LANE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
BOARD OF EDUCATION MINUTES
May 12, 2010
1. Attendance
Board members present: Bob Ackerman, Pat Albright, Susie Johnston, Roger Hall, Tony McCown, and Sharon Stiles. Gary LeClair was absent. Also present were: President Mary Spilde; Vice President Sonya Christian; Chief Financial Officer Greg Morgan; Legal Counsel Mindy Wittkop; 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 6:32 p.m.
B. President's Report
In Congress, Senate Bill 3206, the "Keep Our Educators Working Act of 2010" introduced by Senator Tom Harkin, now has 26 cosponsors and should be on the Senate floor soon, possibly before Memorial Day. The House passed similar legislation in December in its jobs bill. If approved, $23 billion will be distributed to states to help lessen the impact of historic budget shortfalls. Oregon's share is estimated at $271 million.
Voting is underway in Oregon's Primary. I’d like to congratulate ASLCC for another successful vote drive and encourage everyone to get their ballots in by May 18th.
Oregon Speaker of the House Dave Hunt met with local business leaders today at our Business Development Center. The roundtable discussion focused on creating jobs and strengthening Oregon's economy. Jim Lindly and Brett Rowlett attended.
I'd like to thank the board for hosting our upcoming Downtown Campus public forum on Tuesday, May 25 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Eugene Public Library in the Bascom-Tykeson Room. We will be promoting that event and the downtown project with advertisements, a new website, and a Twitter account.
Fourth week enrollment for spring term shows a 10 percent increase. Winter term final reports showed a 24 percent increase. Our overall year to date increase should be between 13 to 15 percent.
Spring conference inspired a lot of interest in our plans for the downtown campus, perimeter planning on main campus, and the health and wellness center. We used the day to focus on strategic planning. Special thanks to Sonya Christian and her team for pulling it all together.
After the conference, I travelled to Oregon State University to give the Charles Carpenter Memorial Lecture where I presented on, "Community Colleges: The Hopeful Enterprise."
A small flash fire in an art studio on April 30, a Friday afternoon, was quickly extinguished and emergency personnel responded quickly. As a precaution, firefighters evacuated the art building and two adjacent buildings. There were no injuries, and everything returned to normal by the end of the day. We used LaneAlert to get the word out.
The Foundation has announced our 2010 Distinguished Alumni. They are Rosaria Haugland, alumnus of the Small Business Management program; Nancy Kinnard, vice president of Summit Bank, who earned her associate's degree here; Nancy Radcliffe, the first in her family to go to college and who became one of the first women managers at Standard Oil of California; and Paul Machu, video and film director for Chambers Communications, who was both a student and a teacher in our media arts program.
I'd like to congratulate former board member Pat Riggs-Henson for being named the Education Volunteer of the Year by Lane County United Way.
I was interviewed on the PBS Newshour on April 20 to talk about completion commitment proposed by the American Association of Community Colleges. The story also ran in the Wall Street Journal, the Chronicle of Higher Education, the Community College Times, and Inside Higher Ed. Thanks to Pat Albright for attending the AACC convention, where the new commitment was announced.
Lane Community College posted a pair of victories at the NWAACC Multi Events Championships last Tuesday as Kevin Godfrey won the Decathlon and Samantha Berryman won the Heptathlon. Kevin cruised to the title while accumulating 6544 points. Samantha scored 4465 points to run away with the title as her closest competitor was over 500 points behind.
The Lane Community College baseball team has won 10 of their last 12 games to move into second place in the Southern Region. With 8 games remaining, the Titans have a chance to make the NWAACC Championship tourney.
Some quick reminders for your calendars:
• U.S. Poet Laureate Kay Ryan will give a public reading tomorrow, May 13, at 7 p.m. in the Center for Meeting and Learning. Thanks to instructor Eileen Thompson for coordinating this event.
• The annual Employee Day of Caring is Saturday, May 15, from 9 a.m.to noon at the Grassroots Garden on Coburg Road. You're welcome to join us.
• The national judges for the League for Innovation Student Literary Competition will give a reading on Friday, May 21, at 4 p.m., in the Blue Door Theater. Reading will be poet Elizabeth Woody, playwright Paul Calandrino, and essayist Laurie Lynn Drummond. Lane is hosting this year's national competition, and I'd like to commend instructor Johnnie Mazzocco for coordinating the event. National winners will be announced in June.
I'd like to congratulate counselor Beth Landy, this year's winner of the Nancy Hargis Leadership Award from the Oregon Career Information Systems. Cheryl Buhl from CIS is here to tell you about the award and why Beth was chosen.
I'd also like to congratulate the winners of the Innovation of the Year Award who designed the Health Professions Online Moodle Advising system. This gives students 24/7 access to advising materials, question and answer forums, links to career information, and more. Not only has this improved advising for students, it has reduced workload for staff. I'd like to ask the team members here tonight to come to the podium: Tammy Simpson, Jessica Alvarado, Jess Reynolds, Lori Kramer, Lisbeth Anderson, Patsy Escobar, Bree McKenzie, Michael Levick, Jill Sigfried, and Dean Middleton.
Finally, our Phi Theta Kappa students again won distinction at the national convention. Lane won the Top 100 Chapter Award; Teresa Sullivan won the Distinguished Chapter President Award; and Dee Christensen won the Distinguished Member Award. Kudos to you and to your chapter advisor, Velda Arnaud.
The regional Phi Theta Kappa convention was last weekend, where the chapter also did very well. Although several chapters sought the #1 position within the region, Sigma Zeta held on to that title. A list of awards follows:
• Regional Chapter Awards
• Five Star Status Award
• Chapter Web Site Award
• Chapter Yearbook Award
• Distinguished Service Award
• Leadership Hallmark Award
• Scholarship Hallmark Award
• Most Distinguished Chapter Award
(Top Chapter in the region—fourth year in a row)
• Regional Individual Awards:o Chapter Art Award for “Key to Success” in glass and wood:
Trevor Moore, Adam Deering, and Matthew Ray
o Most Distinguished Chapter Member: Dee Christensen
o Distinguished Chapter Officer Award: Tedi Hart
o Most Distinguished Chapter President: Terri Sullivan
I would like to thank outgoing president James Manning. We have had a very active student government this year. They have participated in councils and have been actively involved in budget development. This is a result of leadership, and so I would like to thank James and his exemplary team for their contributions to Lane.
The Cooperative Education Employer of the Year Award was presented to Willamette Family chemical dependency treatment services at the annual advisory committee recognition dinner on April 27. Willamette Valley has provided internships for more than 200 students.
1) April Highlights
April 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/Changes
No changes were made to the board agenda.
D. Statements from Audience
No statements from the audience were offered.
2A. Consent Agenda
Spilde distributed a revised version of Resolution No. 550 with the corrected amount of revised appropriation.
McCown moved, and seconded by Ackerman, to approve the Consent Agenda consisting of:
• The approval of the April 14, 2010 meeting minutes
• The approval of the April 28, 2010 special meeting minutes
• Solar Station
• Building 19 offices
• Building 6 Performance Hall Elevator
• Field Turf for Track and Soccer Bowl
• GMP for Buildings 4 and 5
• Health and Wellness Office Equipment and Furniture
• Resolution No. 550 Supplemental Budget for Enterprise and Debt Service Fund
with the change to the Resolution No. 550.
Johnston recused herself from the vote.
Motion passed unanimously.
3. Policy Review
A. Second Reading
1. Asset Protection, A.070
Hall moved, seconded by Stiles, to approve the second reading of board policy A.070, Asset Protection.
Motion passed unanimously.
POLICY NUMBER: A.070
POLICY TYPE: EXECUTIVE DIRECTIONS
POLICY TITLE: ASSET PROTECTION
The president shall assure that assets are protected, adequately maintained, and not placed at risk.
Accordingly, the president shall:
1. Insure against theft and casualty losses and against liability losses to board members, staff, and the organization itself in an amount similar to the average for comparable organizations.
2. Prevent uninsured personnel from access to material amounts of funds.
3. Assure that plant and equipment are not subjected to improper wear and tear or insufficient maintenance.
4. Assure that the organization, its board, or staff, are not unnecessarily exposed to claims of liability.
5. Assure that every purchase:A. includes normally prudent protection against conflict of interest; and
B. of over $100,000 for goods and services contracts, or $150,000 for public improvements contracts includes a stringent method of assuring the balance of long-term quality and cost.6. Protect intellectual property, information, and files from loss or significant damage.
7. Receive, process, or disburse funds under sufficient controls to meet the board-appointed auditor's standards.
8. Invest or hold operating capital in excess of daily requirements in accordance with ORS 294.035.
9. Not endanger the organization's public image or credibility, particularly in ways that would hinder the accomplishment of its mission.
10. Not name a building, substantial parts of buildings, or significant landscape features of Lane Community College without prior approval of the board; and, when a building has substantial support from a donor, without prior involvement of the Foundation.
ADOPTED: November 9, 1998
REVISED: April 12, 2000
REVISED: December 13, 2000
REVISED: September 10, 2003
REVISED: January 14, 2004
REVISED: July 19, 2006
REVIEWED: May 12, 2010
2. Compensation and Benefits, A.080
McCown moved, seconded by Johnston, to approve the second reading of board policy A.080, Compensation and Benefits.
Motion passed unanimously.
POLICY NUMBER: A.080
POLICY TYPE: EXECUTIVE DIRECTIONS
POLICY TITLE: COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
With respect to employment, compensation, and benefits to employees, consultants, contract workers, and volunteers, the president shall assure fiscal integrity and public image.
Accordingly, the president shall:
1. Not change his or her own compensations and benefits.
2. Not promise permanent or guaranteed employment.
3. Establish current compensation and benefits which:A. Do not deviate materially from the professional market for the skills employed, are competitive, and are consistent with board-approved collective bargaining agreements.
B. Not create obligations over a longer period than prudent4. Not establish deferred or long-term compensation and benefits which cause any employee to lose benefits already accrued under any forgoing plan.
ADOPTED: November 9, 1998
REVISED: April 12, 2000
REVIEWED: May 12, 2004
REVIEWED: June 11, 2008
REVIEWED: May 12, 2010
B. First Reading
1. Ethical Conduct for Lane Community College Employees, A.100
Albright asked that the word "affairs" in the third paragraph be replaced with a more appropriate word. A second reading with that revision will be held in June.
POLICY NUMBER: A.100
POLICY TYPE: EXECUTIVE DIRECTIONS
POLICY TITLE: ETHICAL CONDUCT FOR LANE COMMUNITY COLLEGE EMPLOYEES
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 their affairs with integrity and to hold themselves to the highest standards of ethical conduct.
ADOPTED: October 13, 2004
REVIEWED: June 11, 2008
2. Membership on the Board of Education, B.010
The board inquired about the zone districts, wondering if population numbers have shifted and districts should be rezoned. Kieran will look into how closely the zones are governed by state law.
POLICY NUMBER: B.010
POLICY TYPE: GOVERNANCE PROCESS
POLICY TITLE: MEMBERSHIP ON THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
The Board of Education of the Lane Community College District shall consist of seven members, each member elected to a four-year term by the qualified voters of the entire district. A member shall reside in the zone from which elected and shall not be employed by the College during the term of office. Two members shall be elected to represent the district at large and five members elected from zones, each to represent one of the following areas:
Zone 1 is the western college district, which includes the Bethel area of Eugene, Veneta, Dunes City, Florence, and Monroe.
Zone 2 is the northern college district, which includes North Eugene, Coburg, Harrisburg, and Junction City.
Zone 3 is the northeastern college district, which includes Springfield, Thurston, and the Marcola area.
Zone 4 is the southeastern college district, which includes the McKenzie River Valley, Creswell, Cottage Grove, Lowell, Oakridge, and Westfir.
Zone 5 is entirely within Eugene and, in general, the area south of the Willamette river and east of City View Street.
At-Large – Position 6 represents the entire college district.
At-Large – Position 7 represents the entire college district.
ADOPTED: November 9, 1998
REVISED: July 17, 2002
REVIEWED: October 14, 2003
REVISED: October 10, 2007
Discussion/Action Items
A. Perimeter Planning/UO School of Architecture
Spilde reminded that board that in fall 2008, Dr. Mark Gillem, UO School of Architecture, came before the board and proposed that his students be involved in the perimeter planning of Lane's property, and the board approved the idea. This had come from a board discussion on how to utilize capital assets to bring revenue to the institution. Spilde acknowledged Marston Morgan, whose idea it was to bring the two institutions together.
Christian reported that public charettes were held last fall to solicit feedback from members of the community and the college. The feedback provided several options for perimeter planning which resulted in the preferred alternative for Phase 1. The board was presented with the outcome of Phase 1 to consider and provide direction at the July 2009 board retreat. An open house for the college community will be held on May 25 and 26 in the Center for Meeting and Learning. The work of Gillem and the UO School of Architecture has helped to focus on how to utilize our property for fiscal sustainability. Design guidelines have been developed that can be used in both perimeter planning as well as bond projects.
Gillem and UO student Barry Gordon presented the outcome of Phase 1 and the framework plan. The overarching guiding principle was to develop a planning vision to create a campus that has appropriate infrastructure that fosters educational excellence through sustainable building and landscape practices. Since many of the responses to the survey indicated that employees and students would consider living on campus, plans include housing. The planning process established that a portion of the land on the perimeter of the campus is either wetlands or forest area and those should not be built upon. The plan included creating a visible campus entry and 2,000 additional parking spaces. Benefits of the plan are campus quads, improved wayfinding, on-campus housing which reduces parking needs and carbon emissions.
Gillem described the next steps of the process, which include:
• Formally adopt the framework plan
• Develop a public notice process
• Appoint a master plan team
• Review short term projects and resolve gaps
• Reopen public process with campus community
• Refine the preferred alternative
• Prepare draft master plan report
• Prepare prefinal master plan
• Prepare final master plan
• Formally adopt the final master plan
Spilde noted that the college is in the process of creating a master plan. This is a framework plan, and there will be broader discussions with the campus community. There is a lot more work to be done, but Gillem and his students have done a great job.
B. Downtown Campus Update
Spilde informed the board that the purchase agreement for the 10th and Charnelton site was received today from the City of Eugene, and legal counsel will be reviewing it over the next few weeks. The college will come back to the board with a recommendation for the purchase of the land.
A public forum hosted by the board will be held from 6 to 7:30 pm on May 25, the day following the Eugene City Council vote on the urban renewal plan, in the Bascom Tykeson room at the Eugene Public Library so that the community can get a better understanding of the project. A new downtown campus website is about to be launched which will include the feasibility study, costs, programs and services, and project information.
Spilde shared a letter from the Lane County Commissioners to Mayor Piercy raising concerns about the action to continue the urban redevelopment plan which would fund the $8 million that the City of Eugene is planning to bring to the downtown campus project. Board Chair Albright proposed sending a letter of response to the commissioners indicating the long term benefits of the project for all entities. A draft of the response was shared, and some suggestions were made for revisions. The letter will go out later this week.
McCown moved to have Albright and McCown revise the letter and mail it to the commissioners. Johnston seconded.
Motion passed unanimously.
C. Budget Development
Albright noted that the budget committee approved the proposed budget document in their meeting earlier that evening.
5. Accountability/Reports
A. Benchmarks
Craig Taylor, Institutional Research, Assessment, and Planning director, responded to questions and comments on the following Benchmarks:
• Change in Employee Headcount
Ackerman noted the decrease in the number of full time faculty members and the increase in part time members, wondering if that is having an effect on the quality of instruction at Lane.
In response to a question raised by a board member last month, the following report was presented:
• Employees of Color: UO, Lane, and OUS
B. Financial Condition and Activities, A.050, Quarterly Report
Morgan responded to questions and comments on the Financial Condition and Activities Quarterly Report.
C. Treatment of Learners Monitoring Report
Christian responded to questions and comments on the Treatment of Learners Monitoring Report.
D. Facilities Update
An update on the status of bond projects was presented to the board.
6. Reports
ASLCC President James Manning reported that another 504 voters were registered, bringing the total for the year to 1,979. ASLCC is working on educational materials on the upcoming election and getting students to turn in their ballots. He attended an Oregon Student Association board meeting last weekend. Student elections are being held this week, and ASLCC is preparing for transitions. Manning thanked President Spilde for the opportunity to attend the AACC Convention in Seattle. Regarding housing for the new downtown campus, Manning felt that the students that would benefit most would not be able to afford the rent. The board should be looking at improving accessibility and affordability for those students. He requested information on what is happening with the tuition rebate proposals.
LCCEF President Bob Baldwin responded to the benchmark on the change in employee headcount. In 1995, changes were made to define the schedule of classified staff. The growth shown in the benchmark is not the addition of new staff but reclassification from timesheet to contracted staff. He commented on the recent article in the Register Guard and agreed with Salt's observations that good news is always one time money and bad news is here to stay. He commented on the manager's salary comparisons, wondering why some managers' salaries have gone up so much more than the other employee groups. Safety had been a key issue when recently revising the college strategic directions. However, two more citations have been issued from OSHA relating to deficiencies in the college's emergency planning. There is a lack in the safety processes on campus. The governance system needs to have a proper role in establishing safety guidelines on campus, and that is not happening.
LCCEA President Jim Salt reported that he had fallen ill in Seattle while attending the AACC convention. After seeing several physicians, the correct diagnosis ended up coming from a member of Lane's nursing faculty. He thanked Ackerman for pointing out the decline in full time faculty numbers, which has had a serious and significant impact. There has been a dramatic increase in use of part time faculty, and not just as a response of the recent enrollment increase. The makeup is just over 50% contracted and 49% part time faculty, and at one point it was 2 to 1. Some vacancies are being filled, but there are still approximately 30 vacancies. Quality of instruction is an important consideration. Recent research shows that there is a significant effect on retention and completion. Salt was surprised that there was so little discussion of the numbers presented in the budget document during the budget committee meetings. He appreciated the time for his presentation at last week's session, but there has been no response to the data presented other than tuition. Bargaining will be starting soon; there are four weeks to negotiate a contract. Salt envisioned a difficult, contentious bargaining process.
Vice President Sonya Christian acknowledged Manning's work as ASLCC President and stated that she will miss working with him. She congratulated Salt for being the only nomination for faculty president. Christian addressed the information that Salt had presented in the budget meeting last week regarding changes in manager's salary, questioning the relevancy of comparing current data with data that is 14 years old. The number of managers has decreased since that time, and managers have taken on increased responsibilities. For instance, there were four vice presidents in 1996; today there is one. Christian urged caution in thinking about part time faculty and quality of instruction. The part time faculty at Lane are extraordinary. It is true that academic enterprise curriculum work beyond the classroom is critical, and that falls on the full time instructors. The Office of Academic and Student Affairs has been considering the possibility of a lecturer position. The association has created a category for "teaching only" faculty, but perhaps the positions should be renamed. Christian welcomed Helen Garrett as the new executive dean of Student Affairs starting July 1.
Chief Financial Officer Greg Morgan reported that the budget process has gone more smoothly this year. He recognized Kay Malmberg, Budget Analyst, who is retiring at the end of June.
Board Reports
Hall reported that his brother is the board chair of a California community college that has a current budget of $140 million and is required to have a reserve of 10 percent. The reserve is maintained by firing people and closing departments. Here at Lane, we have received decreased support from the state and have managed to keep the wheels on the institution and perform unbelievably well, but our reserves are among the lowest in the state.
Johnston attended the advisory committee appreciation dinner at the end of April. She was delighted to see Willamette Family Treatment win the Employer of the Year award. She thanked Gillem and his students for their work on the perimeter planning. She thanked Manning for his participation this year in his role as ASLCC president. She recognized Malmberg for her work at the college. She attended the opportunity conference last weekend. The families that attended were remarkable.
Ackerman requested information on the tuition rebate proposals, a statement on counseling and advising, and dispute resolution information in the strategic plan.
McCown attended the last part of the spring conference and was impressed with the attendance. It was nice to see the staff engaged. The fire incident brought questions to mind regarding emergency response. Instead of Goshen, perhaps the City of Eugene would be more appropriate to respond since the city boundaries have grown since Lane first contracted with Goshen. McCown responded to Manning's concern regarding housing, stating that he agreed that low income and subsidized housing is needed for students. In the short term, to make it financially possible, market rates will need to be charged. His long term goal is to reduce the rates after the project is paid off. McCown gave credit to ASLCC for surpassing the voter registrations from his own term in that office.
Stiles reported that students at the Florence Center appreciated Manning's request for a student representative. Bob Purscelley, Director of the Florence Center, will be retiring in December, and it will be a big loss for Florence.
Albright appreciated attending the AACC Conference and seeing Spilde recognized. He was proud to see her leading the event. Albright had recently spoken to a parent whose student attends South Eugene High School and is being taught primarily by student teachers. This shows that schools are doing the best they can with the available resources.
7. Date, Place, and Proposed Agenda Items for the Next Regular Meeting
Wednesday, June 9, 6:30 pm, Boardroom, Building 3, Lane Community College
8. The board meeting unanimously adjourned at 8:54 p.m.
| _____________________________ | _____________________________ |
|
| Mary Spilde, President/District Clerk | Pat Albright, Board Chair |
