Aid department for receiving a $1,000 Schafer Innovation Award for reducing the student loan burden through an education project which has resulted in unsubsidized loans decreasing 49%. She recognized that Lyndell Wilken, Health and PE instructor, and Lane Decathlete Pappas have been inducted into the NWACC Hall of Fame. The Health Information Management program has now been approved by the State of Oregon. Congratulations to the Testing Center at Lane for transitioning to a new computerized test. It's been quite a transition. On March 5, Academic and Student Affairs Managers had a presentation from a workforce analyst regarding labor market projections. DeWolf attended the first cultural competency work session and was impressed with the excellent ideas and collaborative approach and suggestions that came from it.
Vice President Brian Kelly reported that if the college has plans to fill nine of the existing manager vacancies, he does not know about it. He does not know where that information comes from. The policy that was given to the board by Jim Salt was agreed upon by 4 of the 6 subcommittee members, 2 subcommittee members could not be there that day. College Council had considered a different proposal. Students, classified, managers, and administrators voted yes, and both of the faculty representatives voted no. Regarding the projections, Kelly stated that to his colleagues, the College Services Leadership Team, the Executive Team, the Executive Deans, this is real to them. A large part of the budget is people, and he is impressed on a daily basis with the compassion, caring, understanding, and empathy with which his colleagues dive into the work. It is difficult work and we are making some progress, but it has been hard.
Board Reports
LeClair attended the Collaborations dance, which was really well done. Brian Enos did a great job with the choreography. He also attended the wonderful choir concert. He saw "Waiting for Godot." It was superbly acted. Lane has a great performing arts program, and he encouraged all to attend more events.
Albright attended the KLCC Brewfest and was impressed with the attendance even during the extreme winter weather. He attended the ACCT National Legislative Summit in Washington, DC. Albright will represent Lane at the meeting of the Oregon Community College Association board meeting on Friday and at the Lane Economic Committee meeting next week.
Pryor expressed appreciation for the opportunity to attend the Emotional Intelligence training. Her observation about the status of cultural competency policy is that the college now has one, regardless of whether any other college body creates a policy. The board policy was adopted by the board with the expectation that the president will put a professional development program in place.
7. Date, Place, and Proposed Agenda Items for the Next Regular Meeting
Wednesday, April 9, 6:30 pm, Boardroom, Building 3, Lane Community College.
8. The board meeting unanimously adjourned at 9:44 p.m.
______________________________ _____________________________
Mary Spilde, President/District Clerk Rosemary Pryor, Board Chair
Prepared by:
Donna Zmolek
Executive Assistant to the President