LANE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
BOARD OF EDUCATION MINUTES
OCTOBER 13, 2010
1. Attendance
Board members present: Bob Ackerman, Pat Albright, Roger Hall, Susie Johnston, Gary LeClair, Tony McCown. Board members absent: Sharon Stiles. Also present were: President Mary Spilde; Vice President Sonya Christian; Chief Financial Officer Greg Morgan; Legal Counsel Meg Kieran, Lane Community College Education Association President Jim Salt; and Lane Community College Employees Federation President Bob Baldwin; and Associated Students of Lane Community College President Mario Parker-Milligan.
A. Chair McCown called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m.
B.President's Report
Fall term is off to a good start thanks to the hard work of many people.
As you just saw on our walk-about, Facilities and IT crews once again completed a tremendous amount of work to finish upgrades and improvements in time for classes. Campus looks great and operations are going very well.
Thanks also to Facilities and to Public Safety and our Lane Community Cares volunteers for helping with first week parking. Lots filled about 9 a.m., a little earlier than last year. Parking has eased up, and it appears students are using alternatives like taking the bus and carpooling so our messaging is getting out and students are supporting our sustainability objectives.
Thanks to the Smoking Task Force and College Council for carefully developing our new tobacco-free campus policy. We are seeing very high voluntary compliance of 95 percent or better. The designated shelters in the parking lots are busy and we are strategizing how to better manage these locations. We will be adding more signage and we need to address the issue of parking lot litter. Otherwise the change is going very well. The task force did a great job of getting the word out including a fun rap video on our web page that’s getting lots of attention and laughs.
Two additional kudos for Public Safety: On Friday night of the first week of classes, Officer Bill Speicher found a suspicious device taped to a toilet in Building 19. He followed emergency response protocol to evacuate the building and alert law enforcement. The device was found to be fake and everything was over without incident within a half hour. Then, on Monday morning of this week, again in Building 19, a fire alarm went off due to a smoke smell. The building was evacuated and Goshen Fire responded. Some people attempted to re-enter before an all-clear was given so Officer Jim Harris used our new remote keyless entry system to lock the building. This prevented any further re-entry before it was safe. The all-clear was given within a half hour.
Some of this extra activity is the result of yet another enrollment increase. Overall, registrations are up 4.2 percent. Credit-only registrations are up 5.6 percent. That gives us a fall term headcount of about 15,000, including about 12,000 on main campus.
We have final enrollment reports for summer. FTE was up overall 16.9 percent. Credit-only FTE was up 18.5 percent and non-credit FTE was up 8.8 percent.
The week before classes was just as busy. In-service was invigorating and well attended, and I especially want to thank Vice President Sonya Christian and her team, and my own team, for all their work. Thanks to board chair Tony McCown for his welcoming remarks and to Susie Johnson, Pat Albright and Bob Ackerman for attending.
Let's take a minute to watch one of our in-service videos titled "I Am Lane" created by one of our newer staff members, Steve Barth. It has been edited to one minute and is available for presentations if you'd like to show it.
After in-service we celebrated the very grand opening of the Health and Wellness Center. I want to thank Foundation director Janet Anderson and her staff and volunteers for a wonderful event. I especially want to thank the donors for bringing this $16 million education and training center to our students and community. We had a great turn out and lots of media.
In the past month I attended a number of meetings and conferences, including speaking at the US Department of Education sustainability summit in DC - Roger Ebbage was also there; the League for Innovation board meeting in North Carolina; the American Association of Colleges and Universities meeting in DC; and the American Association for Sustainability in Higher Education meeting in Denver including a joint session with the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment. Closer to home, I presented at Florence Rotary, gave the keynote address at the Eugene Chamber of Commerce Emerald Business Awards, and attended the inauguration of Dr. Joseph Womack, the new president of Northwest Christian University.
We continue to have a lot of media, and I had a couple of especially nice clips to send home to my mum in Scotland, including a feature in Eugene Magazine and another in The Register-Guard's Blue Chip business publication. I interviewed with The Washington Post for a story on unemployment and what people are doing to get back into the workforce; we don't know when this will be published. I interviewed with the National Wildlife Federation for a report it's doing on sustainability and workforce training, and I taped a Comcast Newsmakers interview.
Speaking of sustainability, Lane is included in the just-published Peterson guide titled "Green Careers in Energy." Lane is listed in the top "25 Two-Year Schools with Great Green Programs" and I have a chapter in the book on the "Role of Community Colleges in Creating a Workforce for the Green Economy."
Last Tuesday, President Obama and Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden hosted the first ever White House Summit on Community Colleges. Nearly 120 participants from community colleges, businesses, philanthropies, and federal and state government discussed challenges and best practices to increase the number of students who graduate from public two-year colleges. Much of the discussion focused on the importance of education to the economy. Materials from the summit are available on the White House website. I interviewed with Inside Higher Ed about the summit's purpose and emphasized how community colleges educate more than 46 percent of the nation's undergraduates yet continue to be inequitable underfunded when compared to four year institutions.
Here in Oregon, State Treasurer Ted Wheeler has recommended that the Legislature halt all new borrowing backed by the state's general fund. He is concerned that declining revenues and past borrowing might lower Oregon’s credit scores and increase future borrowing costs. Based on the latest revenue projections, Wheeler has asked the Department of Administrative Services to reconsider the timing of some projects that have already been approved but for which the bonds have not yet been issued. Our downtown campus project falls into this category, but legislative leaders indicate they do not intend to suspend projects already underway.
Other news on the state front is that new PERS rates have been received for the next biennium. They are a significant increase over the current biennium.
The Lane Council of Governments (LCOG) Board of Directors met on campus on September 30. State Senator Floyd Prozanski and State Representatives Nancy Nathanson and Jean Cowan were their invited guests and discussed budget challenges facing the next Legislature. Thanks to Tony McCown and Brett Rowlett for being our ambassadors at this event.
Yesterday was the official deadline to register to vote in this November's general election, and ballots should be in the mail by the end of the week. Congratulations to ASLCC and the other student organizations for their efforts in this year's voter registration drive. Also, thank you to the faculty and staff who assisted with the effort. This year's drive registered 3,474 students, making it the largest vote drive at any Oregon community college and the second largest statewide, second only to the University of Oregon. Kudos to Mario for his op ed published in both The Register-Guard and Oregonian. The students have gotten great publicity. I also want to point out that Mario was elected chair of the Oregon Student Association board, the first community college student body president in that position.
I'd like to note that Greg Evans was elected to the American Public Transportation Association Executive Committee. Greg serves on the LTD board and coordinates Lane's African American student program.
I am pleased to announce that our new executive dean of academic affairs is Don McNair, who has been serving in that position in an interim capacity. We had a great pool, and Don came out on top, so he will continue in that role.
We are mourning the loss of Kris Tupper, coordinator for the Dental Assisting program, who passed away in September. She had been with Lane since 1978. There is a memorial fund in her name at Selco Community Credit Union for anyone who wishes to make donations to assist her family with expenses.
One of our aviation graduates, Ryan DeChent, recently was awarded the Army's Distinguished Flying Cross for bringing 21 service members to safety after his Chinook helicopter was struck and damaged by a rocket-propelled grenade while on a mission in Afghanistan. Ryan earned his associate of applied science in flight technology at Lane and also his private pilot fixed-wing license and private pilot helicopter license. He now serves the US Army as a Chief Warrant Officer 3.
I hope to see many of you at our premier fundraising event, the Harvest Dinner, on October 27 in the Center for Meeting and Learning with guest chef Mary Karlin of the Ramekins Culinary School in Sonoma, California.
I'd like to conclude my report with a follow-up to last month's block party fundraiser for our downtown campus, at which $3,500 was raised for the new building. I'd like to invite special guests to come to the podium and tell you about it. With us tonight is Sean Kern-Craft of Ambrosia Restaurant and Heather Upton of Nick & Nora's. Sean was the creative genius who led the effort. Thank you, Sean and Heather.
1) September Highlights
September highlights at Lane Community College as offered in the board mailing were presented.
2) Personnel
The college's current personnel appointments were presented.
BUDGET HEARING
The board meeting recessed at 6:46 p.m. for a budget hearing on budget resolution No. 558 to Supplement Capital Project Fund Appropriation for Fiscal Year 2010-11.
Ackerman moved to adopt Resolution No. 558 to provide additional budget authority for Fiscal Year 2010-11 Capital Project fund expenditures. LeClair seconded.
Motion passed unanimously.
The board meeting reconvened at 6:47 p.m.
C. Board Agenda Review
Item 4.b. Downtown Campus Update was moved to item 4.a.
D. Statement from the Audience
Eder Campuzano, editor of Lane’s student newspaper The Torch, introduced himself to the board.
2A. Consent agenda
Johnston moved, and seconded by Albright to approve the Consent Agenda consisting of:
- Approval of the September 8, 2010 minutes
- Building 10 Renovation Project
- Downtown Campus Commissioning Services
Motion passed unanimously.
3. Policy Review
A. Second Reading
1. Board Duties and Responsibilities: Personnel, B.050
LeClair moved, seconded by Albright, to approve the second reading of board policy B.050, Board Duties and Responsibilities: Personnel.
Motion passed unanimously.
POLICY NUMBER:B.050
POLICY TYPE:GOVERNANCE PROCESS
POLICY TITLE:BOARD DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
PERSONNEL
The board of education shall:
1.Select, appoint, and regularly evaluate the president.
2.Ensure that the college is organized and staffed to reflect its mission, size, and complexity.
3.Approve an academic and administrative structure or organization to which it delegates the responsibility for effective and efficient management.
4.Request that the president inform the board of all contracted hirings and dismissals.
ADOPTED:November 9, 1998
APPROVED:November 12, 2003
REVISED:December 12, 2007
REVIEWED:October 13, 2010
2. Board Duties and Responsibilities: Budget Making, B.060
Hall moved, seconded by Johnston, to approve the second reading of board policy B.060, Board Duties and Responsibilities: Budget Making.
Motion passed unanimously.
POLICY NUMBER:B.060
POLICY TYPE:GOVERNANCE PROCESS
POLICY TITLE:BOARD DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
BUDGET MAKING
The board of education has the responsibility to:
1.Adopt the annual budget before July 1 of the budget year.
2.Act as the levying board in the budget process.
3.Assist in presenting the needs of the college to the public and assist in the adoption, through the formulated budget process, of a budget that will address these needs.
4.Appoint the seven members with whom they shall serve jointly as the budget committee.
5.Review student tuition rates annually.
ADOPTED:November 9, 1998
REVISED:December 10, 2003
REVIEWED:December 12, 2007
REVIEWED:October 13, 2010
3. Treatment of Staff, A.030
Spilde pointed out the changes to the policy as listed in bold below. This policy mirrors the board's Treatment of Learners policy A.020.
LeClair moved, seconded by Johnston, to approve the second reading of board policy A.030, Treatment of Staff.
Motion passed unanimously.
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. The opportunity to address the board will occur either in writing or during public comment.
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.
8.Assure there is adequate provision for the safety and security of staff.
ADOPTED:November 9, 1998
REVISED:April 12, 2000
REVISED:May 12, 2004
REVISED:September 8, 2004
REVIEWED:July 11, 2007
REVISED:October 13, 2010
B. First Reading
1. Budget Officer, B.080
No changes were recommended to this policy. A second reading will be held in November.
POLICY NUMBER: B.080
POLICY TYPE: GOVERNANCE PROCESS
POLICY TITLE: BUDGET OFFICER
The president or designee shall serve as budget officer. The budget officer shall be responsible for preparation and maintenance of the budget document in compliance with Local Budget Law [ORS 294].
ADOPTED: November 9, 1998
REVISED: December 10, 2003
REVIEWED: December 12, 2007
B.2. Community Outreach, A.110
No changes were recommended to this policy. A second reading will be held in November.
POLICY NUMBER: A.110
POLICY TYPE:EXECUTIVE DIRECTIONS
POLICY TITLE:COMMUNITY OUTREACH
It is a benefit to the college to participate in the community, be responsive to the needs of the college district and promote activities that develop positive relationships with the broader community.
With respect to the community, the president shall assure that:
1.The college promotes the image and awareness of the college in the district.
2.A comprehensive community outreach plan, consistent with the mission, vision and core values is developed and implemented.
3.Efforts are coordinated in a manner that maximizes available material and financial resources and achieves greatest results.
4.A report on the status and results of the plan is regularly provided to the board.
4. Discussion/Action Items
A. Downtown Campus Update
Downtown Campus architects Jill Sherman and Jim Robertson gave an update on the design and timeline for the new building. The plan is still an 80-90,000 square foot academic building with approximately 200 beds in the housing building. A LEED platinum rating is anticipated on the academic building and LEED gold on the housing building. An update of the cost will be provided in November.
B. Perimeter Planning
Christian updated the board on the perimeter plan and referred to the Conceptual Vision document done by the University of Oregon School of Architecture. A master plan based on the Conceptual Vision is being developed with room for flexibility. Spilde assured the board that they will be kept appraised and be asked for input over the next few months.
Hall moved that the board accept the Conceptual Vision document completed by the Urban Design Laboratory at the University of Oregon under the direction of Mark Gillem, Assistant Professor and Barry Gordon, Research Assistant and direct the president to develop a college master plan using the Conceptual Vision as a framework and the four illustrative maps to inform the work. Albright seconded.
Motion passed unanimously.
C. LCCEA Contract Ratification
Jim Salt noted that the faculty have ratified the one-year agreement for 2010-11.
Ackerman moved to approve the contract between the LCCEA and the Lane Community College Board of Education. LeClair seconded.
Motion passed unanimously.
D. Strategic Directions
Christian updated the board on the development and implementation of the strategic directions. The three main areas are alignment, focus, and accountability.
E. Budget Development
Spilde reported that in August Lane received another $1.5 million reduction from the state as a result of the revenue forecast, which brings the total reduction to $4.1 million. She reminded the board that a plan was approved in July for a $2.6 million reduction. Spilde recommended that, rather than put together a set of reductions, the college be allowed to manage the budget through avenues such as vacancies and frugality. At this point, it looks like it can be done, but if another huge cut comes along we may not be able to make it work. The next forecast will be November 19. The state is $50 to 60 million off the maintenance of effort, which means they will have to restore some money for higher education. This will not be decided until the legislature comes together in February.
Ackerman moved that the president manage the budget to ensure a balanced budget by June 30, 2011. Seconded by LeClair.
Motion passed unanimously.
F. Budget Committee Appointments
LeClair moved, seconded by Albright, to approve the reappointment of Carmen Urbina, Zone 6; and the reappointment of Chris Matson, Zone 7, to the Lane Community College Budget Committee to complete three-year terms effective immediately and ending June 30, 2013.
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:
- Grants and Contracts by Funding Source
- Student FTE by Reimbursement Category
- Unduplicated Student Headcount
B. Facilities Update
An update on the status of bond and facility projects was presented to the board.
6. Reports
ASLCC President Mario Parker-Milligan reported that the voter registration drive registered a record 3,474 students. The next phase is voter education and "Get Out the Vote" for a big voice at election. He thanked the faculty for allowing class time to inform students. Parker-Milligan reported that he is the first community college board chair of the Oregon Student Association (OSA). On November 12-14, the Oregon Students of Color Coalition will put on the 10th anniversary Oregon Students of Color Conference at the University of Oregon, where Lane students will be presenting workshops. Parker-Milligan stated that students are frustrated with the parking situation, and the Lane Transit District busses are overcrowded and passing some students at bus stops.
LCCEF President Baldwin reported that the federation has filed an unfair labor practice against the college regarding the use of student employees in what may be bargaining positions. There has been a request for information from the college that has not been met. Regarding the perimeter plan, Baldwin noted that in his long history with the college, he has not seen the kind of long term planning that has gone in to the perimeter plan. Between that and the strategic directions, this represents the best planning that he has seen this institution perform. Collectively, we are doing some really great work here. It takes a lot of work to function day to day and also bring together everyone necessary to produce both current term planning and long term 20 to 30 year planning.
LCCEA President Salt congratulated the students for the high number of voter registrations. The faculty will be doing what they can to support pro-education candidates. Salt appreciated the board's mutual ratification of the 2010-11 agreement. He thanked Spilde, Christian, and the association's bargaining team for meeting during the summer to reach an agreement. Salt reported that House Bill 2557 required the collection of data on the use of full and part time faculty and pay differential. The report was released by Oregon Department of Community College Workforce Development last week and showed that Lane is number six in the state with 47 percent of classes taught by part time faculty. Clackamas and Central Oregon Community Colleges are over 50 percent, and Mt. Hood is at 60 percent. Salt noted that the nonsmoking campus policy is going well with the exception of the controversy over the location of some of the smoking shelters. We need to congratulate ourselves on the 95 percent victory. At the last College Council meeting, Christian brought in a framework on how the strategic directions intersect with college work, showing clear and rational framing for what we do here and how we do it, which is a significant step forward.
Vice President Christian stated that she was impressed with the ASLCC leadership. All of the governance councils have student representatives. ASA is selecting a strategic direction and planning conferences during the year to discuss each one. The first is October 29 on online teaching and learning. Every division will send three to four representatives. The work that has been done will be shared in April. Student Affairs, faculty and staff did a fantastic job handling another enrollment surge this fall term, as did Food Services, the Titanstore, and Public Safety.
Chief Financial Officer Morgan reported that it is telethon time at KLCC. They are about $75,000 short of their goal as of this afternoon, and the telethon ends tomorrow morning. However, in this economy, KLCC is grateful for what has been given.
Board Reports
Albright thanked the union presidents for their positive comments and thanked the faculty for ratifying the contract. Albright attended inservice and saw Lane's mascot, Ty Titan. Albright attended the Oregon Community College board meeting and left concerned about the proposal to reorganize the statewide governance system. The proposal is intended to maintain local control while providing statewide policy making. It is fast-tracked to go before the legislature during the next session. We need to not only pay attention but also take a close look to determine whether or not to take action. Albright will attend the Association of Community College Trustee conference in Toronto, where he will be presenting a workshop with Spilde and John Sygielski and Dave Shields of Mt. Hood Community College.
LeClair commented that it is good in an environment where there is no money to have a college that wants to plan for the future.
Hall thanked everyone who worked on the perimeter planning vision. He thanked Salt for reminding us of the 95 percent rule. In matters of government, 95 percent success is 100 percent success. If we bear that in mind we will probably get along better.
Ackerman reminded the board of the debate in 1969 where the issue was whether The Torch should be administratively controlled or product of students. With the editor coming forward in tonight's meeting, Ackerman was reminded that it is an excellent publication. He thanked The Torch staff and the board of 1969 for giving the students the choice of free speech.
Johnston reported that she led the Oregon Community College Association board meeting and also sat in on the Oregon President's Council meeting. She agreed with Albright that the issue of statewide governance is moving quickly. Johnston attended the grand opening of the Health and Wellness Center. It is nice to have something positive and thrilling that we can all be proud of. She noted that she has heard some frustration regarding the implementation of key cards, but the behind the scenes chaos does not seem to be shared with students.
McCown congratulated Parker-Milligan and ASLCC for an amazing feat on the voter registration. He congratulated Parker-Milligan on his election to the OSA board. Up until now, the chair has been a university student. Having Parker-Milligan as chair of the OSA board will benefit our school and community college students in general. McCown hosted the LCOG meeting here at Lane and held a legislative discussion. Both House and Senate members were in attendance. For the first time this year, LCOG is developing a unified voice with the idea that it will be a stronger to take to legislature. There is a list of potential agenda items that are being passed around which McCown will send to board members. He encouraged them to review the list and let him know if any of the issues are ones that they feel strongly about.
7. Date, Place, and Proposed Agenda Items for the Next Regular Meeting
Wednesday, November 17, 6:30 pm, Boardroom, Building 3, Lane Community College
Ackerman requested that a board policy regarding smoking be given a first reading at the November meeting.
Albright asked for detailed information as to what will be the scope of the change to statewide governance policy.
8. The board meeting unanimously adjourned at 8:33 p.m.
| _____________________________ | _____________________________ | |
| Mary Spilde, President/District Clerk | Tony McCown, Board Chair |