LANE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
BOARD OF EDUCATION MINUTES
SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

1.  Attendance
Board members present: Bob Ackerman, Pat Albright, Roger Hall, Susie Johnston, Tony McCown. Sharon Stiles participated in a portion of the meeting by telephone. Board 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; 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
It's hard to believe that fall classes are almost here. I hope everyone's had a chance to get some rest and recreation this summer.

I had a really hectic time in Scotland and then finished up with a few days of vacation which was really good.

This week we have more than 2,000 students attending SOAR early registration sessions. Staff worked fast to anticipate their needs, and I want to thank the "SWAT" team led by Helen Garrett. Partly because so many students are attending SOAR, registrations are up 20 percent. That doesn't mean enrollment will actually be up that much, but we are bracing for another increase.

The pace of construction on main campus this summer has been fast and furious. The work and skill of our staff and our contractors has been truly remarkable. Please be sure to review the facilities report in your board packet. If you have any questions about the report, Bob Mention and Todd Smith are here tonight. We had one situation that we were not really happy with, and we are working with the contractor, but everything else has gone well.

Quite a bit has been going on in national and state government that concerns Lane:

After months of debate, Congress passed the education jobs bill, which President Obama signed into law early last month. The bill provides $10 billion in funds to keep educators working in schools around the country. The funding for education jobs is allocated solely for K-12, but states must provide assurances on funding for K-12 and higher education. The bill also includes $16.1 billion for federal Medicaid assistance. Oregon is projected to receive $118 million for education and $144 million for Medicaid.

The state budget continues to worsen. The September revenue forecast had the general fund down an additional $377 million. The governor is again utilizing his authority to order across-the-board agency reductions. The impact to the Community College Support Fund will be approximately $13.5 million, a 3 percent reduction of the Legislatively Approved Budget for the biennium, or 8 percent of the budget for the remaining nine months. The governor, speaker, and senate president said they would maintain funding at the June level of about $5.76 billion for K-12 education, including $118 million in federal assistance recently approved by Congress and $34 million in state reserve funds when the Legislature convenes in January. Although Speaker Hunt has been advocating for including community colleges in the "hold harmless" pledge, there does not appear to be the support necessary in the senate or governor's office to make that happen. The revenue forecast had the deficit growing for the next biennium as well. The gap to maintain current service level for all agencies is now more than $3 billion, that's with a "b" as in bad. To put this in perspective: If all state budgets took equal reductions in their 2011-13 budgets based off the current forecast, the Community College Support Fund would be funded at $397 million.

Locally, there's better news to report. This Friday, September 10, downtown businesses in the Broadway and Pearl District will host a "Let’s Build It Together" block party to celebrate our Downtown Campus. The event will be from 3 to 9 p.m. and will include a raffle, wine auction, art show, live entertainment, and more. This is a fundraiser for the downtown campus and the brainchild of downtown businesses who are excited about our project. Special thanks to Ambrosia restaurant and other participating businesses for helping organize this event, and to our government and community relations director Brett Rowlett. I hope you can all make it to the party.

Last month our energy management program helped bring Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to Eugene for a lecture. Kennedy talked about sustainability and applauded Lane Community College for its outstanding work. I want to thank program coordinator Roger Ebbage for his behind-the-scenes work and for coordinating our energy management programs. You may have noticed that the programs were featured in the New York Times just a couple of weeks ago.

While on the theme of sustainability, I would like to commend Donna Zmolek for sending out this month's board packet to the extended list of recipients as PDF files for the first time, saving thousands of printed pages and resources. We've wanted to do this for a long time.

Last month I attended the AACC meeting and annual board retreat. Later this month I will attend a US Department of Education meeting on sustainability - there it is again. Next month I will attend the League for Innovation fall board meeting, and an American Association of Colleges and Universities meeting.

Finally, I hope you can make it to our two big events coming up on Thursday, September 23. In the morning I will give the annual fall in-service address. In the afternoon we will celebrate the grand opening of the Health and Wellness Center with a public reception beginning at 4 p.m.

I would like to congratulate Susie Johnston, who is the new board chair of the Oregon Community College Association. Susie was elected vice chair for the year, but, due to unforeseen circumstances, the chair had to step aside and Susie took over the role of board chair.

1) July and August Highlights
July and August highlights at Lane Community College as offered in the board mailing were presented.

2) Personnel
The college's current personnel appointments were presented.

C. Board Agenda Review
No changes were made to the agenda.

D. Statement from the Audience
No statements from the audience were offered.

2A. Consent agenda
Albright moved, and seconded by Johnston, to approve the Consent Agenda consisting of:

• Approval of the July 14 and 28, 2010 minutes

Motion passed unanimously.

3. Policy Review
A. Second Reading
1. Board Duties and Responsibilities: Educational Program, B.030
Albright moved, seconded by Hall, to approve the second reading of board policy B.030, Board Duties and Responsibilities: Educational Program.

Motion passed unanimously.

POLICY NUMBER:B.030
POLICY TYPE:GOVERNANCE PROCESS
POLICY TITLE:BOARD DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM

The board of education shall:

1. Approve all major academic, vocational, and technical programs of study, degrees, certificates, and diplomas. Approve major substantive changes in the college's mission, policies, and programs.
2. Require reports and consider other presidential reports concerning the programs of the college.

ADOPTED:November 9, 1998
APPROVED:November 12, 2003
REVIEWED:November 6, 2007
REVIEWED:September 8, 2010

2. Board Duties and Responsibilities: Appraisal and Evaluation of Operation, B.040
Albright moved, seconded by Hall, 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. Board Duties and Responsibilities: Personnel, B.050
No changes were recommended to this policy. A second reading will be held in October.

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

2. Board Duties and Responsibilities: Budget Making, B.060
No changes were recommended to this policy. A second reading will be held in October.

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

Discussion/Action Items
A. Downtown Campus
1. Status of Funding
Morgan explained the various funding sources for the Downtown Campus project, including general obligation bonds, tax free bonds, Build America bonds, new market tax credits, and Recovery Zone bonds. In addition, since the energy management program will be taught at the new campus and the building is planned to be LEED certified, there are a number of borrowing options through sustainability initiatives.

Spilde reported that funding secured for the Downtown Campus is currently $25.5 million. If the maximum is received in new market tax credits, we will have $30.5 million, which leaves a $4 to $5 million gap. To close the gap, we are looking at a few options, such as the enterprise fund. The bookstore has been saving up money for creating a better bookstore. It is at the board's discretion whether or not to use those funds, but there will be a bookstore at the new campus. Also, there are three foundations that we are actively pursuing. The energy options that Morgan mentioned could be as much as $1 million.

2. Resolution Zone Resolution
Morgan reported that the City of Eugene has bonds provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that they are willing to allocate to Lane with a formal request from Lane’s Board of Education through a resolution.

Hall moved to approve Resolution No. 557 to request Recovery Zone Bond Allocation. Ackerman seconded.

Motion passed unanimously.

3. Construction Management/General Contractor (CM/GC) findings
Spilde informed the board that the building process for the Downtown Campus is a complicated one and referred the board to the findings in support of an alternative contracting process.

Albright moved to approve the findings and authorize the college to proceed with notification for a public hearing to be held at the October board meeting. Ackerman seconded.

Motion passed unanimously.

4. Housing
Spilde reminded the board of the conversation held at the retreat in July at which board members discussed the benefits of building student housing at the new Downtown Campus.

Hall moved that "the board recommend that the college include housing in the downtown campus project and that the college will finance and build the housing component." Johnston seconded.

Ackerman moved to amend the motion to read that "the college include housing in the downtown campus project and that that college will finance and build the housing component." Albright seconded.

The motion to amend the motion passed unanimously.

Ackerman pointed out that if we construct and build and operate facilities as a public entity, we do have to pay prevailing wages, and it would increase our cost. However, if the project is developed by a private developer, there are additional costs that are not incurred by the public sector, such as profit and real and property taxes. So the prevailing wage issue is a wash either way.

The amended motion passed unanimously.

5. Downtown Campus Project Manager
The board clarified that there were no local responses to the request for proposal for project management services for the downtown campus project.

Johnston moved that, in accordance with the proposal documents, Gerding Edlen of Portland, Oregon be awarded a contract for Project Management services for the Downtown Campus building project in the amount of $750,000. Ackerman seconded.

Motion passed unanimously.

4.B. Mission statement
In preparation for accreditation, Lane's Accreditation Work Group (AWG) developed four options for a new mission statement. The four options were the result of several workshops facilitated by the AWG during spring 2010, including a session with College Council, that reviewed the current mission. Board members discussed these four options at the July 28 board retreat and offered ideas and suggestions to refine and focus the mission. The proposed mission offered below is in response to those suggestions.

Lane is the community's college; we provide comprehensive, accessible, quality, learning-centered educational opportunities that promote student success.

Hall moved to approve the proposed mission statement for Lane Community College. Stiles seconded.

Motion passed unanimously.

4.C. Tuition Rebate 2009-10
Spilde reminded the board that the college had set aside funds and placed them in reserve to be used for a tuition rebate if the Community College Support Fund was not reduced below its initial appropriation by March 31, 2010. The amount of reserve funds available for this purpose is equivalent to a tuition rebate of $1 for the year, for a total of $330,000. ASLCC proposed that instead of giving each student a minimal rebate, these funds should be used in ways that will give a long term benefit to students. At its April meeting, the board reviewed this proposal and asked for additional staff work to provide more detailed information and budget. At the July meeting, the board approved two projects for a total of $190,000. The remaining projects are proposed:

1. Install more outlets, furniture, even chairs with outlets to provide more places for students to plug in; identify places students gather and improve wireless access, furniture, electrical outlets and computer kiosks throughout campus, particularly targeting the Library's Mezzanine area. This will provide additional spaces for students to study and access their laptops in a learning environment. $40,000
2. Create digital media library for students to rent laptops, digital cameras, video cameras, digital readers etc. for use outside of the Library. Check out would be for a limited time (e.g. 2-5 days with a small rental fee charged to pay for repair and replacement). Would need to re-purpose some IT HelpDesk type staff to manage this program. $60,000
3. Identifying special populations such as First Year Experience students, to require laptops and provide a rental system for those who do not own them. $40,000

Albright moved to approve the proposals for use of the tuition rebate funds. Johnston seconded.

Ackerman stated that the funds should not be used on projects that bond money could be spent on and felt that these projects could be covered by the bond. Barb Delansky, Student Life and Leadership Director, explained that bond funds will help in some areas, but a large portion where students are having difficulty finding places to study on laptops and find electric outlets will not be covered. McCown noted that the 2009-10 student government was extensively involved in developing the tuition rebate projects and that the current government had given a second stamp of approval.

Ackerman moved to eliminate proposal #1 and refer the item back to the administration. Motion failed for lack of a second.

Motion passed 5 – 1. Ackerman dissented.

4.D. President’s Evaluation
The board has conducted the annual performance evaluation of President Mary Spilde. McCown read a summary of the board evaluation, stating that Spilde continues to demonstrate extraordinary leadership. Spilde received an outstanding performance evaluation for the ninth consecutive year.

Albright moved to accept the results of the 2009-10 president evaluation and to authorize chair McCown and vice chair Johnston to complete the contract details. Stiles seconded.

Motion passed unanimously.

5. Accountability/Reports
A. Key Performance Measures
Craig Taylor, Institutional Research, Assessment, and Planning director, responded to questions and comments on the following Key Performance Measures:

• Associate Degree Completion: Percentage of Students in Associate’s Degree Programs who Obtain an Associate's Degree
• Percentage of Students Attending a Community College One Year Who Transfer to OUS in the Next Year
• Progress of Transfer Students: Percentage of Community College Students Who Transfer to OUS and Return for the Second Year

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 there is an ASLCC Officer retreat coming up to discuss campaigning, voter registration trainings, and goal setting. Officers have been meeting with political candidates. So far 1,135 voters have been registered on campus. This is more than any other community college; ASLCC is considering increasing their goal to 2,500.

LCCEF President Baldwin noted that there were two pending arbitrations and both were resolved prior to having to arbitrate. Baldwin expressed satisfaction with the perimeter planning process, which was controversial at first, but problems have been resolved and he is now fully on board. Shortly after the last board meeting, he met with Rowlett and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) on proposed legislation regarding campus safety.

LCCEA President Salt reported that the association and the college reached a tentative employment agreement which will be taken to the faculty for discussion and a ratification vote in the weeks to come. LCCEA has been working hard to understand the state plan for funding. They had hoped to receive some money on the federal bill for K-12 instructors but did not. There may be some protection indirectly. Details are fuzzy on the restoration of the latest state cuts. The union has been working closely with the Oregon and National Education Associations to develop a plan to provide some protection.

Vice President Christian reported that she is looking forward to this academic year. The focus will be on planning. College Council has focused its efforts on planning. Governance councils implement plans two ways: through departments and through institutional committees. These are the groups that come together and move the work. This year the focus will be on aligning College Council work with that of the campus; it will be a huge undertaking, but we should be able to see some difference by next summer.

Morgan reported that Specialized Employment Services is holding a prom on Thursday night, and the clients are really looking forward to it. Morgan distributed the latest KLCC arbitron ratings, showing that KLCC is the number two radio station in the area and even number one during some parts of the day.

Albright attended the new board member workshop at Oregon Garden. He visited with former board member Larry Romine and gave him an update of things going on at the college, after which he received a thank you note typed on Romine's manual typewriter. Albright participated in an Oregon Community College Association (OCCA) teleconference, and one of the issues was a new governance proposal, which we should have on our radar. Look for the new issue of the Eugene Magazine. In an article titled "Women Leading the Way," Mary Spilde is featured as one of the top ten women leading a business in the community.

Stiles welcomed Spilde back from vacation and hoped she took some leisure and casual time.

Johnston ran her first OCCA meeting by telephone. It was a challenge, so she may go to Salem for future meetings. Johnston is looking forward to the block party to celebrate the new Downtown Campus.

McCown expressed appreciation for Lane's partnership with Lane County to continue some services for the extension office. This partnership will be good for both Lane and the community. These kinds of pairings are a good example of the creative solutions public entities will use in the future to maintain services.

7. Date, Place, and Proposed Agenda Items for the Next Regular Meeting
Wednesday, October 13, 6:30 pm, Boardroom, Building 3, Lane Community College

8. The board meeting unanimously adjourned at 8:18 p.m.

_____________________________		_____________________________
Mary Spilde, President/District Clerk		Tony McCown, Board Chair