LANE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
BOARD OF EDUCATION
Minutes - October 17, 2006
1. Attendance
Board members present: Jay Bozievich, Roger Hall, Paul Holman, Susie Johnston, Pat Riggs-Henson, Larry Romine, and Michael Rose. Also present were: President Mary Spilde; Vice Presidents Sonya Christian and Marie Matsen; Associate Vice Presidents Donna Koechig, Greg Morgan, and Patrick Lanning; Executive Assistant to the President Tracy Simms; College Counsel Joe Leahy; Lane Community College Employees Association President Jim Salt; Lane Community College Employees Federation President Bob Baldwin; and Associated Students of Lane Community College President Happi Matthews.
A. Chair Bozievich called the meeting to order at 6:38 p.m.
B. President’s Report
It seems like just yesterday since the beginning of fall inservice and yet, here we are already in the fourth week. We had a very productive inservice week. I want to thank Susie Johnston and Jay Bozievich for attending the all-staff gathering. My speech was entitled: “Sustaining a Learning College: Harsh Realities and Hopeful Possibilities.”
Following the all-staff gathering, we divided into groups to discuss our mission, sustainability and work process redesign. The information gathered at those meetings will be compiled and used as we go through the year. Faculty presented their sabbatical reports, and, as always, it was an interesting insight into the work that faculty do when they are on professional development leave. Vincent Tinto had a very good session with faculty around student success. He was very impressed with our faculty and staff, commenting on the extremely positive and innovative approach in spite of our budget challenges. We also had an interesting session on instructional redesign. The steering group has been selected that will shepherd the work over the next year.
Reimbursable enrollment was up 5.7 percent last year. This was due to the tremendous effort by many people here at the college. The rest of the state was down 1.2 percent in reimbursable FTE. That bodes well for us as we go into the funding formula. It will not affect us immediately, but over time we will see the benefit. As you know, we went into the enrollment decline first, and I think we have come out of it first. If we keep up that kind of momentum this year, given some changes that are likely to be made in the funding formula, that will really help our financial picture, which as you will see later, we really need to have happen.
Summer enrollment was up 21.1 percent over last year, which is a total of 173 FTE. Credit FTE was down 2 percent, and non-credit FTE was up 85 percent. Professional technical supplemental was up 147 FTE this year.
Remie Calalang has been selected as the coordinator of the new Lane County Teacher Pathways program. Lane and seven other institutions (University of Oregon, Pacific University, Northwest Christian College, Lane ESD, and the Eugene, Springfield, and Bethel school districts) are members of this consortium dedicated to the development of bilingual/bicultural teachers. Many of their students take their first college classes at Lane, and Remie will spend a good portion of her time on our campus this year shepherding those students. Remie also works at Bethel as the multicultural liaison.
College Finance has started on on-call consultant service, so people can either e-mail or call if they are having problems in finance or budget and have access to immediate help with their finances.
The Banner Finance ODS system is up and running and can be learned from an online tutorial. ODS is the way we get reports from Banner. In an effort to continue to be as transparent as possible regarding the budget, we will allow faculty and staff access to the financial data with participation in some very short trainings. The Banner data needs to be translated into information that is useable, and that is what the ODS system does. While we want to give access, we want to also make sure that employees take responsibility to get trained so that the information they find will have some meaning.
KLBR went on the air to serve central Oregon, the sixth station in the Lane network.
Bookstore has reduced wait time at cash registers by at least half as of the first two days of book sales for Fall Term.
The number of unique (each person counted only once no matter how many times they logged in) accesses to ExpressLane on the first day of classes Monday set a new record at 6491. Last year at this time the number was 5782.
Also, we have started to collect student e-mail addresses so that we might be able to communicate with them better. Less than 18 months ago, less than 20 percent of our student records had e-mail addresses in Banner. That number is now over 45 percent and the numbers for currently active students are going up even faster.
Tamara Pinkas and I attended the League for Innovation in Community Colleges meeting in Cleveland. It was a good meeting with much useful information shared. Tamara and the representatives are initiating a major initiative on diversity. I am now vice-chair of the League board, which suggests the huge turnover that has occurred in League presidents over the last few years.
Susie Johnston and I attended the Association of Community College Trustees conference. I attended some very interesting sessions, one in particular that I think will help with the board’s initiative to connect better with the community. We heard the United States Secretary of Education talk about her Commission’s report and her expectations for higher education.
I have been on the speaking circuit, including Learning in Retirement, Springfield Chamber of Commerce, South Towne Rotary, Twin Rivers Rotary and the Young Women Entrepreneurs. My remarks appeared to be warmly received.
Jay Bozievich and I met with the editor of The Register-Guard. I want to thank Jay for the excellent job he did in representing the board and the college.
I have been meeting with a number of leaders in the philanthropic community to test our case for the Capital campaign. All have said it is a very compelling case, and we should go for it. We received very good advice from many of them about how we should approach the campaign and how to make giving to the college more sustainable over time. The Foundation Board will be finalizing the campaign at the beginning of the year.
The Oregon Small Business Development Center Network hosted accreditors last month. From all accounts, the visit went very well, and we should see a positive report in the next few weeks. As the host college, we rely on our partner community colleges and universities to operate solid SBDC’s that meet all the standards, and it appears that is happening.
I was interviewed by a Chronicle of Higher Education reporter who was doing a story on investment in higher education and Ballot Measure 48. He interviewed me about our budget challenges regarding state support. Of course, I told him that I could not take a position on the ballot measure, but using the figures provided by Oregon Community College Association I was able to share the impact. He was doing a comprehensive story including the sponsor of Ballot Measure 48, so I don’t know that Lane will be a prominent part of the story. Since his visit here, I have been invited to the Chronicle Business Summit next June to speak to business leaders about the disinvestment in higher education and how community colleges are dealing with it.
Lane Community College has won the Outstanding College or University Program award for 2006 from the National Recycling Coalition. The award will be presented at the coalition's conference October 22 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Lane Community College is one of four winners, and the only community college, to win a Campus Sustainability Leadership Award from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, presented at the association's conference in Tempe, Arizona on October 5. The other winners were the University of British Columbia, Berea College, and Warren Wilson College. Lane was commended for several achievements: a goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050; energy conservation; purchasing 10 percent of its electricity from renewable sources; targeting LEED Certified standards for all new buildings; funding for integrating sustainability concepts into curriculum development; participation in the City of Eugene's Sustainable Business Initiative; and employing a full-time sustainability coordinator.
Bert and Loy Dotson have set up an endowment to "to help students succeed in mathematics by providing tutoring, tools and other forms of assistance." This will provide between $800 and $1000 per year and will pay for one student tutor for a term. Bert Dotson was the very first employee hired by the college in 1963 to organize the bond measure and the relationships with the school districts.
We should note the passing of Joe Romania who, with his partner, donated 127 acres to the college.
A fine example of Lane’s innovation during these budget challenges is the ArtWorks Initiative, which is an integrative arts learning initiative of the Arts Division. ArtWorks helps educators and community members become partners in understanding and promoting the importance of integrative arts learning to education across all disciplines at all levels. The primary goal of Artworks is to help develop integrative arts learning programs as essential, core curricular components of education that facilitate advancements in intelligence, creativity, problem solving and academic, professional and life performance and achievement across disciplines and professions. Lane Artworks instructors are working with a broad coalition of arts organizations and K-12 schools in and beyond Eugene. The ArtWorks coalition will initiate a new Integrative Arts Program at an open symposium November 30 and October 1 at Lane.
1) September Highlights
September 2006 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
One item was added to the agenda as item 4B, Resolution on Ballot Measures 41 and 48.
D. Statements from the Audience
Rob Spooner, Florence publisher, promoted his website www.growlane.org. The website is intended to be a forum where the radical Lane “pro-growth” movement can find a voice.
2. Consent Agenda
Hall moved, seconded by Riggs-Henson, to approve the consent agenda consisting of:
• The approval of the September 13, 2006 Minutes
Motion passed unanimously.
3. Policy Review
A. Second Reading
1. Equality of Opportunity, D.060
Romine moved, seconded by Riggs-Henson, to approve the second reading of board policy D.060, Equality of Opportunity.
Motion passed unanimously.
POLICY NUMBER: D.060
POLICY TYPE: MISCELLANEOUS
POLICY TITLE: EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY
The board directs strict adherence to the principles embodied in Oregon and Federal “Equal Employment” legislation.
Lane Community College shall provide employment opportunity to all qualified persons and prohibit discrimination on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, physical or mental disability, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, veteran’s status, familial relationship, expunged juvenile record, association with anyone of a particular race, color, sex, national origin, marital status, age or religion, opposition to safety and health hazards or application for Worker’s Compensation benefits.
ADOPTED: November 9, 1998
REVIEWED: June 9, 2004
REVISED: October 17, 2006
2. Equality of Opportunity in Admissions, D.070
Riggs-Henson moved, seconded by Riggs-Henson, to approve the second reading of board policy D.070, Equality of Opportunity in Admissions.
Motion passed unanimously.
POLICY NUMBER: D.070
POLICY TYPE: MISCELLANEOUS
POLICY TITLE: EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY IN ADMISSIONS
Anyone who is at least eighteen years of age for credit classes and at least sixteen years of age for continuing education classes may enroll at Lane Community College. Under no circumstances shall an applicant who is otherwise qualified be denied admission or given a preference for admission to the college based on an individual's race, color, national origin, sex, age, marital status, familial relationship, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, disability, religion, expunged juvenile record, or veterans' status.
ADOPTED: November 9, 1998
REVISED: June 9, 2004
REVISED: October 17, 2006
B. First Reading
1. Definition of a Balanced Budget, E.010
No changes were recommended to this policy; a second reading will be held in November.
POLICY NUMBER: E.010
POLICY TYPE: BUDGET AND FINANCIAL
POLICY TITLE: DEFINITION OF A BALANCED BUDGET
The board directs the president to develop annual budget recommendations that are in accordance with the college’s strategic plan and conform to the requirements of Local Budget Law (ORS 294.326). The budget shall provide for:
• Annual operating expenditures not to exceed projected revenues (Expenditures shall be budgeted according to the college’s strategic priorities.)
• Debt service, both current (due in less than 12 months) and long term
• Reserves for maintenance and repairs to its existing facilities
• Reserves for acquisition, maintenance and replacement of capital equipment.
• Reserves for strategic capital projects
• Funding levels to fulfill future terms and conditions of employment, including early retirement benefits
• Allocations for special projects related to the strategic directions of the college.
• Allocations for contingencies (unforeseen events requiring expenditures of current resources)
• Ending Fund Balances (according to policies set specifically for that purpose)
Lane has a further responsibility to:
• Plan how it will spend any “onetime” unanticipated revenue, allocating it strategically and prudently between:o The restoration of any shortfall to targeted ending fund balances,
o Currently unfunded projects in the strategic plan, and/or
o Holding some or all of it in reserve during financially volatile periods.
Permanently stabilize its finances in their entirety (operating budget, reserves, contingencies and ending fund balances) when it perceives a long term change (increase or decrease) to its available future recurring resources
ADOPTED: January 14, 2004
4. Discussion/Action Items
A. Budget Development FY08
Spilde presented budget documents that were previously reviewed by the board at the September work session. Documents included the budget development process, principles and criteria, data elements, priorities, budget assumptions and preliminary strategies. Board members were asked to approve the documents.
The following changes to the principles and criteria document were recommended as reflected below:
“Maximize Not impair investments in systems development that will save resources and streamline work processes that results in saving in the long run.”
“Support Not impair response to community needs.”
Associate Vice President Greg Morgan and Assistant to the Vice President Jennifer Steele presented a dynamic model of budget projections showing various funding scenarios and the impact on Lane’s budget for 2007-08.
Rose moved to approve the budget documents with the suggested changes. Johnston seconded.
Motion passed unanimously.
Spilde informed the board about an all-staff meeting on October 31, and she thanked the College Council for their work and dedication.
4B. Ballot Measures 41 and 48
Resolution 509 opposing Ballot Measures 41 and 48 was presented. Measure 41 allows income tax deduction equal to federal exemptions deduction to substitute for state exemption credit, and Measure 48 limits biennial percentage increase in state spending to percentage increase in state population, plus inflation. If passed, both measures would limit total state revenue available to the legislature and may result in a decrease in funding for Lane Community College.
Romine moved to approve the resolution. Riggs-Henson seconded.
Motion passed unanimously.
4C. Community Perception Study
Simms and Taylor answered questions regarding the Community Perception Study conducted in August by Advanced Marketing Research, Inc. of Eugene.
4D. Strategic Conversation Summary
The notes from the strategic conversation regarding health care were discussed. Spilde explained that the executive team will be analyzing the notes and identifying areas on which to focus. Priorities will be discussed at a future board meeting.
4E. Dependents of Fallen Soldiers
Resolution 508 was presented. This resolution provides free tuition to the dependents of fallen Oregon United States military personnel who died as part of the Global War on Terrorism.
Riggs-Henson moved to adopt. Johnston seconded.
Motion passed unanimously.
5. Accountability/Reports
A. Benchmarks
Craig Taylor, Institutional Research and Planning director, responded to questions and comments on the following Benchmarks:
• Unduplicated Student Headcount
• Student FTE by Reimbursement Category
6. Reports
ASLCC President Matthews reported that the voter registration drive has gone well. The goal was to get 1500 new voters, and they reached 1513 today. The Native American College and Career Fair Day was held at Lane on October 13.
LCCEF President Baldwin informed the board that there are currently three labor relation cases pending arbitration. In the five years in which he has been union president, the administration and the union have found compromises that worked, and he believes there are solutions for these cases that may at the very least produce no loss for either the union or the administration.
LCCEA President Salt reported that the association has been working hard with a lot of faculty participation on the November ballot measures. He appreciated the board resolution opposing Measures 41 and 48. Faculty have been working on instructional redesign with Christian’s leadership and other faculty in designing the task force. Faculty are anxious to resolve the reassignment time issue for faculty serving on governance councils. Salt has been approached by faculty members with concerns about the new health insurance company, PacificSource.
Vice President Christian updated the board on the instructional redesign work. The budget development process is on all the minds of instructional and student services manager, and she believes it is being approached in a positive, productive way. There is a college group reviewing class scheduling patterns to determine if times of class offerings are impacting enrollment. Lane is beginning to explore international connections as one possible revenue generating strategy. The Native American College and Career Fair was well attended.
Vice President Matsen announced that KLCC raised $271,010 during Fall Radiothon, completed October 13, a record amount in Radiothon history. Matsen invited the board to attend the Bioneers Conference this weekend at the Center for Meeting and Learning.
Holman reported that he will be speaking on Thursday from 4 -5 on a community forum on KCST regarding the local option levy.
Riggs-Henson stated that the Friends of LCC advocacy group has been meeting once a week. They have received amazing support from employees of the campus and the community which has enabled them to advertise in various papers.
Rose reminded that board that Spilde will be speaking at City Club on October 27. Rose complimented the culinary arts program; he attended the Lane Memorial Bloodbank annual dinner, and attendees were impressed with our students.
Johnston attended the ACCT conference this month in Orlando. She appreciated the opportunity to represent Lane and gain in the professional development that they had to offer. Johnston will be representing the college next Friday speaking on the local option levy at the McKenzie River Chamber of Commerce meeting.
Romine corrected an earlier statement that Bert Dotson was Lane’s first employee. Actually, Dotson was the second employee after the President was hired.
Bozievich thanked the two unions and employees for doing a wonderful job supporting the passage of the levy. He has been interviewed eight times since the first press release. Bozievich reported that a gubernatorial candidate had recently visited the college and was shown the health clinic and what Lane is doing to control health care costs, and the candidate was impressed.
7. Future Agenda Items
Romine requested an update on Cost per FTE. Johnston requested a December update on the health coverage change to PacificSource.
8. Date, Place, and Proposed Agenda Items for the Next Regular Meeting
Wednesday, November 8, 2006, Boardroom, Building 3, Lane Community College
9. The board meeting adjourned at 8:45 p.m.
| _____________________________ | _____________________________ |
|
| Mary Spilde, President/District Clerk | Jay Bozievich, Chair |
