LANE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
BOARD OF EDUCATION MINUTES
November 4, 2009
1. Attendance
Board members present: Bob Ackerman, Pat Albright, Roger Hall, Susie Johnston, Tony McCown and Sharon Stiles. Members absent: Gary LeClair. Also present were: President Mary Spilde; Vice President Sonya Christian; Chief Financial Officer Greg Morgan; Lane Community College Education Association President Jim Salt; Lane Community College Employees Federation President Bob Baldwin; and ASLCC President James Manning.
A. Chair Albright called the meeting to order at 6:36 p.m.
B. President’s Report
I’d like to begin by remembering that a year ago today, local voters approved our $83 million bond renewal, and the nation's voters elected Barack Obama to the presidency of the United States. Both signaled a new era of investment in community colleges and in Lane.
You know that federal support for community colleges is packaged as the American Graduation Initiative (AGI) and that legislation is still in the U.S. Senate. A draft of the Senate language is expected later this month. We are working with Senator Merkley's office to address some of the concerns in the House language; he is advocating strongly for us, primarily for the match requirements for federal grants.
U.S. Under Secretary of Education Martha Kanter talked about the AGI at the Oregon Community College Association conference at Lane last week. Thanks to Pat Albright, Sharon Stiles and Susie Johnston for attending the conference. The event went very well, and our staff received much praise for making it a success.
Also presenting at OCCA was Oregon Speaker of the House Dave Hunt. He talked about the importance of community colleges in the economy and the upcoming tax measures. After Speaker Hunt's presentation, he was joined by Representatives Phil Barnhart and Terry Beyer for a tour of stimulus-funded deferred maintenance projects and the Health and Wellness site.
Barnhart and Beyer will be back on November 16 for a Town Hall meeting on education issues, which will be held at 11:30 a.m. in the boardroom. Senators Bill Morrisette and Floyd Prozanski, possibly Chris Edwards, and Representatives Val Hoyle and Nancy Nathanson will also attend, and we will have another deferred maintenance tour afterwards.
The state has asked us to articulate the impact of a 5 percent funding cut in case the January tax measures fail. That would cost Lane about $2.9 million. In addition, all state agencies have been asked to project the impact of a 10 percent cut; one scenario assumes that community colleges might take a greater reduction based on the old and egregious assertion that we can always raise tuition when K-12 cannot.
Locally we have several things to celebrate:
Donna Dubois, a teacher at Camas Ridge in southeast Eugene, was named Oregon Teacher of the Year. She has mentored many of Lane’s teaching Cooperative Education students.
The Center For Learning Advancement was honored by the Springfield School District and Willamalane for offering after-school GED and ESL programs in Springfield schools.
The Mid-Willamette College Fair last month drew about 1,200 students and parents, and 77 colleges and universities.
The Harvest Dinner was another sell out with 356 attendees, and we were just $3000 short of our $200,000 goal, which is pretty remarkable in this economic climate. There were many generous donors, including Harry Ritchie's, which gave every woman who attended either a pearl necklace or bracelet. Most important, people had fun, and we made lots of new friends for the college.
Your packet has facilities updates, but I will note that the Health and Wellness building appears on track for a possible Gold certification as the first LEED building at the college, according to our preliminary LEED scorecard. Several meetings with donors have been held over coffee in the construction trailer on site to see the progress.
We are about to publish an RFP for downtown project management services. We hope to hire a firm at the December board meeting. Then we'll do an RFP for an Architectural Design Team and hope to hire a firm after the January board meeting. Both proposals move us toward a feasibility study that we want to complete by early April. We will need to discuss the findings of the study before the next steps are determined.
We have extended the free bus pass for employees through December and may offer it again winter term. We also broadened the student bus pass to include credit students who take classes only downtown; previously, these students were not eligible for the pass.
Our Health Clinic has seen some cases of influenza-like illness, but we have not experienced a significant impact on classes or operations. We have dispensed seasonal and H1N1 vaccines. There is little prospect at this time of obtaining further seasonal vaccine, and we do not expect to receive more H1N1 vaccine for some time, nor enough for everyone who wants it.
In media activity, Lane’s summer youth academy in weatherization is featured in a U.S. Chamber of Commerce publication called "Thriving in Challenging Times: Connecting Education to Economic Development through Career Pathways;" also, the Opening Doors campaign is featured in the October-November issue of the Eugene Chamber's "Open for Business" magazine; and, I interviewed with Fortune Magazine about Lane's leading role in green jobs training.
I presented the keynote address at the National Council on Student Development conference in Denver, where I talked about "Growing a Culture of Sustainability."
Later this month, I will give the keynote address at the New Ideas in Education Renewable Energy conference in Albany, New York.
I attended Oregon State University alumni events last week and was honored to be named a 2009 OSU Alumni Fellow.
Next week Brett and I will attend the AACC Washington Institute which is a training for community college advocates on working at the federal level.
This week we are focused on our interim accreditation visit and again, I'd like to commend Vice President Christian and her staff and the accreditation team for a remarkable job preparing for this visit and moving the institution towards its goals. Thank you to Roger Hall, Pat Albright, and Tony McCown for meeting with the accreditors.
You might have noticed the cutout people climbing a mountain under a starry sky on the boardroom's west window. They were created by our Achieving Dreams Employee Campaign team. Each figure represents 25 pledges, and each star represents $1,000 in donations. We're about halfway through the campaign. So far we have 50 stars, and we've collected more than $50,000. We're at about 18 percent staff participation, with a goal of 51 percent.
Other events to note are the Oregon Diversity Institute tomorrow, and the annual OSAA high school state cross country meet this Saturday. On Sunday, we will host a White House Community Conversation with Juan Sepulveda, executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans. We have invited 100 members of the community to attend. I hope you can attend the Shining Star scholarship reception on November 16.
I will close by wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving. I am personally thankful that I will be taking some vacation time that week.
2) October Highlights
October 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
Sarah Whitfield, a Titans Women’s Basketball player, invited the board to watch the Titans defend the home court to continue the 71-game winning streak. The first home game is December 9.
Darrell Wilcox, a Titans Men's Basketball player, invited the board to the men's first game on November 21.
Jordan Kraal, a Titans Soccer player, thanked the board for the opportunity to play soccer for Lane Community College. The team played their last home game today and won!
Spilde acknowledge the leadership of Greg Sheley, Athletic Director and Women’s Basketball coach.
2A. Consent Agenda
McCown moved, and seconded by Johnston, to approve the Consent Agenda consisting of:
•The approval of the October 19, 2009 meeting minutes.
Motion passed unanimously.
3. Policy Review
A. Second Reading
1. Budgeting of Nonrecurring Resources, E.060
Johnston moved, seconded by Stiles, to approve the second reading of board policy E.060, Budgeting of Nonrecurring Resources.
Motion passed unanimously.
POLICY NUMBER: E.060
POLICY TYPE: BUDGET AND FINANCIAL
POLICY TITLE: BUDGETING OF NON-RECURRING RESOURCES
Non-recurring resources are resources that are not part of an annual revenue stream. Non-recurring resources include but are not limited to such categories as:
•Fund balances (i.e., "carryover")
•Reserves
•One-time grants or awards of money
•Funds withheld from annual budget allocations (e.g., funds held back from annual General Fund transfer to Capital Repair & Improvement)
•Special allocations from the state (e.g., allocations from the Emergency Board)
•Other special allocations (e.g., "seed money" for a project)
Non-recurring resources shall not be budgeted for ongoing recurring expenditures.
Non-recurring resources may be allocated for one-time expenditures including but not limited to the following:
•Capital equipment
•Capital construction
•Investment in a new program or service that will move to recurring funding sources after a specified trial period
•Projects related to the strategic directions of the college.
However, the college shall not rely on non-recurring resources for funding ongoing needs such as major maintenance and equipment replacement.
ADOPTED: January 14, 2004
REVIEWED: March 14, 2007
REVIEWED: November 4, 2009
2. General Fund Contingency, E.070
McCown moved, seconded by Ackerman, to approve the second reading of board policy E.070, General Fund Contingency.
Motion passed unanimously.
POLICY NUMBER: E.070
POLICY TYPE: BUDGET AND FINANCIAL
POLICY TITLE: GENERAL FUND CONTINGENCY
Board Contingency:
The annual budget shall set aside approximately one-half percent (0.5%) of the budgeted revenues each year for Board Contingency. Use of Board Contingency shall be at the discretion of the Board of Education and shall be allocated by formal approval of the board according to its policies.
Administrative Contingency:
Administrative Contingency shall be approximately one percent (1%) of the budgeted revenues each year. Administrative Contingency shall be allocated by approval of the president.
ADOPTED: January 14, 2004
REVIEWED: April 23, 2007
REVIEWED: November 4, 2009
B. First Reading
1. Interfund Transfers, E.080
No changes were recommended to this policy. A second reading will be held in December.
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.
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.
ADOPTED: January 14, 2004
REVIEWED: April 23, 2007
2. Interfund Loans, E.090
No changes were recommended to this policy. A second reading will be held in December.
POLICY NUMBER: E.090
POLICY TYPE: BUDGET AND FINANCIAL
POLICY TITLE: INTERFUND LOANS
Loans from one fund to another shall conform to the requirements of ORS 294.460 and be authorized by the Board of Education. Interfund loans may not be from: a Debt Service fund, a Financial Aid fund, employee/retiree benefit funds, or funds legally restricted to specific uses. Repayment of the loan must be budgeted according to an approved schedule and at a stated rate of interest.
The full repayment of interfund loans shall occur no later than:
•five years from the date of the loan, if the funds are to be used to acquire or improve real or personal property, or
•June 30 of the fiscal year following the year in which the loan was authorized, if the funds are to be used for operating purposes.
ADOPTED: June 9, 2004
REVIEWED: May 9, 2007
3. Debt Issuance and Management, E.100
No changes were recommended to this policy. A second reading will be held in December.
POLICY NUMBER: E.100
POLICY TYPE: BUDGET AND FINANCIAL
POLICY TITLE: DEBT ISSUANCE AND MANAGEMENT
The president shall ensure that sufficient funds are available to meet current and future debt service requirements on all indebtedness, while adequately providing for recurring operating requirements. The issuance of debt limits the college’s flexibility to respond to future learning priorities; consequently, the college shall issue and manage debt in a manner which maintains a sound fiscal position, protects its creditworthiness and complies with ORS 341.675 and ORS 341.715.
To meet the objectives of this policy the president shall ensure that the college incurs and services all debts in a manner that will:
•Maintain a balanced relationship between debt service requirements and current operating needs.
•Maintain and enhance the college’s ability to obtain access to credit markets, at favorable interest rates, in amounts needed for capital improvements and to provide essential learning services.
•Prudently incur and manage debt to minimize costs to the taxpayers and ensure that current decisions do not adversely affect future generations.
•Preserve the college’s flexibility in capital financing by maintaining an adequate margin of statutory debt capacity.
The board shall approve borrowing as described in Board Policy C.040. Long-term debt (due more than a year in the future) shall not be issued to fund normal operating needs.
ADOPTED: June 9, 2004
REVIEWED: May 9, 2007
4. Discussion/Action Items
A. Senior Programming
Barbara Susman, Senior Programming Director, and Anna Kate Malliris, Assistant to the Vice President, presented information on the Senior Companion program and the Successful Aging Institute.
In 2006, a community conversation was held and an advisory committee of community leaders was formed to help define Lane's role in providing learning opportunities both for and about seniors. Since then, Lane has created several new courses to meet community needs with existing funding. This fall, the Successful Aging Institute (SAI) was launched, establishing the overarching umbrella for senior programs.
The Senior Companion program works closely with Continuing Education and Employee Training, and consists of 78 companions working with 36 sites. The program provides a meaningful opportunity for senior volunteers to help other seniors. Senior companions learn while serving, and the program offers some certifications, such as a one-year mini certificate and a CNA2 certificate. SAI has collaborative relationships with residential living facilities and first responders. A special "Boomers and Beyond" Saturday series was established this fall, and the winter term series is planned as well. Continuing education classes are also available for older adults.
Donna Peterson, a member of the SAI advisory council and an employee of Home and Stead Care, was introduced. Peterson led the first Saturday class in September; it was a great experience.
Julie Piercey-Phelps, who works at a nursing facility in the community, spoke on behalf of the program. Senior companions come and spend one on one time with patients at her facility, and some of the employees from the nursing facility have attended Lane's SAI classes for training. Piercey-Phelps stated that the accomplishments which Susman has managed to achieve in just over a year since she has been at Lane Community College has been astounding.
Judy McCoy, a senior companion since February, stated that she loves her role as a companion. She has the opportunity to meet and help people with their transportation and keep them independent and in their homes.
B. Administrative Office Professional AAS Degree
Sharon Kimble, Business Instructor, and Mary Brau, Curriculum Coordinator, provided information on the Administrative Office Professional Associate of Applied Science degree. This is a statewide consortium degree, and a substantial portion of credits will transfer to the Oregon University System. Only two new classes will be required to replace existing courses, meeting consortium requirements for an articulated curriculum.
McCown moved that the board approve the curriculum and degree for the Administrative Office Professional Associate of Applied Science degree to be offered at Lane beginning Fall 2010. Johnston seconded.
Motion passed unanimously.
C. International Education
Spilde stated that for the past few years there has been discussion about the college engaging more aggressively in international education. The college has consulted with Mike McIntire, who was instrumental in setting up the international program at Green River Community College, and discussed the possibility of setting up a similar program at Lane. According to McIntire, Lane has some good factors to make the college attractive to international students, especially with the University of Oregon nearby. These conversations have resulted in a business plan, and the administration is ready to move forward.
Cathy Lindsley, Director of the English as a Second Language program, stated that there are 129 international students at Lane this term, representing 30 different countries. The program has grown significantly over the past few years, and the next stage will take some intentional work. The college is ready to do internal and external marketing.
The board reviewed the potential enrollment, projected revenues and expenses, and required elements for an effective program. There was some concern that language skills could be a frustration for both the students and faculty. Lindsley responded that the international English as a Second Language program is available and that passing scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language and placement tests are required before taking college courses.
Spilde explained that, not only is it a good business plan financially, but expanding the program would also internationalize the campus, which is important for our students.
The board also raised a concern regarding post 9/11 visa issues. Spilde explained that, while there are still some issues, many of those have been resolved.
Hall moved to affirm the college goal to expand international education. McCown seconded.
Motion passed unanimously.
D. Facilities Update
David Willis and Bob Mention responded to questions and comments regarding the facilities update on bond and deferred maintenance projects.
E. Impact of Ballot Measures
Spilde explained that if tax measures 66 and 67 are defeated, the impact on Lane’s share of the community college budget would be $2.9 million if there are across the board cuts. The college needs to prepare for the possibility that the taxes will go away even as we prepare for support of the measures.
Albright read the following board resolution and asked the board for their approval:
"Resolution In support of House Bills 2649 & 3405, the 2009 budget-balancing revenue package.
WHEREAS, the 2009 Legislature, when faced with damaging cuts to state and local services as a result of the continuing national fiscal crisis, chose to enact modest but significant increases to the corporate minimum tax, the corporate income tax and income taxes on high income households and wage earners; and
WHEREAS, the legislature used the $733 million raised through this 'tax fairness' package in conjunction with significant cuts to services to take a balanced approach to finalizing the 2009-11 biennial budget; and
WHEREAS, opponents of the revenue measures have successfully filed petitions to refer the two measures to a January 26 statewide special election in an effort to overturn the package and by extension destabilize the state budget; and
WHEREAS, should the legislative revenue package be overturned, the remaining option for the legislature would be to enact across-the-board service cuts in order to preserve a balanced budget, and thus reduce the 2009-11 State School Fund by approximately $285.5 million in addition to other cuts to important State services; and
WHEREAS, such a statewide reduction would mean a potential loss of $ 2.9 million for the Lane Community College; and
WHEREAS, a YES vote will mean sustaining the tax fairness package.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Lane Community College Board of Directors fully supports upholding the 2009 budget balancing revenue package, or House Bills 2649 and 3405; and strongly urges patrons vote YES on Ballot Referrals 66 and 67.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Lane Community College Board of Directors strongly urges students, parents, staff and community members to vote YES and to actively support the measures."
The board agreed that the words "tax fairness" should be eliminated from paragraphs two and six.
McCown moved to approve Resolution No. 542 if the words "tax fairness" are removed from the second and sixth paragraphs. Johnston seconded.
Motion passed unanimously.
5. Accountability/Reports
A. Benchmarks
Craig Taylor, Institutional Research, Assessment, and Planning director, responded to questions and comments on the following Benchmarks:
•Unduplicated Student Headcount
•Student FTE by Reimbursement Category
•Grants and Contracts by Funding Source
B. Financial Conditions and Activities
Morgan answered questions and responded to comments regarding the Financial Conditions and Activities Quarterly Report.
6. Reports
ASLCC President James Manning reported that ASLCC is currently at 87% of their voter registration goal and are the second highest in the state for the drive. The students are starting up a voter education campaign. ASLCC officers met today and drafted two resolutions: one in support of the Dream Act, which grants citizenship and the right to education for children of undocumented parents, and the other in support of the Student Reform and Financial Responsibility Act to simplify the FAFSA form.
LCCEF President Bob Baldwin reported that several staff members from Lane attended the CIO convention two weeks ago. There will be a huge effort in support of Measures 66 and 67. People need to understand what will happen to the state if that revenue is lost. Baldwin attended accreditation meetings today. One of the topics that was examined is the governance system, which has its challenges but is working reasonably well. The system Lane has is comparable to other schools in terms of meeting time, but better in terms of opportunity for input. The union has been presented with a new draft of harassment procedures and looks forward to working with administration on it.
LCCEA President Jim Salt reported that the faculty are taking time to provide information to the world at large regarding the tax referral measures. He attended the accreditation meeting earlier today. Salt was in Washington, DC a couple of weeks ago and met with nearly the entire delegation. There is a proposal to tax health benefits that is being considered which would be set up to have inflation adjustments based on the consumer price index and would affect some faculty plans. The only opportunity to defeat it is in committee; Salt asked board members to use any influence they have to get rid of the plan.
Vice President Sonya Christian acknowledged the remarkable job the accreditation coordinating team had done. The accreditors were impressed that the draft was out for six months to the campus community for feedback. Lane had five presentations at last week's OCCA conference. Perimeter planning events were held in October, and the college is benefiting in many ways, including one in which Christian and Mark Gillem from the UO School of Architecture are the co-principal investigators on an NSF project on the concept of sustainable sites being transferred to community colleges.
Chief Financial Officer Greg Morgan reported that KLCC had a successful fundraising campaign and came very close to their goal. The Bookstore is now the Titan Store; sales are up 80% on Titan item and logo clothes.
Board Reports
Hall had the opportunity to read the interim accreditation report and commented on what a phenomenal document it was. He congratulated Christian and all who worked on the document.
Stiles attended the OCCA conference and was amazed at the caliber of speakers and workshops and was especially impressed with Lane’s presentations.
Albright distributed a Register Guard article written about former board member Pat Riggs-Henson. He echoed Hall's praise for the accreditation interim report. Albright also attended the OCCA conference.
Johnston commented that it was really nice to hear the student athletes speak earlier. She congratulated Spilde for being an honored alum at OSU last weekend. Johnston attended the OCCA conference and spoke with a number of people from other colleges who enjoyed the event and praised the Center for Meeting and Learning for the food and hospitality.
7. Date, Place, and Proposed Agenda Items for the Next Regular Meeting
Wednesday, December 2, 6:00 pm, Boardroom, Building 3, Lane Community College
8. The board meeting unanimously adjourned at 8:35 p.m.
| _____________________________ | _____________________________ | |
| Mary Spilde, President/District Clerk | Pat Albright, Board Chair |