Board Report – September 2011
Welcome back. Hope you had a good summer.
Welcome everyone to fall term. I hope you had a good summer with some time off and that you're rearing to go. I had an opportunity to get away a bit this summer. I made my annual sojourn to Scotland to take care of my mother. At 95, she is amazing – her physical health is failing but she is as sharp as a tack. I just hope I have a tenth of her wit, zest for life and curiosity for what goes on in the world if I get to be her age. I also had the opportunity to travel to Australia. I was invited by the Australian government to go work with the Colleges of Further Education on sustainability and green skills training.
Enrollment appears to be about the same as last year, which saw a three percent increase over the previous double-digit increases. People are registering early, so I don't know if we'll see more. We had budgeted for a two percent increase, so we are just about right on track.
Get ready for the annual scramble for parking during the first few weeks of the term. I encourage commuters to take the bus, or carpool when possible. This year, students added Zimride to their options, a social networking site where they can form their own carpool. LTD also offers carpooling through Point 2 Point solutions. Main campus has 4200 stalls, plus we're adding 75 more on the grass next to the gravel lot below Lot N on the east side of campus. We have fewer contractors on site this fall, which also opens up some parking. We've been contacted by the city regarding the current road work happening in south Eugene. The main work is done, but they are still working on things like manhole covers.
The Titan Store is increasing services for students. For instance, this term there are 100 titles on the book rental list compared to last term's 8 titles; and there is a new online system where students can comparison shop for textbooks with major online retailers such as Amazon.com and buy the least expensive text. If students use another retailer, we still get a commission while the student saves money.
We just had our fire marshal and fire chief inspections on Buildings 10, 11 and 15 which include the new International Program offices and new offices for Advanced Tech. We passed all inspections and will get our temporary certificate of occupancies. We are all "green lights" for fall term on our renovations and remodels, and we are on schedule to complete all required work in support of instructional spaces.
We finally were awarded a state grant of $667,500 for seismic improvements, thanks to the persistence of facilities director Dave Willis. FMP is working on plans for making the improvements next summer.
We've made progress in solving the long-term air quality problems in Building 4. We contracted with a new consultant this summer who identified moisture at the base of the hollow columns around the building as a source where microbes could grow and flow through ambient air paths into the building. We've filled, cleaned and sealed the columns, sealed other old duct openings, removed some London plane trees whose pollen is highly allergenic, and are doing deep cleaning. Staff who relocated can voluntarily move back in this week. Short-term occupants such as students had few complaints so we have continued to hold classes and use the labs as usual.
Art transformed the campus and community this summer. First, you may have seen the mural on the east side of building 5. It's 26 feet high and 55 feet long and was done by art instructor Tom Madison and his students. It's called "A Cultural Landscape" and celebrates the theme of diversity using geometric patterns and a variety of colors. Second, sculpture instructor Lee Imonen and his students created some whimsical bike corrals in downtown Eugene in partnership with the city. You can see them in front of Morning Glory restaurant, the Kiva grocery, and soon at 5th Street market.
We launched our Honors Program this summer to challenge students through scholarly inquiry and academic rigor, and better prepare them for upper division coursework. Students will take designated courses, independent study, special seminars, and do a capstone project. The mural project is one of the first Honors courses.
I was sorry to learn that Carolyn Chambers passed away in August from cancer. She was she a key leader in the community and a strong supporter of Lane. Her enterprises such as KEZI provided many training opportunities for our students.
As was discussed in the July meeting, Aspire transformed into the Community Education Class Schedule as of the fall issue. We hope this will better serve our community education students, as our credit students go straight to the web to register and conduct student business.
Speaking of publications, our viewbook won an APEX award for publications excellence from Communications Concepts, national professional organization. Our creative agency, Funk/Levis and Associates, designed the viewbook under the leadership of Tracy Simms. I'd also like to congratulate Tracy and her team for creating a successful Facebook page. The college has scored more than 3,500 "likes," outperforming Chemeketa which has only 2,500 "likes," even though they have a full-time person assigned solely to administering their Facebook page.
Our Small Business Development Center launched a new small business management program for veterans this fall that will be taught by Ron Tinsley. He is an Army veteran, an LCC and UO alum, and owns several small businesses.
I would like to take a moment to thank all the Lane staff and their families who participated in the multiple events at this year's Eugene Celebration. I'd also like to give special thanks to Susie for representing the college as a grand marshal in the parade, and to Andy Dykeman and the crew from Lease Crutcher Lewis for the use of their truck and their participation in the parade. Also, I'd like to thank everyone who helped out with the open house at the Downtown Center, as well as everyone who helped out with this year's entry in the bed races: Tony McCown, David Van Der Haegen, Jenny Merriman, Adrian McLeod, and Kevin Loder. I'd like to acknowledge Jeanette Kane, Helen Garrett, and Brett Rowlett for all their work organizing the events.
As you know, over the summer Governor Kitzhaber appointed me to the Oregon Education Investment Board. I previously served on the Investment Team. Our job is to ensure a seamless, unified system of public education from birth through college. We'll be working with former State Representative Ben Cannon, who is the governor's new education advisor. As it happens, the Senate will hold confirmation hearings for the board tomorrow, and floor consideration on September 23. However, tomorrow also is college in-service so I will not be able to attend.
The most recent state revenue forecast on August 26 predicts that state revenue will be $199 million below what legislators were expecting when they set the state budget in May. The stock market and weak national and international economic recoveries have put Oregon's economy on a slower track than was predicted. Most of the loss, $158 million, is due to a lower forecast for state income tax receipts, which although increasing over the previous biennium, aren't increasing at the rate predicted in May. It is unclear how this reduction will impact state budgets; legislators have $147 million remaining in unallocated general funds plus $299 million in a supplemental ending fund balance made up of funds from the 3.5% "hold back" the legislature created when it appropriated funds last session. Two more revenue forecasts are expected before the February legislative session; legislators are hoping revenue will be back on track; otherwise they will have to take actions in February to rebalance the budgets.
President Obama's American Jobs Act includes two major initiatives impacting community colleges. The first is a $5 billion investment to modernize infrastructure and ensure that community colleges have the equipment and facilities necessary to train workers in technical and growth fields. These funds are formula based. They would not be used for new construction, but for updating facilities, making campuses more energy efficient, and upgrading technology. According to the White House, Oregon's community colleges would receive approximately $71 million. Additionally, the President proposed a fund to incentivize and reward local governments for implementing effective workforce training and employment strategies. While chances for full passage of the President's legislation are slim, we are working with our local Congressional delegation so they understand our infrastructure needs and how this federal funding would help colleges in Oregon.
Just a couple of events to note on your calendars: Our annual fall in-service is just a few hours from now, tomorrow, in the Center for Meeting and Learning. Then on Saturday, we will host the Northwest Country Classic track event.
I would like to end my report with kudos for ASLCC. They have received certification from the state association of Community College Student Affairs deans. I have a plaque I would like to present on behalf of CCSA to ASLCC.