September 21, 2010 Minutes of Regular Board Meeting

The Board of Trustees of Illinois Valley Community College District No. 513 convened a regular session at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 21, 2010 in the Board Room (C307) at Illinois Valley Community College.

Members Physically Present

Dennis N. Thompson, Chair
Thomas C. Setchell, Vice Chair
David O. Mallery, Secretary
Michael C. Driscoll
Leslie-Anne Englehaupt
Larry D. Huffman
David S. Zallis, Student Trustee

Members Absent

Melissa M. Olivero

Others Physically Present

Jerry Corcoran, President
Cheryl Roelfsema, Vice President for Business Services and Finance
Rick Pearce, Vice President for Learning and Student Development
Lori Scroggs, Vice President for Planning and Institutional Effectiveness
Walt Zukowski, Attorney

A biology lab open house was scheduled 45 minutes before the board meeting. Members of the board were invited to view the newly remodeled biology lab.

APPROVAL OF AGENDA

It was moved by Dr. Huffman and seconded by Ms. Englehaupt to approve the agenda as presented.  Motion passed by voice vote.

PUBLIC COMMENT

Mr. Thompson attended the biology lab open house and was impressed with the renovation project.  He hopes for the same results when the chemistry lab is renovated next summer.  He also attended the volleyball tournament on Saturday and was complimentary of the campus grounds.

CAMPUS UPDATE

Glenna Jones, Director of Human Resources, and George Needs, HR Specialist, reviewed IVCC’s demographics and reported the findings.  The white, non-Hispanic category shows the employee population to be 7.4% higher than IVCC’s district white population.  The Hispanic category reflects a higher percentage of students as compared to the district’s population and considerably higher than the employee population.  The Black, non-Hispanic category reflects a higher percentage of students as compared to the district population and the employee population; however, the district and employee percentages are similar.  Regarding gender, the employee population reflects a greater percentage of females than the student and district populations. IVCC makes a concerted effort to recruit a diverse pool of candidates for each open position.  New hires were compared with the applicant data pool for positions that were filled in FY10.  The College successfully filled positions in FY10 with minority individuals.  A lower percentage of white and females were hired compared to the applicant pool and a higher percentage of Hispanics, Black/African American, and multiracial individuals were hired compared to the applicant pool.  Other activities currently underway in Human Resources are the planning of an employee professional enrichment day scheduled for October 12 and future ethical training options to maintain an ethical work environment.  In light of the upcoming election on November 2, employees have been reminded of prohibited political activities. 

CONSENT AGENDA

It was moved by Dr. Driscoll and seconded by Ms. Englehaupt to approve the consent agenda as presented.  Motion passed by voice vote.

The following items were approved in the consent agenda:

Approval of Minutes – August 18, 2010 Board Planning Committee Meeting and August 26, 2010 Board Meeting

Approval of the Bills - $2,237,247.45

Education Fund - $838,300.80; Operations and Maintenance Fund - $189,623.35; Operations and Maintenance (Restricted Fund) - $450,960.19; Auxiliary Fund - $579,867.72; Restricted Fund - $167,584.15; and Liability, Protection and Settlement Fund - $10,911.24.

Treasurer’s Report

Personnel

Approved the stipends for the pay periods ending August 14, 2010 and August 28, 2010.

Cash Farm #8842 Lease Renewal – Year 2011

Approved to renew the lease with Randall Michelini at $227.46 per acre on 149.48 acres for year 2011 for an annual lease payment of $34,000.72.

Bid Request

Approved to seek bids for a utility tractor at an estimated cost of $35,000.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Dr. Corcoran reported enrollments are ahead of last year’s record-breaker in terms of both headcount and credit hours.  He also reported this year’s incoming class includes seven valedictorians, the most since 1981.  The College’s marketing efforts have never been stronger and that’s a credit to the faculty and staff, especially the Community Relations department.  He thanked Fran Brolley, Kim Stahly, and David Dodge.  He also commended the media, present at the meeting, for a job well done. He noted that their coverage of the College plays an important role in the decision people often make to attend IVCC and better their lives.  The message of high quality programs and services, at a low cost, is being heard across the district loud and clear.

As a reminder, the Northwest Regional Trustees meeting will be held October 7^th at Highland Community College. The evening will begin with tours of the new nursing addition and the wind turbine technician training center. The program will deal with the Campus Security Enhancement Act. Dr. Corcoran asked that any board member planning to attend should contact Jeanne Hayden.

Fran Brolley, Donna Swiskoski, and Sue Monroe were commended for organizing the 21^st Century Scholars program at Grand Bear Lodge on September 1^st where six outstanding students were recognized for their academic achievement, involvement in college activities, and community service. On behalf of Fran Brolley and the IVCC Foundation, Dr. Corcoran thanked the Board, staff, and community members who have joined the 21^st Century Society and made the program a tremendous success.

On September 15^th, Tim Bias, Dorene Perez, and Jim Gibson coordinated a trip to McCormick Place in Chicago so that approximately 45 IVCC students could attend the International Manufacturing Technology Show.  Dr. Pearce, retired instructor Don Haas, and Dr. Corcoran attended as well and were impressed with the excitement the manufacturing students displayed when meeting representatives of companies that are producing the equipment they will soon be using upon completion of their certificate and degree programs.  Dr. Corcoran noted that it was especially gratifying to see that the potential for enrollment growth is high for many of the technical programs destined to be housed in the Community Technology Center like CNC, manufacturing, industrial maintenance, process operations, electronics, industrial electricity, CAD, and drafting. 

A few months ago a question was posed regarding the value of continuing the American Association of Community Colleges membership, and at that time Dr. Corcoran spoke to the fact that the College receives updates on legislative issues, Community College Journal and Community College Times, seminars, professional development opportunities, and notices regarding the annual AACC convention; however, he did not mention the support the AACC provides in the way of administering Advanced Technological Education grants to many colleges like IVCC. His point was with the latest NSF sustainability grant worth $560,000, the FY09-11 grant worth $521,000, the FY06-08 grant worth $227,000, and hearing that the grant Dorene Perez, Jim Gibson, Rosie Lynch, and others will be working on is going to be worth $900,000, his recommendation was that the College continue its membership in AACC by paying the $5,300 in annual dues. What the College receives from NSF grants is of great value.

Dr. Corcoran congratulated Reed Wilson, Ottawa’s mayor Bob Eschbach, the North Central Illinois Council of Governments, and LaSalle County Board for the hard work they put into successfully preparing an attractive proposal for state and federal funding to support the LaSalle County Broadband Initiative – a $19 million project. Dr. Corcoran noted that high speed broadband is going to improve the way in which learning opportunities to individuals are delivered in the district. As more details become available, Dr. Corcoran would like for the Board to consider IVCC’s administration working with the same NIU individuals that assisted in designing the LaSalle County plan on a way in which they can ultimately connect all of the high schools to the college.  More will follow on this subject.

Dr. Corcoran recognized Jill Urban-Bollis and Tina Hardy for doing a nice job of organizing the all-staff picnic held at Matthiessen Park on September 10^th.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Mr. Tom Setchell reported the Audit/Finance Committee will meet on Friday, October 1 at 5 p.m. in the board room.  An agenda will be sent out one week prior to the meeting.  Mr. Dennis Thompson attended the ICCTA meetings on Friday and Saturday, September 10 and 11.  He reported the operating grant payments will be made monthly instead of quarterly. Mr. Thompson sat in on the Presidents Council meeting and heard how people who are interested in attending college and looking at different websites are led to the for-profit college websites.  At the November trustees meeting, new marketing campaigns are being considered.  The plan is also to invite the marketing staff from all the community colleges to find strategies for getting the word out on attending community colleges.  The 64/14 (64% of students attend community colleges and only 14% of the money goes to community colleges) campaign is a good slogan and has reached many people.  The trustees are looking at legislation to provide a way to obtain more money.  The round table meetings will take place at the November trustees meeting and is a good way to find out what is happening around the State.  Mr. Thompson suggested if anyone has a topic for discussion, they can submit it ahead of time.  The trustees are also looking to improve the regional trustees meetings by creating standard meetings throughout the State at central locations within the region.

ACADEMIC CALENDARS

It was moved by Mr. Setchell and seconded by Mr. Mallery to approve the academic calendars for 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, as presented.  Mr. Mallery noted the Illinois Public Community College Act states the board determines the academic term and suggested a member of the planning committee be involved in the preparation of the calendar or the calendar be brought to the planning committee.  Dr. Driscoll, chair of the planning committee, did not see the value of it being presented to the planning committee and referred to Dr. Corcoran for his advice.  Dr. Corcoran complimented Tracy Morris and Rick Pearce for keeping the president’s council advised and believes the calendar is the best the College has presented to the Board in many years.  Motion passed by voice vote.

FACULTY RETIREMENT – A. BRUCE MARKWALTER, CWT/BRIDGE INSTRUCTOR – SHERIDAN CORRECTIONAL CENTER

It was moved by Dr. Huffman and seconded by Mr. Mallery to accept with regret A. Bruce Markwalter’s request for retirement effective September 14, 2010 and wish him a long, happy, and healthy retirement.  Motion passed by voice vote.

LETTER OF INTENT – MULTI-COUNTY UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS EXTENSION CENTER OFFICE ON CAMPUS

It was moved by Mr. Mallery and seconded by Ms. Englehaupt to approve the letter of intent, as presented.  Dr. Driscoll wanted to understand the value of the extension center on the campus.  Dr. Corcoran noted there is a population that is underserved by the College that the Extension Center is currently serving.  They will use our classrooms and it is a perfect match between the two entities.  The Extension Center provides a service to the community and offers many non-credit courses.  Their students who are interested in horticulture or gardening will hopefully transition into credit courses. Having the students on campus is a good way of leveraging the public assets.  They will be working cooperatively with our continuing education department and grow the courses offered. Dr. Pearce noted that with any cooperative programs if a partnership becomes negative, the administration will reassess the program. Motion passed by voice vote. 

BOARD POLICY MANUAL SECTIONS 2 AND 3 (First Reading)

The Board members had a chance to review the revised policies in Sections 2 and 3 of the Board Policy Manual.  Dr. Driscoll noted that any comments are to be directed to the president’s office; and if there are any major corrections, they should be brought back to the Board Planning Committee.  Approval of sections 2 and 3 of the Board Policy Manual will be recommended at the October board meeting.

BOARD POLICY – USE OF CAMPUS & NETWORK COMPUTING RESOURCES
(First Reading)

The Board members had a chance to review the revised policy on the Use of Campus & Network Computing Resources.  Dr. Driscoll noted that any comments are to be directed to the president’s office; and if there are any major corrections, they should be brought back to the Board Planning Committee.  Approval of this policy will be recommended at the October board meeting.

IINFORMATION ITEMS

Dr. Craig Carter, superintendent of LaSalle-Peru High School, sent a letter respectfully declining to enter into an agreement with IVCC for the use of the track.  The High School has used the track for many years and in return has maintained the track.  Mr. Thompson would like the Facilities Committee to explore the future of the track.  Currently, it is not appropriate for track events.  Dr. Corcoran would prefer the track not deteriorate similar to the tennis courts.

TRUSTEE COMMENT

Tom Setchell reported that he attended a Small Business Development Center (SBDC) seminar on Global Growth Initiative and Intellectual Property Institute.  The idea of sharing existing patents and inventions between companies was presented.  Beverly Malooley, director of the SBDC, plans to index retired executives and engineers in the IVCC district who still have the skills, experience, and mentoring capabilities and engage them in helping companies that want to expand or change their product or services.  This could lead to keeping young people in the area.  Mr. Setchell thought this was a good program with good ideas and hopefully someone will follow up with it.

Mr. Zallis reported the Student Government Association met with the President’s Council and discussed their goals and activities for the coming year.  The student organizations would like to use the banner space on the IVCC website to promote their activities. The banner space catches the eyes of students and entices them to become involved.

Mr. Mallery noted that it is the duty of the secretary of the board to provide candidates for the Board of Trustees with petition forms and statements of candidacy and receive and file nominating petitions.  He asked Jeanne Hayden to accept these duties and at the October board meeting he would like to make a motion to designate her as the Local Election Official.

CLOSED SESSION

It was moved by Dr. Huffman and seconded by Mr. Zallis to convene a closed session to discuss 1) imminent litigation and 2) closed session minutes.

Student Advisory Vote:  “Aye” – Mr. Zallis.  Roll Call Vote: “Ayes” – Dr. Huffman, Ms. Englehaupt, Mr. Mallery, Mr. Setchell, Dr. Driscoll, and Mr. Thompson. “Nays” – None, motion carried.

The Board recessed at 7:32 p.m.  The Board entered closed session at 7:42 p.m.  On a motion by Dr. Driscoll and seconded by Ms. Englehaupt, the regular meeting resumed at 8:04 p.m.

Student Advisory Vote:  “Aye” – Mr. Zallis.  Roll Call Vote: “Ayes” – Dr. Huffman, Ms. Englehaupt, Mr. Mallery, Mr. Setchell, Dr. Driscoll, and Mr. Thompson. “Nays” – None, motion carried.

CLOSED SESSION MINUTES

It was moved by Ms. Englehaupt and seconded by Mr. Zallis to approve and retain the minutes of the Closed Session meeting of August 26, 2010.  Motion passed by voice vote.

OTHER

Mr. Paul Basalay distributed a copy of the CDB “Proposed Project Cost Budget” for Phases 1, 2, and 3 and a Summary Total Project Budget.  The estimates show the total project is slightly under budget at this time.  Mr. Basalay reported that Phase I of the Community Instructional Center Project has an increase in the estimated construction cost due to some structural steel that was not included in previous estimates.  This has caused approximately a two percent increase.  This increase in Phase 1 was offset by moving an equal amount from Phase 3 into the alternate bid category.  He noted that the project has a ten percent contingency and when the bids come in, there may not be a difference because of the economic climate.  He also noted the quality of project could be changed, but he does not want to do this unless it is absolutely necessary. Any money left in the contingency will be returned to CDB.  Mr. Basalay is hoping the alternate bids will use up the money.  Mr. Mallery asked Mr. Basalay if he was still confident that the State will provide the money for the project.  Mr. Basalay indicated that he will know more between now and December, but all the signs indicate that Springfield is very supportive and this project is earmarked and moving forward.   A meeting with CDB is scheduled for October 1 and at that time the architects will authorize to proceed with 100 percent of the documentation.  

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved by Dr. Huffman, seconded by Mr. Zallis, and carried unanimously to adjourn the meeting at 8:17 p.m.  Motion passed by voice vote.